Last week I had the opportunity to join industry leaders from Microsoft, SAP, Claro and others, speaking before attendees of the CIO and IT Leadership Conference put on by the Puerto Rico IT Cluster.
This is a great event that provides a unique opportunity for Puerto Rico’s public and private sector to engage in important dialogue on IT and its role in driving innovation and economic development for the island.
My presentation addressed artificial intelligence and how it will affect all of us. Since there are so many unknowns around the subject today, it’s hard for companies – and individuals – to understand the impact that AI will have on their businesses and the world — let alone plan an effective roadmap.
By explaining the distinct variations within AI – from predictive analytics, to machine learning and deep learning, I hope attendees walked away with a clearer understanding of AI and what it can achieve in terms of productivity, better customer experience, cost savings, efficiency and ultimately business transformation.
Many people are caught up with an image of AI as being something straight out of science fiction with all of its frightful and other-worldly images, but in reality, pragmatic AI is being applied today – with great benefits.
I tried to bring some of these applications to life: how in financial services AI is helping to answer customer questions regarding lost bank cards, locked pins and other issues, so that agents can address more difficult ones. And, through satellite imagery, how AI is enabling hedge funds advisors and other investment firms to better analyze data and predict the growth of specific markets. Or, how in healthcare artificial intelligence is being used to help clinicians detect abnormalities in X-rays.
As I explained during my presentation, while AI is providing great benefits today and is full of possibilities for the future, there always will be the need for human intelligence to drive the outcomes that data-driven AI can enable. Humans and their ability to reason must always be part of the equation.
AI is certainly driving the next wave of digital transformation, and we at Wovenware will continue to share new insights, best practices and our expertise to help us all leverage it for better business outcomes and ultimately business growth.
