Artificial Intelligence offers great potential and, for some, risks for humans in the future. While still in its infancy it is being employed in some interesting ways. X
Here we explore some of the main AI trends predicted by experts in the field. If correct, 2020 should see some very exciting developments indeed. Read More
Tag Archives: Strategy
When Data Creates Competitive Advantage
Many executives and investors assume that it’s possible to use customer-data capabilities to gain an unbeatable competitive edge. The more customers you have, the more data you can gather, and that data, when analyzed with machine-learning tools, allows you to offer a better product that attracts more customers. You can then collect even more data and eventually marginalize your competitors in the same way that businesses with sizable network effects do. Or so the thinking goes. More often than not, this assumption is wrong. In most instances people grossly overestimate the advantage that data confers. en Data Creates Competitive Advantage.
The virtuous cycles generated by data-enabled learning may look similar to those of regular network effects, wherein an offering—like a social media platform—becomes more valuable as more people use it and ultimately garners a critical mass of users that shuts out competitors. But in practice regular network effects last longer and tend to be more powerful. To establish the strongest competitive position, you need them and data-enabled learning. However, few companies are able to develop both. Nevertheless under the right conditions customer-generated data can help you build competitive defenses, even if network effects aren’t present. In this article we’ll walk you through what those conditions are and explain how to evaluate whether they apply to your business. Read More
Global AI Survey: AI proves its worth, but few scale impact
Most companies report measurable benefits from AI where it has been deployed; however, much work remains to scale impact, manage risks, and retrain the workforce. A group of high performers shows the way.
Adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to increase, and the technology is generating returns. 1 The findings of the latest McKinsey Global Survey on the subject show a nearly 25 percent year-over-year increase in the use of AI 2 in standard business processes, with a sizable jump from the past year in companies using AI across multiple areas of their business. 3 A majority of executives whose companies have adopted AI report that it has provided an uptick in revenue in the business areas where it is used, and 44 percent say AI has reduced costs. Read More
8 biggest AI trends of 2020, according to experts
Artificial intelligence is one of the fastest moving and least predictable industries. Just think about all the things that were inconceivable a few years back: deepfakes, AI-powered machine translation, bots that can master the most complicated games, etc.
But it never hurts to try our chances at predicting the future of AI. We asked scientists and AI thought leaders about what they think will happen in the AI space in the year to come. Here’s what you need to know. Read More
There’s No Such Thing As The Machine Learning Platform
In the past few years, you might have noticed the increasing pace at which vendors are rolling out “platforms” that serve the AI ecosystem, namely addressing data science and machine learning (ML) needs. The “Data Science Platform” and “Machine Learning Platform” are at the front lines of the battle for the mind share and wallets of data scientists, ML project managers, and others that manage AI projects and initiatives. If you’re a major technology vendor and you don’t have some sort of big play in the AI space, then you risk rapidly becoming irrelevant. But what exactly are these platforms and why is there such an intense market share grab going on? Read More
Protocols, Not Platforms: A Technological Approach to Free Speech
After a decade or so of the general sentiment being in favor of the internet and social media as a way to enable more speech and improve the marketplace of ideas, in the last few years the view has shifted dramatically—now it seems that almost no one is happy. Some feel that these platforms have become cesspools of trolling, bigotry, and hatred. 1. Zachary Laub, Hate Speech on Social Media: Global Comparisons, Council on Foreign Rel. (Jun. 7, 2019), https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/hate-speech-social-media-global-comparisons. Meanwhile, others feel that these platforms have become too aggressive in policing language and are systematically silencing or censoring certain viewpoints. 2. Tony Romm, Republicans Accused Facebook, Google and Twitter of Bias. Democrats Called the Hearing ‘Dumb.’, Wash. Post (Jul. 17, 2018), https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/07/17/republicans-accused-facebook-google-twitter-bias-democrats-called-hearing-dumb/?utm_term=.895b34499816. And that’s not even touching on the question of privacy and what these platforms are doing (or not doing) with all of the data they collect.
… This article proposes an entirely different approach—one that might seem counterintuitive but might actually provide for a workable plan that enables more free speech, while minimizing the impact of trolling, hateful speech, and large-scale disinformation efforts.
… That approach: build protocols, not platforms.
To be clear, this is an approach that would bring us back to the way the internet used to be. The early internet involved many different protocols—instructions and standards that anyone could then use to build a compatible interface. Email used SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). Read More
Top Artificial Intelligence (AI) Predictions For 2020 From IDC and Forrester
3 Data-Driven Rules For Competing With Amazon In The First-Ever Trillion-Dollar Holiday Season
Data is eating the world and Amazon got it very early on.
… “The retail innovators of 2019 understand that they are in the data business,” says Chris Lynch.
… Lynch’s rules for surviving and thriving in the Amazon era can be summarized as follows: Enhance, extend, and be an expert.
— Data-Driven Rule #1: Enhance your data by breaking down the silos in which it is stored, across the enterprise and in the cloud.
— Data-Driven Rule #2: Extend your data by integrating it with your entire value chain—suppliers, customers, any entity that can benefit from access to data that is relevant to your business partnership.
— Data-Driven Rule #3: Become an expert. Read More
How to Create a Successful Data Strategy
With rapid advances in AI and data science, data has become an essential asset to every enterprise. Setting up a data strategy, therefore, has become every enterprise’s mission, particularly in the C Suite and at Executive levels. What is a data strategy and how do we create the right data strategy?
… There are 6 areas that we should focus on to create a successful data strategy: Alignment, Architecture, Process, Organization, People, and Long-term planning. Read More
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