AI used to be the term we used to describe awesome dudes like C-3PO. Now it has been co-opted to mean boring things like game-changing business innovation. Alas, IT must make do with the coming of this less-exciting version of AI. In an article for ZDNet, Mark Samuels discusses what CIOs can do to prepare for AI projects.
Artificial Ideas
Right now, robotic process automation (RPA) to handle mindless tasks is the hot new thing. Machine learning is a bit too bleeding-edge for many businesses at the moment. Still, the time for pilot projects on both fronts is now. Samuels describes how some people are thinking about AI:
First Utility CIO Bill Wilkins, for example, has created a customer-driven approach to data analytics and continues to look for new ways to help his business grow through technology, including via AI and automation. Wilkins says that, to remain competitive, his organisation must continue to innovate through information.
It is a sentiment that chimes with Brian Franz, chief productivity officer at Diageo, who has responsibility for the firm’s shared services around the world. His chief priority centres on driving efficiency and effectiveness in a sustainable manner — and that work aims to makes the most of advanced technology, including AI.
The more basic legwork that CIOs put in now to understand emerging technology, the easier it will be to take advantage of those big advances later.
For a longer discussion, you can view the original article here: http://www.zdnet.com/article/ai-projects-are-taking-off-what-does-this-mean-for-the-future-of-work/
