Look beyond the AI Hype Cycle
/Artificial Intelligence is at the peak of the hype cycle. For those of us in the business of delivering solutions, there's a need to cut through that hype with a crisp definition. I used to be turned off by the technology hype cycle. A vestige of ten years as a CIO—a decade of cold calls from tech vendors will do that to you.
But I've come to recognize that hype spurs us on to greater innovation. Creative writers will imagine a future and Hollywood will put their ideas on screen in 3D. Then some bright spark will start to create that future for real, journalists will speculate, start ups will come and go, and the best ideas will survive and flourish.
When I keynoted a recent AI event, I highlighted the challenge in understanding what Artificial Intelligence already means for us.
AI technology is largely invisible—many of us benefit from it's effects without knowing it's there. Whether we are navigating our drive home, avoiding email spam, planning a vacation online, or sourcing the best insurance policy, all we care is that the job is done right.
Hype moves us along the Rogers Curve. But when you're choosing a path to innovate down, bear in mind this simple distinction:
Conventional computing: we know how to solve a problem, so we tell the computer how to do it.
Artificial Intelligence: we don't know how to solve it, but we can tell the computer how to learn and can supply the data it needs to learn from.
The key distinction? Data. Lots of it, and way too much for a human to comprehend. Understand that, and one day we'll understand the true impact of Blade Runner, 2001, and Her.
When you should consider AI
If you are in the business of delivering solutions for your customers, consider the examples above and other sources like my article 1+1=10.
Then I challenge you to come up with three reasons why you should NOT consider AI as a tool to provide your customers with a better way to do what they need to do.
Send me your reasons at graham@primeFusion.ca and I'll give you my feedback.
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