Spurt in the availability of digital data, the amplified power of computing power and the efficiency of algorithms has fueled excitement about this formerly obscure corner of computer science. The largest tech firms on the planet, including Alphabet, Apple, Amazon, Facebook, IBM and Microsoft are investing crazy sums to foster their AI capabilities. So far in 2017 only, more than 23 billion have been spent in mergers and acquisitions related to building/enhancing AI capabilities.
One way to understand AI’s potential impact is to look at databases. From the 1980s these made it cheap to store information, pull out insights and handle cognitive tasks such as inventory management. Databases powered the first generation of software; AI will make the next generation of software far more predictive and responsive. An application such as Google’s Gmail, which scans the content of e-mails and suggests quick, one-touch replies on mobile devices, is an early example of what is coming or is already there.
In the coming years, large tech firms are going to go compete in three area. One, compete for talent, two, apply machine learning in existing business, and try creating new profit centers using AI.
One way to understand AI’s potential impact is to look at databases. From the 1980s these made it cheap to store information, pull out insights and handle cognitive tasks such as inventory management. Databases powered the first generation of software; AI will make the next generation of software far more predictive and responsive. An application such as Google’s Gmail, which scans the content of e-mails and suggests quick, one-touch replies on mobile devices, is an early example of what is coming or is already there.
In the coming years, large tech firms are going to go compete in three area. One, compete for talent, two, apply machine learning in existing business, and try creating new profit centers using AI.