{"id":1955,"date":"2019-09-17T03:22:24","date_gmt":"2019-09-17T03:22:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kusuaks7\/?p=1560"},"modified":"2024-04-08T08:21:26","modified_gmt":"2024-04-08T08:21:26","slug":"cto-view-on-ai-business-critical-or-hype-monster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/ai-ml\/cto-view-on-ai-business-critical-or-hype-monster\/","title":{"rendered":"The CTO view on AI: business critical or hype monster?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Here’s been a lot of excitement around AI and some real progress has been made. But, there is also a lot of hype surrounding the technology<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHow does the CTO view AI?\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAs the people who will be leading AI integration, CTOs must be well versed in both the technology\u2019s potential and its shortcomings.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAcross sectors, but especially in tech, there\u2019s a real sense of excitement around AI and CTOs (in other industries like finance, healthcare, marketing and retail) would be foolish to ignore it. In the last five years, there has also been some real progress in this space \u2014 the technology is ready to disrupt at scale, claim the AI vendors and third parties.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\nOr is it? According to\u00a0Christian Beedgen, CTO and co-founder at Sumo Logic, AI \u2014 as the industry knows it \u2014 should, in fact, be described as a neural network or deep learning technology. True AI, artificial general intelligence, is not here yet and as such, when organisations promote their AI products, it can be misleading. Indeed, it was recently reported that\u00a040% of Europe\u2019s artificial intelligence start-ups\u00a0do not actually use the technology, but use its hype to attract large investment.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n“What is artificial intelligence? Defining it in business \u2014 a CTO guide”\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIn this guide, seven CTOs and AI experts provide their view on what is artificial intelligence; and how they define the technology in the context of business. Read here\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n“What industries will AI impact the most in the next few years \u2014 a CTO guide”\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIn this guide, seven CTOs and AI experts provide their view on what industries will be most impacted by artificial intelligence. Read her\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t“Integrating artificial intelligence: Best practice tips \u2014 a CTO guide”\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIn this guide, six CTOs and AI experts provide their best practice tips on integrating AI into internal operations and external facing products. Read here\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAI vendor hype\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\nWhat\u2019s the issue? Vendors are almost \u201cbeating organisations over the head, saying; \u2018unless you run your business on our artificial intelligence, you\u2019re not going to be able to compete’\u201d, says Beedgen.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHe continues: \u201cit\u2019s not clear to me how all of these things around AI are going to play out in reality, but those who propose adding AI to a business will improve everything across the board\u2026 it\u2019s essentially, bulls**t.\u201d\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBeedgen thinks that CTOs have caught onto this. They now know that when they attend a large conference, there will be hundreds of vendors pitching \u2018the next big thing\u2019, when in fact, it\u2019s just a bunch of black box marketing. The results of implementing these products and solutions is very much \u201cto be decided\u201d.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThere\u2019s no such thing as magic AI, or a silver bullet, and just because there\u2019s lots of new AI\/ML\/deep learning techniques, it doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that these can help organisations on a day-to-day basis run a business better.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEtienne Greeff, CTO and founder of SecureData, shares this view. Here, he references AI\u2019s role in cyber: \u201cIn cyber security and in application security, there\u2019s actually no known application of AI. There\u2019s no autonomous agent that automatically defines threats; that does not happen yet, and it\u2019s not very close to happening.\u201d\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBut, this doesn\u2019t mean the technology should be dismissed altogether. There is still reason to be excited, but expectations must be managed, especially in security and enterprise software domains.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u201cWith my CTO mindset, I do get excited about new technology. And, despite my scepticism around the hype, I am excited about AI\u201d \u2014 Beedgen\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKalyan Kumar, CVP and chief technology officer at HCL Technologies, weighs in on the debate and agrees that AI should be on fellow CTOs\u2019 radar.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHe says: \u201cBusinesses should have key AI technologies such as machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, natural language generation, text analytics, robotics, and vision AI on their radars. AI carries the potential to fundamentally transform business by giving a competitive edge to the organisation.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u201cUltimately, however, businesses must remember that AI projects are long-term implementations \u2014 there are no shortcuts or plug-and-play options. They, therefore, require careful planning and dedicated focus and vision for each project being implemented. Any AI initiative should be undertaken in phases or milestones. A step-by-step approach is vital if businesses want to reap the rewards of AI, which can include various types of benefits besides just cost savings.\u201d\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe CTO and AI: think about outcomes\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s clear the umbrella of artificial intelligence has advanced in areas like machine learning, which is already impacting areas such as image recognition, something Beedgen identifies as one of the biggest current viable use cases of AI-based technology.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\nAny CTO looking at the technology will have to do two things;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1. Define a relatively narrow use case \u2014 \u2018what problem will AI help me solve\u2019, they should ask?\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2. Focus on making sure there is enough data, and the right kind of data, to support that use case.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCTOs, ultimately, need to think about outcomes, rather than just cost reduction and reducing headcount.\u00a0Katie Gibbs, head of AI, BJSS, said: \u201cA lot of conversations we\u2019re having at the moment are where companies are saying we need to automate in order to reduce headcount by 20%. And actually that\u2019s a very short-term view to take, considering that if, internally, employees in the organisation are afraid about the next bit of technology that\u2019s coming in because their job is going to get cut, it makes for a very disengaged workforce and a difficult place to work \u2014 that comes through in customer experience and user experience on the other side.\u201d\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAI can absolutely drive value, but to be a success, CTOs need to look at how they can combine the business\u2019 employees \u2014 who have got all the context of best practices and knowledge of the organisation \u2014 with the technology. It\u2019s important the results are felt on the ground, by the employees. These individuals are the experts who monitor and manage the AI systems that almost report into them. \u201cThis is a really great way to take employees on that AI journey and really invest in the employee value proposition as well \u2014 don\u2019t just look to replace people, look at investing in your workforce to enable this automated future,\u201d suggested Gibbs.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBusiness critical or hype monster?\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s evident that there is a lot of hype in the AI market, with vendors pushing their \u2018unique\u2019 solution to end-user organisations, desperate not to fall foul of disruption. It seems that we\u2019re at the inflated expectations stage on the hype cycle.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBut, as more use cases emerge and the technology matures, AI \u2014 in a variety of forms (see below) \u2014 will become a critical asset to organisations. In the meantime, CTOs must manage their workforce and board\u2019s expectations of what the technology can offer, and what impact it will have on their organisation and customers.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here’s been a lot of excitement around AI and some real progress has been made. But, there is also a lot of hype surrounding the technology How does the CTO view AI?As the people who will be leading AI integration, CTOs must be well versed in both the technology\u2019s potential and its shortcomings.Across sectors, but<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":635,"featured_media":3960,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[183],"tags":[97],"ppma_author":[3361],"class_list":["post-1955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ai-ml","tag-artificial-intelligence"],"authors":[{"term_id":3361,"user_id":635,"is_guest":0,"slug":"nicholas-ismail","display_name":"Nicholas Ismail","avatar_url":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/medium_7846d3d9-9e57-4968-8d69-64a8c8947899-150x150.jpg","author_category":"","user_url":"https:\/\/www.information-age.com\/","last_name":"Ismail","first_name":"Nicholas","job_title":"","description":"Nicholas Ismail is Editor at Information Age<\/a>.\u00a0 He writes original articles for the magazine and website, interviewing business leaders both on and off-camera while providing analysis for IT and business leaders on the latest technology trends disrupting the industry."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/635"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1955"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.experfy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=1955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}