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BROUGHT TO you BY TATA COMMUNICaTIONS
Computer intelligence will
overturn everything from
medicine to the stock market
and the revolution is only just
beginning, says Oliver Pickup
po w e ring
th e f utur e
Tata Communications’
network carries almost
25pc of global internet
routes, acting as the
backbone for future
AI innovations
A
rtificial intelligence (AI)
and a world in which
machines threaten
humanity’s status quo
has been the preserve
of science fiction for decades. In
the Eighties, Terminator was set in
a post-apocalyptic world in which
cyborgs rule, RoboCop’s protagonist
was part-man, part-machine and
Short Circuit toyed with the idea of
robots developing human-like minds,
with rather more endearing results.
The reality is the bot has bolted.
AI is walking and talking among
us. In 2016, we use voice-recognition
systems, driverless cars are
being trialled and robotic hotel
receptionists work in Japan. The
advent of certain technologies
– inexpensive high-speed internet,
secure cloud storage, mobility
solutions and low-cost devices – has
allowed the fantastical possibilities
of the past to become reality.
Armed with that tech oomph, it is
vital for business leaders to engage
with AI. They must realise its vast
untapped potential and take charge
in shaping the present and the future.
“Everything invented in the past
150 years will be reinvented using
AI within the next 15 years,” says
Randy Dean, chief business officer
at Sentient Technologies.
Mr Dean should know: by
harnessing AI’s potency his San
Francisco-based company has
disrupted markets, including
healthcare, retail, food and financial
trading. “Because of AI we are
beginning to see seismic advances in
health, transport, banking and many
other domains,” he says. “Soon AI
will be able to predict a heart attack
hours, or even days, before you feel it.
“In addition, we are developing
a joint venture which we believe is
the world’s first AI hedge fund. It
uses evolving algorithms created by
humans and optimised by machines
for high-frequency trading. Using
different market indicators, we can
find signals which would take
humans 10,000 years to spot.”
As part of Tata Communications’
two-day CEO Summit 2016, which
began yesterday at Coworth Park near
Ascot, Berkshire, Mr Dean was invited
This internet backbone
reaches countries that
account for 99.7pc of
the world’s GDP
Tata Communications’
IZO cloud ecosystem
includes the world’s
largest cloud platforms
– Microsoft Azure, Office
365, Salesforce, Amazon
Web Services and Google
Cloud Platform
Through its cloud
ecosystem and global
network, Tata
Communications is an
enabler for AI solutions
that have the potential
to transform how
businesses operate
Learn how artificial intelligence will
transform your business
to demonstrate the e-commerce AI
program Sentient Aware to 60 business
leaders. It allows shoe shoppers
to whittle down a catalogue into
personal choices with a few swipes,
factoring in subtle details such as slope
of toe, height of heel and shape of sole.
In his provocative welcome note
to the summit, Vinod Kumar, chief
executive of Tata Communications,
writes: “AI is no longer the stuff of
science fiction; it is in the mainstream
of information technology… We must
share our ideas on how to fulfil its
potential while guarding against any
social and economic disruption.”
Jack Hidary, a session leader at
the conference, agrees. “At last we
have arrived at the age of machine
intelligence. Now we can easily
crunch terabytes and petabytes and
exabytes of data, and that means AI
programs will shoot up the very steep
learning curve rapidly. However, I
believe we have only seen about one
per cent of what AI can ultimately do.
“This summit comes at a critical
moment in the evolution of humans
and in terms of the development of
ourselves as leaders. Every chief
executive in the room will come away
with the distinct impression that AI
will disrupt their industry. It’s up
to each leader to choose whether to
harness this available power or feel
the effects of it from others.”
Delegates are encouraged to
interact with a dozen demonstrations
that span the gamut of AI technology
– in robotics, virtual and augmented
reality, gaming, and more.
“We showcase shopping-carrying
bots, drone racing, plants that can
perfect air conditioning, devices that
tell you if you’re happy, and there is
even a herd of baby robot dinosaurs,”
says future technologist and product
innovator at Tata Communications
David Eden. “AI is relevant today
because the processing power
required to do useful things with it
has hit a level of maturity, and because
the other critical building blocks for
AI – superfast connectivity and secure
cloud computing – are now ubiquitous.”
The truth is that in order to take
advantage of AI’s possibilities,
businesses need a reliable, secure
and evolving infrastructure. Tata
Communications, whose network
powers almost a quarter of the world’s
internet routes and allows people and
businesses to reach 240 countries and
territories, is well placed to help.
“Tata Communications is putting
its money where its mouth is,
investing in AI, including Sentient,
and working hard to understand it,
while educating others, as shown
by this summit,” Mr Dean says.
“The sooner we can turn on business
leaders to the possibilities of how
AI could help them, the faster the
market can grow. Ultimately, that
optimisation of costs, products and
services will benefit all of humanity.”
For more information, visit
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