TRENDING
“
WE’LL SEE AI APPLIED TO
HIRING AND PROMOTION
PROCEDURES TO SCREEN FOR
CONSCIOUS AND UNCONSCIOUS BIAS.
Some theorists claim AI will replace jobs,
but these new technologies may also create
new ones, unleashing new opportunities for
humans. For example, we’ll see a new type
of IT professional focused on AI training
and fine-tuning. These practitioners will be
responsible for setting the parameters for
what should and shouldn’t be classified good
business outcomes, determining the rules
for engagement, framing what constitutes
‘reward’ and so on. Once this is in place,
the technology will be able to recommend
positive commercial opportunities at
lightning speed.
PREDICTION 2: EMBEDDING THE IQ
OF THINGS
Starting in 2018, we’ll take gargantuan
strides in embedding near-instant
intelligence in IoT-enhanced cities,
organisations, homes and vehicles. With the
cost of processing power decreasing and a
connected node approaching $0, soon we’ll
have 100 billion connected devices, and after
that a trillion. The magnitude of all that data
combined, processing power with the power
of AI will help machines better orchestrate
our physical and human resources. We’ll
evolve into ‘digital conductors’ of the
technology and environments surrounding
us. Technology will function as an extension
of ourselves. Every object will become smart
and enable us to live smarter lives.
We’re seeing this in our cars - the ‘ultimate
mobile device’ - which are being fitted
out with ultrasonic sensors, technology
that makes use of light beams to measure
distance between vehicles and gesture
recognition. In time, these innovations will
make autonomous driving an everyday
reality. Well before, we’ll get used to cars
routinely booking themselves in for a service,
informing the garage what needs to be done
and scheduling their own software updates.
PREDICTION 3: WE’LL DON
AR HEADSETS
It also won’t be long until the lines
between ‘real’ reality and augmented
reality begin to blur. AR’s commercial
viability is already evident. For instance,
teams of construction workers, architects
and engineers are using AR headsets to
visualise new builds, co-ordinate efforts
based on a single view of a development
and train on-the-job labourers when a
technician can’t be on site that day.
“
Mohammed Amin, Senior Vice President,
Middle East, Turkey and Africa at Dell EMC
26
INTELLIGENTCIO
WE’LL SEE A
NEW TYPE OF IT
PROFESSIONAL
FOCUSED ON AI
TRAINING AND
FINE-TUNING.
Of course, VR has strong prospects too. It will
undoubtedly transform the entertainment
and gaming space in the near term, thanks
to the immersive experiences it affords,
but smart bets are on AR becoming the de
facto way of maximising human efficiency
and leveraging the ‘tribal knowledge’ of an
evolving workforce.
PREDICTION 4: A DEEPER
RELATIONSHIP WITH CUSTOMERS
Dell Technologies’ Digital Transformation
Index shows that 45% of leaders in mid to
large organisations believe they could be
obsolete within five years and 78% see start-
ups as a threat to their business. It’s never
been more important to put the customer
experience first.
Over the next year, with predictive analytics,
machine learning (ML) and AI at the
forefront, companies will better understand
and serve customers at, if not before, the
point of need. Customer service will pivot
on perfecting the blend between man
and machine. So, rather than offloading
customer interactions to first generation
chatbots and predetermined messages,
humans and automated intelligent virtual
agents will work together as one team.
PREDICTION 5: BIAS CHECK WILL
BECOME THE NEXT SPELL CHECK
Over the next decade, emerging technologies
such as VR, AI, will help people find and
act on information without interference
from emotions or external prejudice, while
empowering them to exercise human
judgment where appropriate.
In the short-term, we’ll see AI applied to
hiring and promotion procedures to screen for
conscious and unconscious bias. Meanwhile
VR will increasingly be used as an interview
tool to ensure opportunities are awarded on
merit alone, e.g. by masking a prospective
employee’s true identity with an avatar.
www.intelligentcio.com