For example, A.I. is powering huge gains in
customer experience by letting retailers gauge
buyers’ every interaction and tailor messages and
pricing strategies to their needs; provide custom-
ized offers and discounts; and replace generic
search and support functions with personalized
interactions. They also offer distributors more ef-
ficient ways to manage inventory and make more
informed decisions at the warehouse and in the
product aisle.
Given the potential of A.I. and process automa-
tion tools to cut costs while increasing profits, it’s no
surprise that global spending on smart technology
solutions is anticipated to hit $57.6 billion by 2021,
per IDC. Or that 61% of organizations say that ma-
chine learning– and A.I.-related efforts will represent
the most significant data initiatives their companies
will undertake in the next year.
“Three or four years ago, when I started talking
to enterprises about artificial intelligence adoption,
I had to start with ‘What is A.I., and why do you
need it?’” says Sudhir Jha, head of Brighterion, a
Mastercard company. “Now people understand
the inherent value of this technology. What they’re
instead struggling with today, because the promise
of A.I. is so broad, is how to go about implementing
effective solutions.”
Firms such as Brighterion—which provides an
A.I. and machine-learning
platform that provides
real-time, mission-critical
intelligence from any
data source, regardless
of scale or complex-
ity—aren’t just putting
greater insights at users’
fingertips; they’re also
streamlining the process of
giving any organization a
custom, end-to-end smart-
technology upgrade. As a
result, enterprises of every
size can deploy flexible,
cost-effective A.I. rollouts
and implementations from
which performance, productivity, and profit gains
can be rapidly realized.
“In fact, we are able to do over a billion transac-
tions per day,” says Jha. “The goal is finding new
ways to scale businesses and identify additional use
cases for these advancements.”
“Reliable and ready-made access to high-quality
data and decisioning is vital to building competitive
advantage these days,” explains Eliot Weinman,
founder and conference chair of leading industry
event AI World. “Everything is based on information
now—artificial intelligence and machine learning
simply draw upon this data to help augment orga-
nizations’ ability to make smarter choices. Com-
panies are moving from a mind-set where they’re
making investments in artificial intelligence as part
of a general digital transformation to one where
they’re making them as a strategic imperative.”
Fortunately, customized A.I. offerings and
services are now a cost-effective option available
to enterprises of every size, says SAS’ Day. “There
are two entry points,” he says. “We can help you
quickly start your journey down the path of analytics
and process automation, or take a deeper look
under the hood at what’s happening with your
operations and customers.” With smart technology
now decades in the making, a wealth of insight and
knowledge can be leveraged to help organizations
swiftly recognize tangible gains by building upon
industry standards and best practices.
Which is great news for companies of all sizes,
because interest in automation and A.I. solutions—
as well as potential applications for these technolo-
gies—will only continue to skyrocket. ■
COMPANIES ARE MOVING FROM A MIND-SET WHERE THEY’RE MAKING INVESTMENTS
IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AS PART OF A GENERAL DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION TO
ONE WHERE THEY’RE MAKING THEM AS A STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE.
BY 2021, GLOBAL SPENDING
ON SMART TECHNOLOGY
SOLUTIONS IS ANTICIPATED TO HIT
“
“
—ELIOT WEINMAN
Founder and Conference Chair, AI World
$57.6 billion
SPONSORED CONTENT
SOURCE: IDC
AI World | http://www.aiworld.com
