JUNE 2017CIOAPPLICATIONS.COM8IN MYVIEWhe topic of AI has reached such a fever pitch in the media with the coverage of driverless cars and conversational bots that it's only a matter of time before every CEO starts asking their CIO, "What's our AI strategy?" This column will debunk some common AI myths and share a foundational framework for how to think about AI and how to apply AI to the business so you can give your CEO a thoughtful response. Debunking Common AI MythsThe media coverage of AI has led to oversimplification and sensationalization of a complex and nuanced topic. So we need to debunk the two most pervasive myths before we can establish a sensible framework.Myth 1: AI = Machines > HumansFor the last 30 years, the media has loved portraying AI as the replacement of humans by machines, whether it's Schwarzenegger in the Terminator or Alicia Vikander in Ex Machina. This is the wrong mental model for AI in the enterprise. The right framing is to think of how machines can augment humans, not replace them. Even the recent media coverage of Google's DeepMind/AlphaGo victory over Lee Sedol was simplistically portrayed as `Machine defeats Human.' The more accurate description would be Machine plus many Humans defeats single Human.Machines have advantages that Humans do not: speed, cost, and consistency. Humans have advantages that Machines do not: task complexity and breadth of task capability. The challenge is to find the right way to blend Humans and Machines, not replace Humans with Machines. Myth 2: AI = Best AlgorithmMany people believe that AI and algorithm are one and the same; that the best algorithm creates the best AI solution. Facebook has the best newsfeed algorithm, Netflix has the best movie recommendation algorithm and Google has the best ad placement algorithm.We think this is incomplete. AI and algorithm are not synonymous terms. Algorithms are a necessary component of AI, but only that­ a component. Many leading experts such as Alexander Wissner-Gross now claim data ­ and not algorithms ­ is the key limiting factor to the development TRobin BordoliROBIN BORDOLI, CEO, CROWDFLOWER "WHAT'S OUR AI STRATEGY?"CEO TO CIO:
< Page 7 | Page 9 >