Category Archives: Ai

HOW DOES AI APPLY TO MEDICAL SERVICES?

It really shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that the healthcare industry is considered one of the most promising areas for the use of artificial intelligence. Of course, we're not talking about allowing some kind of software-defined entity with a virtual consciousness to control our medical services. Instead, we're referring to a group of powerful IT systems that can process and analyse vast amounts of data in a blink of an eye, and then produce findings so elaborate that it would take a human several lifetimes to do the same.

Thanks to those systems that, in the business environment, we now call "AI", we should soon be able to develop drugs that are more effective, enhance the accuracy of diagnoses, create better medical equipment, improve the well-being of patients, and much more and that's only because we know AI can handle data better than we ever will. In other words, AI can help us find some good answers in little time and that is a fact.

And it's not a fairy tale. The things we named above are achievable. The only part healthcare companies need to figure out is how they get enough computing power to run such resource-heavy AI/ML operations. And we've got an answer for them.

You cannot run data-heavy AI operations on a regular IT infrastructure, especially in healthcare. When you become aware that you will be dealing with insane amounts of data, countless cybersecurity issues, and thousands upon thousands of digital operations per day, you realise that you need a platform that guarantees high availability of systems and applications, state-of-the-art security, and maximum reliability. Therefore, you need something like an IBM POWER-type solution. Why?

Let's start from the beginning. IBM Power Systems is a family of servers based on high-performance microprocessors called POWER. The name is no coincidence IBM Power Systems are considered some of the most powerful IT platforms on the planet. Hence, some of the biggest enterprises out there to run data analysis and AI/ML processes are using them.

If you go to IBM's website, you will learn that eight out of the top 10 retailers, eight out of the top 10 banking companies, and nine out of the top 10 insurance companies all use POWER-type IT infrastructures. Those are some serious organisations and institutions, and they cannot afford to take a risk and use a platform that is maybe good enough to support their operations. They all chose IBM Power Systems because they know they are more than good enough to do the job.

That being said, IBM and vendors such as Comarch are now taking IBM Power Systems to the next level by adding cloud computing technology to the mix. The result of that is, for instance, Comarch PowerCloud, which allows IBM POWER Systems users to migrate their traditional IT infrastructures to the cloud with minimal effort. But that's not the only reason why this particular product is getting more and more attention. Another big plus is that it uses a pay-as-you-go model. Thus, not only does it give you more control of spending, but it also enables you to lower your costs (according to Comarch, those can be reduced by as much as 30-40%).

We could go on and on presenting more reasons, but probably the most important one (at least in the context of this article) is that cloud-based IBM POWER-type solutions such as Comarch PowerCloud can provide you with (more than) enough computing power to start using AI for improving all kinds of medical services today.

If youre interested in finding out more about how the latest IT products and services based on IBM's POWER technology and to see how you can use them to run AI/ML operations and drive innovation in the healthcare industry read our free ebook: "Why Healthcare Needs AI and IBM POWER-driven Platforms".

See the article here:

How healthcare companies can benefit from AI and IBM POWER driven IT infrastructures - Euronews

It. Never. Fails. Every time an AI article finds its way to social media theres hundreds of people invoking the terrifying specter of SKYNET.

SKYNET is a fictional artificial general intelligence thats responsible for the creation of the killer robots from the Terminator film franchise. It was a scary vision of AIs future until deep learning came along and big tech decided to take off its metaphorical belt and really give us something to cry about.

At least the people fighting the robots in The Terminator film franchises get to face a villain they can see and shoot at. In real life, you cant punch an algorithm.

And that makes it difficult to explain why, based on whats happening now, the real future might be even scarier than the one from those killer robot movies.

Luckily, we have experts such as Kai Fu Lee and Chen Qiufan, whose new book, AI 2041: Ten Visions of our Future, takes a stab at predicting what the machines will do over the next two decades. And, based on this interview, theres some scary shit headed our way.

According to Lee and Qiufan, the biggest threats humans face when it comes to AI involve its influence, lack of accountability or explainability, its inherent and explicit bias, its use as a bludgeon against privacy, and, yes, killer robots but not the kind youre thinking of.

If were going to prioritize a list of existential threats to the human race, we should probably start with the worst of them all: social media.

Facebooks very existence is a danger to humanity. It represents a business entity with more power than the governing body of the nation in which its incorporated.

The US government has taken no meaningful steps to regulate Facebooks use of AI. And, for that reason, billions of humans across the planet are exposed to demonstrably harmful recommendation algorithms every day.

Facebooks AI has more influence over humankind than any other force in history. The social network has more active monthly users than Christianity.

It would be shortsighted to think decades of exposure to social networks, despite hundreds of thousands of studies warning us about the real harms, wont have a major impact on our species.

Whether in 10, 20, or 50 years, the evidence seems to indicate well live to regret turning our attention spans over to a mathematical entity thats dumber than a snail.

The next threat on our tour-de-AI-horrors is the fascinating world of anti-privacy technology and the nightmare dystopia were headed for as a species.

Amazons Ring is the perfect reminder that, for whatever reason, humankind is deeply invested in shooting itself in the foot at every possible opportunity.

If theres one thing almost every free nation on the planet agrees on, its that human beings deserve a modicum of privacy.

Ring doorbell cameras destroy that privacy and effectively give both the government and a trillion-dollar corporation a neighbors eye-view of everything thats happening in every neighborhood around the country.

The only thing stopping Amazon or the US government from exploiting the data in the buckets where all that Ring video footage is stored is their word.

If it ever becomes lucrative to use our data or sell it. Or a political shift gives the US government powers to invade our privacy that it didnt previously have, our data is no longer safe.

But its not just Amazon. Our cars will soon be equipped with cloud-connected cameras purported to watch drivers for safety reasons. We already have active microphones listening in all of our smart devices.

And were on the very cusp of mainstreaming brain-computer-interfaces. The path to wearables that send data directly from your brain to big techs servers is paved with good intentions and horrible AI.

The next generation of surveillance tech, wearables, and AI-companions might eradicate the idea of personal privacy all-together.

The difference between being the first result of a Google search or ending up at the bottom of the page can cost businesses millions of dollars. Search engines and social media feed aggregators can kill a business or sink a news story.

And nobody voted to give Google or any other companys search algorithms that kind of power, it just happened.

Now, Googles bias is our bias. Amazons bias determines which products we buy. Microsoft and Apples bias determine what news we read.

Our doctors, politicians, judges, and teachers use Google, Apple, and Microsoft search engines to conduct personal and professional business. And the inherent biases of each product dictate what they do and do not see.

Social media feeds often determine not just which news articles we read, but which news publishers were exposed to. Almost every facet of modern life is somehow promulgated via algorithmic bias.

In another 20 years, information could become so stratified that alternative facts no longer refer to those that diverge from reality, but those that dont reflect the collective truth our algorithms have decided on for us.

AI doesnt have to actually do anything to harm humans. All it has to do is exist and continue to be confusing to the mainstream. As long as developers can get away with passing off black box AI as a way to automate human decision-making, bigotry and discrimination will have a home in which to thrive.

There are certain situations where we dont need AI to explain itself.But when an AI is tasked with making a subjective decision, especially one that affects humans, its important we be able to know why it makes the choices it does.

Its a big problem when, for example, YouTubes algorithm surfaces adult content to childrens accounts because the developers responsible for creating and maintaining those algorithms have no clue why it happens.

But what if there isnt a better way to use black box AI? Weve painted ourselves into a corner almost every public-facing big tech enterprise is powered by black box AI, and almost all of it is harmful. But getting rid of it may prove even harder than extricating humanity from its dependence on fossil fuels and for the same reasons.

In the next 20 years, we can expect the lack of explainability intrinsic to black box AI to lie at the center of any number of potential catastrophes involving artificial intelligence and loss of human life.

The final and perhaps least dangerous (but most obvious) threat to our species as a whole is that of killer drones. Note, thats not the same thing as killer robots.

Theres a reason why even the US military, with its vast budget, doesnt have killer robots. And its because theyre pointless when you can just automate a tank or mount a rifle on a drone.

The real killer robot threat is that of terrorists gaining access to simple algorithms, simple drones, simple guns, and advanced drone-swarm control technology.

Perhaps the best perspective comes from Lee who, in a recent interview with Andy Serwer, said:

It changes the future of warfare because, between country and country, this can create havoc and damage, but perhaps, anonymously and people dont know who did the attack.

So its also quite different from nuclear arms race, where [the] nuclear arms race at least has deterrence built-in. That you dont attack someone for the fear of retaliation and annihilation.

But autonomous weapons might be doable as a surprise attack. And people might not even know who did it. So I think that is, from my perspective, the ultimate greatest danger that I can be a part of. And we need to be cautious and figure out how to ban or regulate it.

Originally posted here:

5 real AI threats that make The Terminator look like Kindergarten Cop - The Next Web

Walmart has tapped Argo AI and Ford to launch an autonomous vehicle delivery service in Austin, Miami and Washington, D.C., the companies said Wednesday.

The service will allow customers to place online orders for groceries and other items using Walmarts ordering platform. Argos cloud-based infrastructure will be integrated with Walmarts online platform, routing the orders and scheduling package deliveries to customers homes. Initially, the commercial service will be limited to specific geographic areas in each city and will expand over time. The companies will begin testing later this year.

Walmart and Ford have partnered before in a limited test with Postmates in fall 2018. In that pilot program, which focused on Miami-Dade County, they used simulated self-driving vehicles to study the user experience of delivering groceries. Argo was not involved in that study.

This latest collaboration will use Ford vehicles integrated with Argo AIs self-driving technology. The aim is to show the potential for autonomous vehicle delivery services at scale, according to Argo AI CEO and co-founder Bryan Salesky.

The announcement illustrates Fords two-track system to launch a commercial service that uses autonomous vehicles to shuttle people and possibly packages. The automaker has been testing the business side of how a dedicated fleet of autonomous vehicles might operate in the real world. It backed Argo AI in 2016 and tapped the company to develop and test the self-driving system.

It also shows how Austin and Miami have become central to their initial commercialization plans.

Earlier this summer, Argo AI and Ford announced plans to launch at least 1,000 self-driving vehicles on Lyfts ride-hailing network in a number of cities over the next five years, starting with Miami and Austin. The first Ford self-driving vehicles equipped with Argos autonomous vehicle technology are expected to become available on Lyfts app in Miami later this year.

Here is the original post:

Walmart to launch autonomous delivery service with Ford and Argo AI - TechCrunch

Plug and Play the largest global innovation platform in the field of Artificial Intelligence, and international accelerator and investment platform INTEMA (Intelligent Machines) launched byAI subsidiary of MTS, largest telecom operator inEastern Europe, have commenced a partnership that will see INTEMA andPlug and Plays global ecosystem development, leveraging the platform to support its comprehensive digital transformation strategy in the field of Artificial Intelligence.

The collaboration with Plug and Play will allow INTEMA by MTS AI to expand the number of global AI startups to be included in the accelerator program which provides access to international expertise in Artificial Intelligence and possible investment opportunities.

Marketing Technology News: Plug and Play Announces Launch of COVID-19 Startup Accelerator

Plug and Play, headquartered in Silicon Valley, is renowned for connecting startups, corporations, and investors throughout the world to help them to collaborate and scale together. Plug and Plays global ecosystem acrossthe United States,Frankfurt,Amsterdam,Milan,Paris,Abu Dhabi,Barcelona,Shanghai,Singapore, andTokyoencompasses over 40,000 startups and 500 official corporate partners. In 2020 alone, 2,065 projects were accelerated in Plug and Play.

INTEMA by MTS AI accelerator aims to select best global startups and coach the teams in key areas including technology, product, marketing and sales expertise. As part of the partnership, Plug and Play experts will become mentors in INTEMA acceleration program and share their experience with the participants in the training program to enhance their knowledge, skills and capabilities in order to help them scale their businesses and foster the creation of cutting-edge AI solutions. INTEMA by MTS AI accelerator also welcomes AI experts from leading technology companies such as Samsung, Shazam, Apple, Intel, Nvidia and others to work with its accelerator startups and provide mentorship.

Each accelerator program participant will receive this expert guidance alongside up to$100,000.00in early-stage funding from INTEMA. They may also be included in INTEMA fund pipeline which recently made its first investment of$10 millioninSan Diego-based startup Kneron that makes AI chips (among its investors are Foxconn, Qualcomm, Sequoia and Horizon ventures).

In the realm of artificial intelligence, we are building a full-cycle system for dealing with ideas, projects, and products. The collaboration with Plug and Play will strengthen our efforts in this process: we seek for potential teams all around the world, support AI solution developers, and take their products to the next level. Going forward, we plan to continue investing in promising AI-focused teams and technologies as part of our venture fund, corporate accelerator, and venture studio, saidAlexander Khanin, Head of the MTS AI Center.

We see soaring demand from investors for products and startups in AI. Experts claim AI to be a major game changer in the upcoming years. We select the bestAI teams from all over the world to boost them with our expertise and resources. Our mentors and experts work with leading global tech companies, our team has a solid background investing in tech companies. We give our portfolio companies computing powers of our top tier superpod for free. The mission of our accelerator backed by AI focused VC fund is to give companies and startups an elevator ride so they could disrupt industries with their tech. We are sure that Plug & Play is a great partner for that, saidAlexey Posternak, Chief Financial and Investment Officer at MTS AI Center.

Serving one of the leading AI global platforms is a great honor for Plug and Play. We are excited to explore the Russian telecommunications market as well with an in-depth approach to be able to drive innovation forward. At Plug and Play we are convinced that established corporations that connect and cooperate with best-in-class startups prosper under the possibilities these collaborations offer to them. The partnership with INTEMA by MTS AI promises to be of great value for both sides when it comes to creating growth opportunities, exploring new markets and accelerating innovation measures, saidSaeed Amidi, CEO Plug and Play

Were thrilled to work with INTEMA by MTS AI platform and expand the possibilities for our startups to do business and expand in new countries.INTEMA by MTS AI will be a key factor to our sourcing efforts and we are aligned internally to engage with startups from a business development and investment capacity. This will better serve MTS AI clients and help them achieve growth, saidAlfredo Gomez, Partnerships Manager at Plug and Play.

Marketing Technology News: Netflix to Announce Third-Quarter 2021 Financial Results

View original post here:

Plug and Play to Collaborate with INTEMA on Innovation AI - MarTech Series

As explored through Europeana Pro news earlier this year, AI has huge potential for the cultural heritage sector. It offers the possibility to generate extensive amounts of data to enrich heritage collections, making them easier to explore and interconnected. Beginning in December 2019, the EuropeanaTech AI in relation to GLAMs Task Force aimed to carry out a horizon scanning exercise to investigate the role and impact of this technology in the sector, and gain a greater understanding of projects which use it.

In September 2020, the Task Force surveyed professionals working in galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAMs),research institutions and the wider industry (including technology suppliers and thecreative industries). The survey received 56 responses and the results offer valuable insights into the use of AI in the cultural heritage sector.

Almost all the respondents (91.8%) were interested in at least one AI topic, and more than half of them (54%) had expertise in this area. Several shared that they were already working on AI-related projects which were mostly aimed at digitisation and discoverability. However, many people also reported challenges in working with AI, particularly in relation to the skills and expertise which projects required of staff and a lack of appropriately annotated training data.

In addition to the survey, the Task Force interviewed eight cultural heritage professionals from various European institutions. Their responses add rich perspectives on the approaches that cultural heritage institutions are taking towards AI, and are included as case studies in the report.

Everyone who was interviewed agreed that AI has great potential for cultural heritage, and wanted to investigate using it further. It was clear from many responses that AI will play an increasingly large and valuable role throughout the activities of cultural organisations, especially with regard to access, metadata extraction and enrichment. However, as in the survey, many people referred to challenges when working with AI, stressing the need for cross-departmental collaboration, the challenging lack of data with suitable annotations and the complexities of integrating AI into existing infrastructure. They also expressed concerns regarding ethics and how best to demonstrate and communicate the value of applying AI.

From the results of this Task Force, it is clear to see that AI and Machine Learning (ML) projects are already being carried out in GLAMs and have been for several years, even if they have not always been visible. We hope that the results of this Task Force will be one way to share and promote this work!

While we have seen obvious interest in and enthusiasm for AI across the sector, there are also obstacles. People reported that it can take a long time before the results of an AI strategy or research become apparent, which means that it can sometimes be a challenge to convince organisations of the necessity of the work. The report gives insights into the main challenges faced by GLAMs, ranging from access to training data, ethical considerations, and issues related to scaling up projects to institution-wide implementations.AI is not seen as a 'quick technology fix' for the humanities, and precisely because of this time-consuming aspect, data and knowledge sharing seem essential for the continuation and success of these projects.

The EuropeanaTech community will continue to support knowledge exchange on AI, and seek further collaboration with other initiatives to increase its impact. The Task Force and the EuropeanaTech Steering Group have outlined action points for this future work which focuses on the themes knowledge exchange, data sharing and strategic input:

We want to achieve knowledge exchange through the EuropeanaTech x AI webinar series and by organising other events which focus on specific topics and collaborations with Cultural AI Lab, AI4LAM and The Museums + AI Network. If you have got an idea, please get in contact with Europeanas Research and Development Manager Antoine Isaac, antoine.isaac@europeana.eu.

Following on from the EuropeanaTech challenge for AI/ML datasets, Europeana has begun to publish datasets of potential interest for AI applications under the Europeana community umbrella in Zenodo. The first contribution is a style classification dataset from the V4Design project.

Strategic input will build on the reflections from this final report, including integrating and linking new AI systems into existing systems, publicly sharing models trained on domains specific to cultural heritage collections, implementing AI in a way that is considerate of ethical and legal, and reducing the carbon footprint of training models and processing at scale.

Keep following the work of EuropeanaTech to explore how this progresses, and download and read the report in full!

The rest is here:

New EuropeanaTech Task Force report explores AI in relation to GLAMs - News | Europeana Pro

Technology has been trying to ease human beings lives for years now, and space tech seems to have solved a major problem for rangers.

A new space technology, termed as SpaceCows program, will help rangers predict where their herd is headed and cull them or fence off from important sites.

Also read |World's largest economies are not in line with the Paris Agreement on climate

CSIRO teamed up with Microsoft to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and space technologies to help the rangers predict the movement of feral herds and manage them to make sure they are kept away from important heritage and cultural sites.

AI will utilise data and track data of tagged animals through satellite and will create a replica of virtual landscape. The AI will be able to make calculations and predict the movements of the herds. For example, it will be able to predict if the herds will be moving towards the water bodies based on the temperature of the day. Through this calculation, rangers will be ready with their plan.

SpaceCows is a joint project between Aboriginal land management groups, universities, CSIRO, satellite company Kineis, and Microsoft.

Also read |ISROs new series of heavy-lift rockets to carry between 5-16 tonnes to GTO

Experts from the project will help train rangers aptly to use the AI-technology such as drones and tablets, to help them manage their herd in farm lands of more than 22,000sq km.

"We've got areas we call bora grounds where we do initiations. (Theyre) like meeting places, you know, where our mob gather and our dancers and songwriters can perform,"Balnggarrawarra ranger and Cape Yorks Normanby Station traditional owner Vince Harrigan said. "Some of our rock art theyre down really low, in sheltered areas. There have been cases where there have been cattle right next to these low paintings, rubbing up against them. Over time theyre brushing it off, rubbing it off."

See original here:

SpaceCows: AI to help rangers predict herds` movements to save sacred sites and rock art - WION

MakerBot, a Stratasys company, announced that Lockheed Martin has extended its use of MakerBot3D printers to produce parts and designs for its upcoming space projects.

In alliance with General Motors, Lockheed Martin is developing a new fully-autonomous lunar rover that could be used for NASAs Artemis program.

Some elements of the rovers autonomy systems early design and development are done at Lockheed Martins R&D facility in Palo Alto, Calif., the Advanced Technology Center (ATC), which is well-equipped with a variety oftechnology, including a lab full of 3D printers.

The latest addition to the ATCs 3D printing lab is the MakerBot METHOD X3D printing platform. With METHOD X, the team can print parts in materials like nylon carbon fiber and ABS giving them the performance they need for accurate testingand due to METHOD Xs heated chamber, the parts are dimensionally accurate without the variable warping that comes with a typical desktop 3D printer.

At ATC, we have multiple MakerBot printers that help with quick turnaround times, said Aaron Christian, senior mechanical engineer, Lockheed Martin Space. I will design a part, print it, and have it in my hand hours later. This allows me to quickly test the 3D-printed part, identify weak points, adjust the model, send it back to print overnight, and then have the next iteration in the morning. 3D printing lets me do fast and iterative design, reducing wait times for a part from weeks to hours.

Lockheed Martin engineers are testing a multitude of applications designed for the lunar rover. Christian and his teammates are using METHOD X to print a number of parts for prototyping and proof of concept for the rover project, including embedded systems housing, sensor mounts, and other custom parts. "The MakerBot METHOD X produces dimensionally tolerant parts right out of the box and for all sorts of projects, you can print multiple parts that can mate together."

Many of these parts are printed in MakerBot ABS and designed to withstand desert heat, UV exposure, moisture, and other environmental conditions. In combination with Stratasys SR-30 soluble supports, parts printed with MakerBot ABS are designed to provide a smoother surface finish compared to breakaway supports. Printing with dissolvable supports also enables more organic shapes that would have been otherwise impossible to produce through traditional machining.

Were in the very early stages of development and the rover we have at ATC is a testbed that we designed and developed in-house. This affordable modular testbed allows us to make quick changes using 3D printing to change the design for other applications, whether it be military, search and rescue, nuclear applications and just extreme environment autonomy needs, Christian said.

3D printing lets the team test parts affordably, iteratively, and modularly. One of the parts printed for the rover was a mount for a LIDAR, a sensor that can help determine the proximity of objects around it. Broadly used in self-driving vehicles, Lockheed Martin uses LIDAR in a lot of its autonomy projects. The mount was designed to sit on the rover, a completely modular robot system, so it was printed in ABS which allows it to handle more extreme conditions than typical PLA. The mount also allows engineers to continuously swap out the LIDAR with different sensors, such as a stereo camera, direction antenna, RGB camera, or a rangefinder. It has a complex organic shape to it, which can be difficult to achieve via traditional machining. The mount also has a lot of access to ensure proper airflow to keep the part cool and temperature-regulated on the robots.

The embedded electronics housing is designed to go inside the rover or in other robots at the ATC. The housing was developed to protect the electronics from anything that could potentially fall on them. Although it was printed in PLA, due to its hexagonal shape, it offers solid strength. Its design also lends itself well to the open airflow needed to cool down the system while still protecting the device.

In addition to printing prototypes, Lockheed Martin is using 3D printing for production parts that will go into various space-going platforms.

A big advantage for testing and flying 3D-printed parts for space applications is that it simplifies the design. You can create more complex shapes. It reduces the number of fasteners needed and part count, which is a huge cost savings because thats one less part that has to be tested or assembled, noted Christian. This also opens up for future in-situ assembly in space. You have designed, printed, and tested the part on Earth. Now you know that, in the future, you can 3D print that same part in space because you have shown that the material and part work there.

Manufacturing in space is expensive but appealing for future applications and missions. Now, bulk materials can be flown into space to be used to 3D print multiple parts and structures, rather than flying each part out individually. Combining that with a digital inventory of part files, 3D printing in space reduces costs by cutting out the need for storage and multiple trips, which make it expensive to fly.

The digital inventory concept helps push our digital transformation forwardyou have digital designs that you can ship up, where you just print the parts and have them assembled on location, Christian said.

Lockheed Martin Research Engineer Alyssa Ruiz inspects a 3D printed electronics housing printed on METHOD X in the ATC's 3D printing lab.

Originally posted here:

Lockheed Martin Works with MakerBot for its AI-Assisted Lunar Rover Project for NASA - Plastics Technology

LONDON, Sept. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --The second day of the Technology, AI, Cyber Live eventsponsored by BizClik Media Group and Leidosis underway at the Tobacco Dock venue in London.

Following a successful first day of the event, the second day hosts many more technology leaders from the industry, including Sunil Ramakrishnan, Vice President for Consulting at CGI, Brigadier Stefan Crossfields, Head Information Exploitation and Chief Data Officer at the British Army, and many more. The event features talks from leaders across two stages, as well as discussion panels, which attendees can watch live or access online via a dedicated interactive streaming platform.

The ability to interact with the speakers via the online platform allows for virtual attendees to get the most out of the regular networking breaks that take place throughout the day and ask questions to the executives on stage as if they are viewing from the venue.

The list of speakers at the event is inclusive of various technology applications, from digital transformation of clinical research to the implementation of artificial intelligence in military operations, training, and data sharing.

While the second day of the event is underway, tickets are still available to attend virtually. Day three will be solely virtual, running via the Brella viewing and networking platform and will present region-specific content, separated by EMEA, APAC and North America regions.

For more information on the regional day of the event, sign up to the online platform at http://www.technologymagazine.com.

Jason Westgate +44 (0)1603 217530 [emailprotected]

SOURCE BizClik Media

Originally posted here:

BizClik Media Group hosts its second day of Technology, AI, Cyber Live - PRNewswire

1. What are the main factors contributing to the record fall in UK car manufacturing levels?

The U.K. automotive industry has been a pinnacle of excellence over the last century. However, during the last few decades, sectoral shifts and an evolving competitive landscape have adversely affected the industry, with the pandemic further aggravating these challenges by throwing the demand-supply equilibrium into disarray.

The recent and historic fall in car manufacturing in July which saw production fall to its lowest level since 1956 - is a combination of factors. In an industry as resource intensive as car manufacturing, the success of every manufacturer hinges on how well they navigate both local and global market challenges, such as staffing and material shortages. On one hand, the pingdemic has meant that carmakers have had to deal with unexpected staff shortages at a local level. More globally, the rising prominence of semiconductors in todays tech-powered products have meant that if manufacturers cant cope with an ongoing microchip shortage, production often comes to a grinding halt. That said, I am confident that the industry is resilient and will bounce back to normalcy, stronger than ever, and expect technology will play a key role in enabling this resilience in a prominent way.

Many of the challenges faced by manufacturers over the past year were unprecedented, but its important to note the role that technology could have played to predict or mitigate these challenges. For example, a transparent supply chain that helps to spot constraints in global shipments could enable early identification of supply chain bottlenecks and help inform the steps needed to clear them, or plan for alternative sources or logistics. For this reason, a smart, connected supply chain, which leverages data analytics to predict imbalances in supply and demand would have been a great way to proactively respond to an ongoing semiconductor shortage before it contributed to a fall in production.

Another contingency plan would be to standardize product configurations as much as possible, and postpone their final assembly, depending on the availability of critical components like chips and customer demand.

In addition, to counter the possibility of further staffing shortages, manufacturers could consider adopting higher levels of automation. Automation leverages advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), business process management (BPM), and robotic process automation (RPA) to automate tasks normally carried out by humans. But rather than to replace humans, automation could be deployed across functions that use up a lot of staff time, with little return. By automating these tasks, businesses could improve the efficiency and reliability of these tasks, enabling staff to spend a greater amount of their time on the tasks that drive the biggest results.

Ultimately, technology is a tool that carmakers can leverage to strengthen their core, drive intuitive decisions, and build responsive value chains. At Infosys, we call it a Live Enterprise, an organization that continuously senses its environment and responds in an agile, innovative, and rational manner. Think of it as an organism that adapts to its natural environment with the help of technology.

There are of course a number of challenges holding back the sectors digital transformation. Industrial productivity has remained flat for a decade, according to McKinsey. Technical debt from legacy systems continues to be a drag on some smaller manufacturers, sometimes impacting their ability to invest in contemporary systems. On-premise enterprise systems are also weighing down many organizations, preventing them from adopting secure collaboration tools for interactions with external partners and from scaling up globally.

On the other side of the coin, many large organizations are well and truly committed to digital transformation, adopting initiatives like Industry 4.0 or the fourth industrial revolution to drive the uptake of smart technology in operations. However, to avoid rushing the process and contributing towards organizational siloes, its important that digital transformation efforts are executed carefully and thoughtfully. For example, AI adoption in manufacturing requires a lot of data, which needs to first be cleaned, structured and stored in a way that ensures security and is compliant with data regulations.

In addition, the high number of use cases which all perform at different levels of maturity - makes AI adoption in manufacturing an incredibly complex endeavor. Therefore, the first and too often overlooked step for manufacturers is to assess the organizations AI maturity, which in turn should inform the organizations transformation strategy. This process involves critically assessing the organizations current state of AI adoption and aims to gain consensus on its short- and long-term goals, before advising on the execution of AI integration. Using these insights, organizations digital transformation efforts could be planned and implemented to ensure that it is cost-effective, low risk, and delivers a ROI.

Its promising to see that initiatives like Made Smarter - commissioned by the government - are supporting small and medium enterprises in their Industry 4.0 journey. The four recommendations made by Made Smarter are - leadership, adoption, innovation, and skills. Amid a staffing shortage, skills are likely to be the biggest challenge holding back the progress of digital transformation, but Im optimistic about what the sector could achieve.

The proven benefits of automation are higher levels of accuracy, quality, productivity, and safety. During a staffing shortage, automation also reduces the uncertainty surrounding the labor required to manufacture automobiles. Leveraging AI, automotive tools can make predictions based on the data they receive, enabling better product uniformity, quality, and safety. When it comes to car manufacturing, where mistakes simply cannot happen, automation provides an additional layer of safety for all involved in the products lifecycle. Given that these tools could also enable remote operation and monitoring, factories could effectively reduce the need for human-to-human contact during the ongoing pandemic.

However, the widespread take-up of these tools has understandably been beset by a range of cultural, financial, and logistical challenges. The primary challenge in the implementation of automation is the skill set required to implement it, from the design of the system to its installation, commissioning, operation, ongoing maintenance, repair, and upgrades. Change management is ultimately a challenge with a workforce that is used to traditional methods of manufacturing. In these circumstances, talent transformation platforms like Infosys Wingspan could play an important role in ensuring upskilling programs are led and informed by technology.

Amid a cultural resistance to automation due to the fear of job losses particularly amidst a pandemic upskilling initiatives could enable staff to take on more human-centric roles while leaving automation to take care of more mundane, time-consuming tasks. Its ultimately crucial that organizations are transparent about their automation plans and have a robust change management strategy in place well ahead of time.

Traditionally, the focus of automation in the industry has been reliant on using robots and Automatic Guided Vehicles (AGVs). Today however, newer technologies such as machine learning are enabling automation of various Quality Assurance (QA) processes.

Connected systems are a key prerequisite for deploying automation at scale and therefore any successful automation project must consider an effective integration strategy. This will allow for systems to be managed centrally and communicated throughout an organization. We anticipate that the rollout of 5G will support manage the complexity of this process over the coming years.

In addition, every automation project will need to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements regarding data and AI. The success of any project will depend on selecting the appropriate data for each use case and ensuring its quality and security. At Infosys, we use a simple framework to assess automation possibilities. The complete list of tasks required to make a car are classified into four categories, depending on the amount of programmability and decision making. Jobs that are high on programmability and low on decision making are best suited for automation. These are repeatable tasks with low levels of uncertainty, and so robots in the shop floor should be able to can handle these tasks with ease. Tasks that are low on both factors are jobs that require a human touch. Humans will always perform them.

Tasks that are high on both programmability and decision making are fit for hyperautomation.

Hyperautomation takes automation one step further and involves the orchestrated use of multiple technologies and tools which work in harmonized fashion to augment repetitive tasks. Beyond AI, these technologies and tools include machine learning, robotic process automation (RPA), business process, management (BPM), intelligent business process management suites (iBPMS), and more.

There are, understandably, worries that hyperautomation will impact job security in the U.K. over the coming decade. However, no single technology can replace the capability of humans. Humans will continue to play a role alongside machines and algorithms. The pandemic has significantly increased the importance of usage of hyperautomation. It will play a key role in manufacturing in the next decade. But jobs that need high levels of creativity, problem-solving, and decision making will continue to involve humans.

Close to 3 million people are employed in the manufacturing sector in U.K. Interestingly, investments for hyperautomation also take into account the workforce planning required to prepare this talent pool for the future. Initiatives for skill development, such as flexible working, apprenticeships, continuous education programs, etc., should be taken up to support lifelong learning and plug the skills gap. With such initiatives, humans will continue to play a key role in hyperautomation. In my view, when machines and algorithms take up repetitive tasks with high levels of accuracy and precision, people get freed up for new and innovative pursuits.

Jasmeet Singh, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Manufacturing, Infosys

See the article here:

How could AI and automation tackle the UK's collapse in car manufacturing? - ITProPortal

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Phenom, the global leader in Talent Experience Management (TXM), is presenting today at Gartners virtual Reimagine HR EMEA Conference. The session, titled Phenom TXM: The Experience-First Platform for Attracting and Retaining Talent, is scheduled to start at 1:40 p.m. British Summer Time. It will examine how a unified, AI-driven approach to talent experiences helps candidates find the right job faster, employees learn and evolve, recruiters efficiently discover best-fit talent, and hiring managers make stronger decisions with data.

Phenom Associate Vice President for Talent Experience Strategy Dr. Benoit Hardy-Valle will lead the demo, leveraging his years of research on the future of work to demonstrate the connection between every stakeholder interaction throughout the talent lifecycle. Attendees will discover how AI and automation help find the most suitable talent for a position, empower employees to upskill, and accelerate sourcing efforts while cutting time to fill.

Gartners Reimagine HR Conference is the perfect venue to highlight the importance of AI and automations pivotal role in the changing world of HR, said Hardy-Valle. Europes most innovative talent management leaders will be in attendance, and were excited to explore the Phenom platform with them.

Phenoms platform personalizes and automates the talent journey for candidates, recruiters, employees and management with Career Site, Chatbot, CRM, CMS, SMS and Email Campaigns, University Recruiting, Internal Mobility, Career Pathing, Diversity & Inclusion, Talent Marketplace, Gigs, Referrals, Hiring Manager and Analytics.

Over 100 companies across the EMEA market have adopted Phenoms platform to upgrade their talent experiences. As demand for Talent Experience Management has spiked over the last year, Phenom acquired two Europe-based companies and opened an office in Munich to complement its European headquarters in Rotterdam. Over 100 Phenom employees are based in countries including Germany, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.

About Phenom

Phenom is a global HR technology company with a purpose to help a billion people find the right job. As a result, employers improve their talent acquisition and talent management efforts by helping candidates and employees find the right job, recruiters identify and engage the right talent, and management optimizes HR strategy, process and spend. Phenom was ranked among the fastest-growing technology companies in the 2020 Deloitte Technology Fast 500, and won a regional 2020 Timmy Award for launching and optimizing HelpOneBillion.com.

Headquartered in Greater Philadelphia, Phenom also has offices in India, Israel, the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Read the rest here:

At Gartner EMEA Conference, Phenom Emphasizes Critical Role of AI-Powered Talent Experiences in the Future of Work - Business Wire