Category Archives: Artificial Intelligence

Forbes

Banks Eager For Artificial Intelligence, But Slow To Adopt Forbes Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Baidu spent at least $8.5 billion beefing up their AI talent. Amazon spends $228 million a year just to find people to run Alexa and related machine learning initiatives. Even small to medium businesses in every sector ...

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Banks Eager For Artificial Intelligence, But Slow To Adopt - Forbes

Latest tech gossip indicates Apple's new smartphone will be very clever indeed

APPLE is reportedly planning to install an artificial intelligence chip in upcoming iPhones.

The tech giant is said to be working on a chip called the Apple Neural Engine which would be dedicated to carrying out artificial intelligence (AI) processing, news.com.au reports.

EPA

Although artificial intelligence is being used already to power digital assistants like Siri and Google Assistant, these technologies rely on computer servers to process data sent to them rather than the processing happening on the mobile device itself.

The technology will bring new types of capabilities to mobile devices and should reduce or even eliminate the need for an internet connection.

The uses are potentially limitless and will bring about a new phase in how we rely on applications and our mobile devices in everyday life.

For example, health applications could use AI to tell when body readings from sensors on the phone or wearable devices are abnormal and need addressing.

Apple is one of many companies working to develop AI tech.

Googles AI hardware, called the Tensor Processing Unit, is 15 to 30 times faster than the fastest computer processors (CPUs) and graphic processors (GPUs) that power computers today.

These TPUs were what gave Googles DeepMind its ability to beat the world champions of the Chinese game of Go.

They have also vastly improved Googles automated language translation software, Google Translate.

The inclusion of AI in mobile software is going to massively increase the potential usefulness of software.

Our state of health, for example, is really about how we are doing relative to how we normally feel.

Changes in behaviour can signal changes in mental health, including conditions like dementia and Parkinsons, as well as revealing precursors of illnesses such as diabetes, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

Our phones could monitor patterns of activity and even how we walk to assess our health.

This ability would involve the software learning our normal patterns and flagging up any changes it detects.

Eventually, smartphones could also become part of a self-directed ecosystem of intelligent and autonomous machines including cars.

It is likely that people will eventually share the use of these cars when needed rather than own one themselves, meaning AI will again be essential for managing how this sharing functions to manage the most efficient distribution of cars.

To do this, the scheduling AI service would need to liaise with software on everyones phones to determine where and when they will be at a given location and where they need to get to.

AI on a mobile device will also be used to protect the device by checking if applications and communications are secure or likely to be a threat.

This technology is already being implemented in smart home appliances but as software. The addition of special AI chips will allow them to be much faster and to do more.

However, it's feared that artificial intelligence could erode humans' smartness.

As we come to rely on devices to do things, we may lose the ability to maintain certain skills and become too dependent on machines.

The iPhone 8 is expected to come out later this year and feature all manner of exciting innovations including a cool new "infinity screen".

This article originally appeared on news.com.au.

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Apple iPhones could soon be fitted with artificial intelligence thanks to new 'neural engine' chip - The Sun

In contests between humans and machines, humans keep losing but at least we're getting something out of our defeats.

Google's AlphaGo, the artificial intelligence designed to play the strategy game Go, recently beat thetop-ranked player. It also beat a team offive world-class Go players by itself.

The victory is historic for AI because AlphaGo is programmedto teach itself the gameinstead of working from a defined set of commands.

SEE MORE: Future Construction Sites Will Be Full Of Robots

It has now retired from competitions to focus on other tasks, like finding cures for diseases.

IBM's Watson followed a similar path. It defeated the person who held the longest winning streak in "Jeopardy" history, and then it entered the medical field. It's already diagnosed a woman with a rare form of cancerthat doctors couldn't identify.

There's also an AI that plays Texas Hold'em. It outplayed four professional poker players by about $1.75 million in chips. Its technology is expected to be harnessed in fields where using misinformation to negotiate can be a benefit, like in military strategy or business negotiations.

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Losing Games To Artificial Intelligence Is Helping Humanity Advance - WPTV.com

As with any technology, of course, AI is going to affect the assumptions people have for different careers. But the repetitive nature of many jobs can be tackled head-on with the right AI technology

PwCs report on the impact of automation on jobs suggests that almost a third of UK jobs are at risk of being replaced by robots following advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and automation.

The report warns that without careful consideration certain low-skilled jobs will be drastically exposed over the next 15 years. But what if peoplestep back from the doom-and-gloom for a second? Businessescant ignore the significant benefits that come from bringing AI into the workplace forever. First step, though burst the hype that surrounds AI.

It wasnt too long ago that AI largely belonged in the genre of science fiction. Societyis now starting to think more seriously about the consequences of AI and automation for the workplace and peopleswider lives.

>See also:How AI and metadata are taking the hard work out of content discovery

Consumer AI applications like Alexa or Siri make regular headlines, making the technology seem a business imperative thats sure to transform work forever. In all honesty, much of this AI bubble in which businesses find themselves today is simply over-hyped and, in many cases, completely impractical when talking about adding tangible business value. Take new deep learning solutions, for example. Though they may signal a new era of technical capability, the truth is that currently theyre only touching the edge cases of business value.

Computers have been automating simple tasks for decades. Alan Turing toiled away at Bletchley Park in the 1940s, making computers artificially intelligent. Theres a tendency to think of AI as something altogether new. As a consequence, the more proven AI use cases that have been in operation for many years are now, by comparison, criminally underappreciated and under-hyped.

The state of AI technology today has been proven to deliver meaningful business value for leading organisations around the world. Previously, this wastalked about as decision management software that combines data-driven analytics and human-configured rules to identify what is the next best available action. Machine learning check. This is AI too. For quite a while now, decision management has played an important part in helping blue-chip organisations of all descriptions to forge stronger customer relationships and to manage their resources more effectively, improving operational efficiency and increasing profitability.

>See also:AI: the greatest threat in human history?

This is can be described as Pragmatic AI, according to Forrester. Though it may not wow the public the way a talking butler or even deep learning technology might, thinking about Pragmatic AI is a good way of cutting through the AI hype and measuring how the technology can have a palpable and meaningful impact for businesses.

Its easy to get distracted by the latest shiny new tech, but organisations have to assess whats the right technology for them to reach their business objectives. Those objectives can take different forms. One company could be using Pragmatic AI to retain existing customers, while another might use it to automate specific repetitive processes and maximise resources. In a way, the technology itself is irrelevant its just a tool to get you to your business outcome. If the tool isnt doing that, its largely a useless investment.

Dont get the wrong idea, though. Some of the cutting-edge technology being hyped in the media today could still have a real say for businesses striving to adapt and meet new goals in the future. As companies think about different ways of interacting with customers, voice and language recognition can provide a lot of the answers.

Sophisticated chat bots, for instance, can support new channels and maintain conversations across a number of different platforms naturally and with a conversational touch. It has the potential to really elevate customer experience.

>See also:The role of AI in cyber security

Commercial organisations need AI to do the hard work of growing revenue and driving down costs. Its not easy to transform interactions with customers, improve loyalty by adding value, and sell more products and services at the same time.

Businesses can respond to changing circumstances in the needs of consumers and manage resources intelligently. When an unexpected cold snap suddenly affects a particular area, for instance, the demand for snow chains goes up: thats where an intelligent AI process can make sure the right action is taken by prioritising and diverting resources to where theyre needed.

Employees of a company are slowed down by schedules overloaded with low-value work. Responding to this, along with other concerns, businesses have been rapidly turning to AI and robotic automation software to reduce costs and increase efficiencies by automating high volume and repetitive tasks that get in the way of delivering the best possible customer experience.

Customer-facing employees are freed up so they can focus on adding value where it really counts. Businesses will increasingly recognise and address the fact that every customer interaction is precious and valuable. And the AI gives added intelligence and insight that employees otherwise wouldnt have.

>See also:AI and automation will be far more significant than Brexit

AI is more likely to augment human jobs than to replace them. The relationship between work and value is starting to change too. Marketers will have to better understand how to use AI and data to target their offers; business leaders and managers will need to know how to use software robotics and automation to drive effectiveness.

As with any technology, of course, AI is going to affect the assumptions peoplehave for different careers. But the repetitive nature of many jobs can be tackled head-on with the right AI technology.

Businesses woulddo well to overcome the fact that AI has been both over-hyped and under-appreciated, by not buying into all of the AI hype out there today, and by appreciating the tried and tested aspects of this technology that have worked for so many.

Sourced by Don Schuerman, chief technology officer, Pegasystems

The UKs largest conference fortechleadership,TechLeadersSummit, returns on 14 September with 40+ top execs signed up to speak about the challenges and opportunities surrounding the most disruptive innovations facing the enterprise today.Secure your place at this prestigious summit byregisteringhere

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Bursting the artificial intelligence hype - Information Age

PALO ALTO, U.S. --In Paris on May 20, a sleek, streamlined vehicle colored black, white and fluorescent yellow moved slowly around a race course on a blocked-off road. The futuristic vehicle looked like a winged torpedo and had a periscope-like camera-equipped objectprotruding from the rear of its body.

The vehicle looked similar to a Formula One racing car, except that it was electric, and had no driver's seat. Logos saying "Roborace"festooned its body.

The vehicle was operated not by a human driver but by artificial intelligence.

Teams participating in driverless robot racing events use the electric car, which can travel at speeds of up to 320kph. The races are determined by the capacity of the software as they compete using the same autonomously driven electric vehicles.

Full-scale robot racing is expected to begin within a few years. Trial races are now underway.

Robot racing has attracted attention from potential supporters. A typical supporter is Nvidia, a leading American technology company that provides the cutting-edge chips used in robotic cars. The manufacturer of graphics processing units, which has formed an alliance with Toyota Motor and is partly owned by an investment fund affiliated with SoftBank Group, is rapidly becoming a player in the field. As a backstage company pioneering driverless cars, Nvidia is expecting strong publicity effects from its support for robot racing.

Big players pile on

Global companies, such as French tire maker Michelin, German logistics firm DHL and German insurer Allianz, also support robot racing, as they are in industries that are certain to be exposed to the "disruptive" effects of driverless vehicles.

With more and more companies supporting robot racing in a bid to develop self-driving technologies and use the races in their advertising and branding efforts, organizers of racing events currently have no trouble raising the necessary funds.

Daniel Simon, who designed the robocar, said the vehicle is a billboard for AI. The vehicle looks attractive from an entertainment perspective, and it was fun to design a car with no driver's seat, he said.

Simon is a globally known designer who designed a futuristic vehicle for the 2010 American science fiction action film "Tron Legacy" and worked as a senior designer for French luxury automaker Bugatti Automobiles.

Special custom-made parts currently used in the robocar, such as five radars, will be gradually replaced by commodity parts so that participating companies can better utilize technologies they develop through robot racing for cars that they commercialize, Simon said.

Roborace, a British company that manages robot racing events, is continuously improving the technology to control the complicated machines during the races, CEO Denis Sverdlov said. The company also plans to sell an entertainment which is calls "human drama," he added.

Daniel Simon, left, designer of the Robocar, and Roborace CEO Denis Sverdlov

Daniel Simon, left, designer of the Robocar, and Roborace CEO Denis Sverdlov

Sverdlov founded Russian telecommunications operator Yota and served as Russia's deputy communications and mass media minister.

Among other unique features of Roborace, the company is a combination of Russian telecom engineers and British experts on auto race marketing. It is seeking to create a new AI-basedentertainment through the marketing team.

AI-AI competition

Software developers are at the center of the strategy. Problems regularly occur in the process of developing AI to control robocars, and Roborace will film engineers' struggles to settle the issues to commercialize the cars. The company is studying various options to realize this goal, including the sale of broadcast rights.

Roborace has received proposals for sponsorship from media companies, according to Sverdlov.

The campaign is expected to include many videos with low-key scenes of engineers working on computers. But there will be drama too, showing the engineers' devotion to their work as they race against time before a race, as well as conflict among the human teams, Sverdlov said. The controversy over the best way to maneuver the machines provides entirely human drama, he said.

The development of AI is accelerating in the content market as well.

In the U.S., "Silicon Valley," a TV program featuring the young founders of a start-up company in Silicon Valley, and another TV series, "Mr. Robot," focusing on a computer hacker who suffers from social dysfunction and mental illness, have become popular. Thanks to these and other TV series, software developers and computer programmers are increasingly regarded as superhuman, capable of creating new services that upset the existing order and readily breaching cybersecurity protection.

In fact, even people from impoverished backgrounds can vault social strata and become wealthy by applying their programming abilities. The ability to write computer code is an effective means of climbing the social ladder in modern society.

Programmers are the new stars in modern society, and Roborace plans to highlight the human drama in their lives.

"It's not a competition for budget, it is a competition for intelligence," Sverdlov said in reference to robot racing.

Huge amounts of money are required to develop racing cars at present. Barriers to entry into the racing world will be lowered if the development of cars is replaced by that of software, Sverdlov said, adding that he wants to open the door to students.

New racing categories

As Roborace does not belong to the International Automobile Federation(FIA) -- the governing body for Formula One auto racing -- it can set racing rules on its own. As robot racing does not put human drivers' lives at risk, entirely new kinds of adventurous racing events will be possible. These will include competition involving cybersecurity technologies, such as blocking rival cars by hacking their systems, and races under extremely tough environments such as deserts or on ice.

Roborace plans to create a racing category for students. Robot racing will pave the way for novel technologies conceived by students, such as automakers' adoption of software developed by them, Sverdlov said.

The organization has already begun talks with universities willing to participate in robot racing.

There could also be competition between AI and humans. Human drivers will drive the cars at first so that the AI can "learn" the ins and outs of auto racing. To this end, Roborace is developing a car with a driver's seat. Using this car, it plans to conduct a race between an AI system and the best human driver available.

But such a race is likely to be short-lived, as in the case of Google's AlphaGo AI entertainment platform, which the company recently announced it will retire. The system hit the news when it defeated the world's best "go" player 3-0 in a series of matches. It is only a matter of time before humans succumb to AI under limited conditions such as auto racing.

"AI vs AI" will thus become a new framework for competition, and the human drama behind it will excite people. Rivalries involving AI and humans, which have already drawn attention in the fields of chess, shogi and go, are about to enter a new stage.

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Artificial intelligence entering new stage as vehicle for entertainment - Nikkei Asian Review

Both artificial intelligence and social media marketing are getting a lot of attention nowadays because of their huge benefits and growth potential. They are benefiting both businesses and normal people in various ways. The investment has already been growing in the artificial intelligence, and the investment is further expected to grow by around 300%, according to the prediction made by the Forrester.

Talking about the social media platforms, more than 2.5 billion people are already using various social media platforms as per the statistic. This is nearly a 1/3 population of the whole planet. A marketer has the potential to reach a large no. of potential customers from all over the world with the help of various social media platforms. The artificial intelligence (AI) is already playing a key role in various business sectors, and now its colliding with the social media marketing.

The artificial intelligence has a long way to go; however, its thriving in a very quick pace. The entrance of the artificial intelligence has already revolutionized the social media marketing. Here are the ways how the artificial intelligence is changing the social media marketing.

There are some brands that need to publish huge volumes of posts every day. These brands also employ plenty of influencers by doing some social media outreach to promote their products. They find it difficult to decide which posts to highlight and which posts are likely to perform well among their audiences. Because its a tedious task to analyze huge volumes of contents, its more about guesswork.

The slack bots have been developed to avoid the guesswork. The bots have the ability to predict the chances of success of various contents and they can suggest the pieces of contents which have the highest possibility of doing well. Furthermore, these bots can also find the similar content on the social media and show you the performance of the content.

The Facebook, which is the most popular social media platform in the world today, is focusing a lot on the development of the artificial intelligence these days. They have recently developed the facial recognition feature, and this feature is not only the tool to enhance the tagging function of the Facebook.

This feature can be used in various ways by the brands for developing their social media marketing strategies to further increase the reach and success of their social media marketing campaign. For an instance, the hotels, restaurants, clothing stores, and others can provide the coupons to their followers who post their picture in their place. With the images publishing getting more popular these days, this feature can help the brands to stand out with their posts.

There are many creative social media marketers who are awesome at creating awesome contents. However, its not an easy task for the marketers to release the content, building schedules, maintaining content, and analyzing content. This is another reason why the artificial intelligence is so crucial for the social media marketers. The artificial intelligence can release all the pressure of analyzing and managing the content for the marketers.

Not only the use of AI will take off the pressure from the marketers, but it will also help them to grow as a successful marketer. The machine learning and other AI tools can analyze competitors performance, your historical content and performance, and much more to help you learn. These tools also provide you with the idea of what consumers want to see or want, which will help to make your every campaign an effective campaign. This can also help to publish better sponsored blog posts to reach more people with the content people want to see.

According to the study, the majority of the customers want to interact with the businesses via message nowadays. Its because its very easy to communicate with the brands via a message in comparison to the telephone. Furthermore, the customers also want businesses to respond them as quickly as possible. Its not possible to respond to a lot of customers queries quickly, and this is where the artificial intelligence is playing the role.

The social media marketers have the responsibility to engage with the customers after they are successful in getting plenty of queries regarding their posts. The artificial intelligence can help them to prioritize the queries of the customers, help them to find out whether the messages are from trolls or real users, and much more. All these tools can help the social media marketers to serve their customers in a better way; thus, increasing the chance of conversion.

The social media marketers need to listen to their followers to plan their next posts and also to make an overall strategy. The only way to find out what the customers want, the marketer needs to collect, interpret, and understand the data. However, the problem is that the massive amount of data is uploaded and downloaded each day, making it impossible for the human beings to correctly interpret the information.

The various AI tools help them to collect the valuable insights from the data collected through various social media platforms to get incredible insights on the customer taste and preferences. In the near future, the brands may also be able to find out who among their followers are wearing their brands T-shirt and using their products with the analysis of images and videos. It will help marketers create more personalized marketing campaigns.

By now, you mustve known how the artificial intelligence is changing the whole picture of the social media marketing. You must have also realized that the traditional social media marketing strategies need to be updated in order to get the success of your social media marketing campaign. If you dont combine the artificial intelligence in your social media marketing strategy, then youre likely to fail to get any return from your campaign because the competitor will be using AI to gain competitive advantage.

Read next: This website displays the ever-fluctuating value of Bitcoin in real-time

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When Artificial Intelligence and Social Media Marketing Collide - TNW

New York Times

Is China Outsmarting America in AI? New York Times China, which for years watched enviously as the West invented the software and the chips powering today's digital age, has become a major player in artificial intelligence, what some think may be the most important technology of the future. Experts ...

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Is China Outsmarting America in AI? - New York Times

Forbes

Apple Is Following Google Into Making A Custom AI Chip Forbes Artificial intelligence has begun seeping its way into every tech product and service. Now, companies are changing the underlying hardware to accommodate this shift. Apple is the latest company creating a dedicated AI processing chip to speed up the AI ... Apple Is Working on a Dedicated Chip to Power AI on DevicesBloomberg Apple is working on a chip to power artificial intelligence in future gadgets, including the iPhoneBusiness Insider Apple reportedly developing a dedicated AI chip for the iPhoneThe Verge Digital Trends -TechRadar -9to5Mac all 73 news articles »

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Apple Is Following Google Into Making A Custom AI Chip - Forbes

For much of the past two decades, Qi Lu, a search-technology whiz, waged losing battles against Google, first at Yahoo Inc. then at Microsoft Corp.'s Bing.

Four months ago, he relocated to his native China to take on a challenge that some in the tech world think is just as quixotic: reviving Baidu Inc. The company's core search engine business once made it the Google of China, but it has been beset by bad decisions, scandals and falling profits, leaving its future uncertain.

Mr. Lu says he's confident he can turn Baidu around -- and take on Google once again, this time on the new battlefield of artificial intelligence.

Mr. Lu has been prone to hubris before. When he joined Microsoft in 2009, he threw down the gauntlet at Google, saying Bing would be an effective competitor.

Now, with Baidu, "it's the right time, the right place and the right people," Mr. Lu told me in an interview last week. Innovation is happening at a faster pace in China than in the U.S., he says.

The mobile internet, for example, took off among Chinese users because traditional industries like banking and retail are weaker and easier to disrupt, and, he says, Baidu's large reserve of programmers position the company to be a world leader in artificial intelligence.

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Mr. Lu is the No. 2 at Baidu, behind co-founder and chief executive Robin Li. As vice chairman, group president and chief operating officer, the 55-year-old Mr. Lu has been shaking things up. He's canceled unpromising products, merged three driverless car units into one and ushered some senior executives aside.

Dressed in a dark blue polo shirt, light brown sandals and black socks on a recent day, he looks like one of the thousands of programmers at Baidu's Beijing headquarters. Still, he's known for a manic work ethic, in the office by 7 a.m. until late. He told me that he used to question why humans need to sleep.

After running Microsoft's Office and search groups, Mr. Lu was a candidate for the CEO job, which went to his onetime subordinate, Satya Nadella, people familiar with the matter say. Mr. Lu and Microsoft say they parted last September due to his health.

Mr. Lu's experience, technical expertise and diligence made him a sought-after candidate for almost all big Chinese technology companies, says Kai-Fu Lee, CEO of investment firm Sinovation Ventures and former head of Google and Microsoft China.

Mr. Lu says he turned down offers at bigger and stronger companies because those would require only 70% of his capabilities while Baidu will demand 100%.

He will need to give his all. After Google withdrew from China over censorship and hacking in 2010, Baidu became a dominant force in Chinese tech, along with e-commerce titan Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and gaming and messaging kingpin Tencent Holdings Ltd.

Then, Baidu stumbled. It missed the mobile internet wave, belatedly pouring billions of dollars into group buying, meal delivery and other services, which are struggling. Last year, after a college student with cancer died following a treatment he found on Baidu, authorities tightened regulations on medical ads, a huge source of revenue for the search engine. Profits slumped 9.3% in the first quarter of 2017 from a year earlier.

Now Baidu's market capitalization is less than a quarter of Tencent's and Alibaba's. In the past year, share prices of Tencent and Alibaba rose by 71% and 51%. Baidu's climbed 8%.

The company needs to revamp its business, resurrect its reputation and reboot its share prices and morale.

To do that, Mr. Lu will first have to defend Baidu's core search business. Its edge is eroding as online users turn to e-commerce and social media sites. E-commerce ad revenue surpassed search-engine ads in China in 2016, according to research firm iResearch.

Mr. Lu's solution: make voice, photo and video searchable and widen search availability to cars, personal digital assistants like Amazon's Echo and other physical devices.

Then he will have to ensure Baidu's bets on the future are viable.

He's spending heavily to recruit top talent in artificial intelligence, driving up research and development expenses to 2.8 billion yuan ($412 million) in the first quarter of 2017, a 35% increase from a year earlier. That talent is being aimed at search, speech recognition and driverless car technologies.

It is in driverless cars where Mr. Lu thinks Baidu can displace Google parent Alphabet Inc. to become a world leader.

Just as Google did to popularize its Android mobile operating system, Mr. Lu announced last month that Baidu will open its self-driving car technologies to others to help develop autonomous vehicles. The company is on track, he says, to mass produce fully autonomous vehicles by early 2021.

Reaction from the government and auto makers to the initiative, called "Project Apollo," has been positive, he says. Government support and data-sharing among partners should speed along development of the technologies, Mr. Lu says: "If Apollo performs well, we will catch up with and even surpass Google."

Google declined to comment.

Write to Li Yuan at li.yuan@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 26, 2017 02:47 ET (06:47 GMT)

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Baidu Whiz Must Outsmart Google at Artificial Intelligence -- WSJ - Fox Business

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the face of business. No longer a futuristic concept, its impact is real. From tech giants like Google, Apple and Amazon to user-centric behemoths like Uber and Starbucks, everyone seems to be using AI technology to transform the customer experience (CX). But, its not just corporate giants that are deploying AI. Smaller organizations are following suit.

Across industries, small businesses are investigating how AI can help them drive down costs, better accommodate customers and remain competitive with their increasingly tech-driven peers. For small businesses unfamiliar with AI, the prospect of rolling it out can be daunting. But, by adopting a strategic approach, small businesses can get a head start on harnessing AI and reaping the benefits it offers.

Related: The Big Trends from Google I/O 2017

Starbucks is one notable example of an enterprise thats embracing artificial intelligence to optimize its CX. At the end of January, the company announced that it would offer voice ordering capabilities via Alexa, Amazons cloud-based virtual assistant with a continuously expanding base of skills. Linking up with Amazon, the coffee giant created a new Alexa skill specifically geared toward ordering at Starbucks. The skill --called Starbucks Reorder -- provides users with a voice-activated way to place their typical order (Alexa, tellStarbucksto start my usual order.) or check their card balance.

Currently in the beta phase, Starbucks evolving use of Alexa points to the experimental approach companies are willing to take when it comes to deploying AI. While big business use of AI is generating the most publicity, small businesses should also consider how they can leverage the technology to meet customer needs.

Related: 8 Companies Changing How Machine Learning Is Used

As customers become accustomed to AI-powered solutions like Starbucks Alexa offering, theyll expect the same from their local businesses. Here are some proactive steps small organizations can take to lay the groundwork for business-applied AI:

Before deciding if AI is appropriate for their companies, small business owners should put on their consumer hats and use the technology outside of work. Test out Amazon Alexa or Google Home to determine what you like and dislike about the devices, and how your own customers might use similar technology to interact with your business. Brainstorm ways you could potentially weave AI into your company and weigh the pros and cons of implementing emerging tech.

Small businesses shouldnt approach AI without a set plan -- its crucial to prioritize specific applications for artificial intelligence technology. For instance, if you run a clothing store, perhaps youll look into predictive analytics technology to reduce staffing inefficiencies. Alternately, if you own a restaurant, you may focus more on the potential of autonomous delivery vehicles. And if youre a company with complicated accounting, you might look to ease the process with AI. By setting specific and highly focused goals, small businesses can more easily lay out a game plan to fulfill them.

Related: How to Learn Anything in the Age of AI

As a November 2016 study on the mounting adoption of AI pointed out, difficulty tracking and making sense of data is one of the key roadblocks enterprises face when deploying artificial intelligence. Small businesses cannot benefit from AI if they lack the IT infrastructure to support it. Therefore, smaller organizations should begin their journey toward AI by adopting a modernized approach to IT -- one that moves away from legacy on-premises solutions and toward cloud-powered resources that will be able to scale up as artificial intelligence technology is implemented.

Actively following the evolution of AI now will pay dividends in the long run. Even if your small business isnt currently ready to deploy emerging AI tools, its important to keep a close eye on the market. That way, youll see when technologies emerge that may benefit your business --and youll be able to track the AI moves your competitors are making so you dont fall behind.

As the examples set by companies like Starbucks illustrate, businesses are pursuing AI to optimize operations and improve the customer experience. By actively making an effort to learn about and embrace artificial intelligence, small businesses can prepare for a future powered by AI solutions.

John Swanciger is a seasoned technology executive with vast experience building highly-scalable platforms and marketplaces. As CEO, Swanciger leads Manta in strengthening its current offerings while expanding products and services for Manta...

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Why Small Business Should Be Paying Attention to Artificial Intelligence - Entrepreneur