Right now, you may be examining your business strategies and revising plans for the near and distant future. And as we gradually overcome this crisis, there will undoubtedly be a new normal.
This new normal may require you to examine your business model and to redefine who you are as a company, how you approach problems and how you make decisions. It is an opportunity to think big and be bold – and AI can help. Here are three key considerations as you consider whether and how to become an AI-powered organization:
Scaling AI. To be successful, AI must be woven into the very fabric of your entire organization. AI can have the most impact and make the biggest difference when it is part of your culture and strategy, and when your company’s technological capabilities and desired business outcomes are considered side by side.
Driving AI culture and strategy to move beyond pilot and proof of concept requires the right approach from business leaders. That’s why, more than a year ago, we launched AI Business School, a free online master class series designed to set you up for success. More than a million people have accessed the resources there, and I’m happy to share today that we have added two new modules:
My team and I have had many detailed conversations with AI experts and executives across the world that informed all of the modules, and we will continue to add to the content as we learn more from them about what businesses need for their AI journeys.
To bring AI culture to life, companies are bringing technology and business together into a combined lifecycle driven by business outcomes. This model, which is familiar within software development as DevOps, is making its way into AI development with its counterpart, MLOps. MLOps, known to many as machine learning and operations, can improve business results and accelerate time to market by centrally managing models, environments, code and datasets so they can be shared among data scientists, ML engineers, software developers and other IT teams through the entire ML lifecycle.
In Vancouver, BC, transit agency TransLink deployed 18,000 AI models to better predict bus departure times, accounting for factors including traffic, weather and other disruptions. The agency used MLOps with Azure Machine Learning to manage and deliver the models at such a massive scale that they were able to improve their prediction accuracy by 74% and reduce customer wait times by 50%.
AI for everyone. To fully benefit from AI, each of your employees must feel empowered and included. A recent survey of 10,000 employers and employees found that 91% of employees want new skills that will help them succeed alongside AI. Employees of companies that have integrated AI companywide report that they find more meaning in their work and want to use AI more.
Many of your employees may already be using AI tools in their daily work. AI is incorporated into applications in Microsoft 365 to encourage teamwork, facilitate productivity and improve decision making. And your employees in sales, marketing and customer service may be using solutions in Dynamics 365 AI to improve performance across those departments. In Power Platform, AI Builder gives everyone in your organization the ability to add AI capabilities to the apps they create and use – without any technical experience.
Everyone in your organization can benefit from AI tools, regardless of their technical expertise.
Your organization’s data scientists and developers can use Azure AI services to create custom AI models and applications to solve the unique challenges you face.
One scenario I’m particularly passionate about is the ability for AI to empower subject matter experts. AI for Reasoning enables experts and researchers to choose which AI model to employ to analyze information and easily share it with peers.
Swedish whisky maker Mackmyra recently won a silver cube product design award for creating the world’s first machine-generated whisky. The company’s master blenders fed a machine learning model existing recipes, sales data and customer preferences, and the machine made quick work of generating high-quality recipes that would prove popular.
Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis used AI to redefine its business functions across the organization, empowering every individual to apply AI models to augment their expertise and creativity without needing to learn data science. AI brought together mass amounts of critical information across data sources and streamlined collaboration.
Now, 50,000-plus employees can quickly make sense of the vast amount of data they deal with, deriving insights that will help them transform how medicines are discovered, manufactured and commercialized.
Responsible AI. As you put AI into action, particularly in these times of change, it’s imperative to consider the implications of technology. AI must be integrated in a way that aligns with your company’s values, goals and priorities. Companies that incorporate AI successfully implement practices from the beginning to guard against potential misuse of AI, such as biased or unfair results.
At Microsoft, we’ve been on our own AI journey for some time, and we are committed to sharing key learnings and are doing so both through the Responsible AI module within our AI Business School as well as the Responsible AI Resource Center, which is perfect for technical teams developing and deploying AI.
How can we help?
We know you’ve got a tremendous amount on your plate right now. Considering how you adjust to the changes we’re all experiencing, while continuing to serve your customers and support your employees, is an extremely tall order. As difficult as the current challenges are, we believe the implementation of short-term solutions and a focus on strategic, long-term planning go hand in hand as you transform your company into an AI-powered organization. Now is a perfect time to think of the possibilities. Good ideas coupled with perseverance will go a long way toward helping you respond to today’s challenges and imagine a better tomorrow. We’re excited to help you as you make progress on your AI journey. Visit AI Business School to help you get started putting AI into action. I promise, you’ll be glad you did.
Data not only drives our modern world; it also bears enormous potential. Data is necessary to shape creative solutions to critical challenges including climate change, terrorism, income and racial inequality, and COVID-19. The concern is that the deeper you dig into the data, the more likely that sensitive personal information will be revealed.
To overcome this, we have developed and released a first-of-its-kind open source platform for differential privacy. This technology, pioneered by researchers at Microsoft in a collaboration with the OpenDP Initiative led by Harvard, allows researchers to preserve privacy while fully analyzing datasets. As a part of this effort, we are granting a royalty-free license under Microsoft’s differential privacy patents to the world through OpenDP, encouraging widespread use of the platform, and allowing anyone to begin utilizing the platform to make their datasets widely available to others around the world.
Cynthia Dwork, Gordon McKay professor of CS at Harvard and Distinguished Scientist at Microsoft said, “Differential privacy, the heart of today’s landmark milestone, was invented at Microsoft Research a mere 15 years ago. In the life cycle of transformative research, the field is still young. I am excited to see what this platform will make possible.”
Differential privacy does this via a complex mathematical framework that utilizes two mechanisms to protect personally identifiable or confidential information within datasets:
A small amount of statistical “noise” is added to each result to mask the contribution of individual data points. This noise works to protect the privacy of an individual while not significantly impacting the accuracy of the answers extracted by analysts and researchers.
The amount of information revealed from each query is calculated and deducted from an overall privacy budget to halt additional queries when personal privacy may be compromised.
Through these mechanisms, differential privacy protects personally identifiable information by preventing it from appearing in data analysis altogether. It further masks the contribution of an individual, essentially rendering it impossible to infer any information specific to any particular person, including whether the dataset utilized that individual’s information at all. As a result, outputs from data computations, including analytics and machine learning, do not reveal private information from the underlying data, which opens the door for researchers to harness and share massive quantities of data in a manner and scale never seen before.
“We need privacy enhancing technologies to earn and maintain trust as we use data. Creating an open source platform for differential privacy, with contributions from developers and researchers from organizations around the world, will be essential in maturing this important technology and enabling its widespread use,” said Julie Brill, Chief Privacy Officer, Corporate Vice President, and Deputy General Counsel of Global Privacy and Regulatory Affairs.
Over the past year, Microsoft and Harvard worked to build an open solution that utilizes differential privacy to keep data private while empowering researchers across disciplines to gain insights that possess the potential to rapidly advance human knowledge.
“Our partnership with Microsoft – in developing open source software and in spanning the industry-academia divide – has been tremendously productive. The software for differential privacy we are developing together will enable governments, private companies and other organizations to safely share data with academics seeking to create public good, protect individual privacy and ensure statistical validity,” said Gary King, Weatherhead University Professor, and Director Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University.
Because the platform is open source, experts can directly validate the implementation, while researchers and others working within an area can collaborate on projects and co-develop simultaneously. The result is that we will be able to iterate more rapidly to mature the technology. Only through collaboration at a massive scale will we be able to combine previously unconnected or even unrelated datasets into extensive inventories that can be analyzed by AI to further unlock the power of data.
Large and open datasets possess an unimaginable amount of potential. The differential privacy platform paves the way for us to contribute, collaborate and harness this data, and we need your help to grow and analyze the world’s collective data repositories. The resulting insights will have an enormous and lasting impact and will open new avenues of research that allow us to develop creative solutions for some of the most pressing problems we currently face.
The differential privacy platform and its algorithms are now available on GitHub for developers, researchers, academics and companies worldwide to use for testing, building and support. We welcome and look forward to the feedback in response to this historic project.
Just a year ago, we shared our first steps on a journey to enable our customers to protect endpoints running a variety of platforms with our announcement of Microsoft Defender ATP for Mac. Knowing that each of our customers have unique environments and unique needs and are looking for more unification in their security solutions, we communicated our commitment to build security solutions from Microsoft, not just for Microsoft. Since then, we’ve announced capabilities for Linux servers, and at RSA, and we offered you a sneak peek into our mobile threat defense investments.
Today, I’m proud to announce the public preview of Microsoft Defender ATP for Android.
Protecting mobile devices from evolving threats, phishing attacks, unwanted apps
As more business is getting done on mobile devices, the lines blur between work and personal life. The threats here are unique. For example, one of the biggest and fastest growing threats on mobile is phishing attacks, majority of which happen outside of email, such as via phishing sites, messaging apps, games, and other applications, and are tricky to spot on smaller form factors. Other common mobile threats include malicious applications that users are lured into downloading, as well as increased risk introduced by rooted devices that may allow unnecessary escalated privileges and the installation of unauthorized applications.
In this rapidly evolving world of mobile threats, Microsoft is taking a holistic approach to tackling these challenges and to securing enterprises and their data with our new mobile threat defense capabilities. We’re leveraging our unique visibility into the threat landscape and the vast signal, intelligence, and security expertise we have from across domains, such as our expertise in phishing and email, our endpoint threat research on malware and attacker techniques, and our focus on identity and zero trust to bring protection capabilities to mobile. Our integrated approach to security enables us to provide more complete coverage. Leveraging these capabilities, Microsoft Defender ATP for Android will help to protect our customers and their users by delivering:
Protection from phishing and access to risky domains and URLs through web protection capabilities that will block unsafe sites accessed through SMS/text, WhatsApp, email, browsers, and other apps. We’re using the same Microsoft Defender SmartScreen services that are on Windows to quickly detect malicious sites which means that a decision to block a suspicious site will apply across all devices in the enterprise.
Proactive scanning of malicious applications, files, and potentially unwanted applications (PUA) that users may download to their mobile devices. Our capabilities and investments in cloud-powered protection and intelligence on application reputation allow us to quickly detect sophisticated malware and apps that that may display undesirable behavior.
Adding layers of protection to help prevent and limit the impact of breaches in an organization. By leveraging tight integration with Microsoft Endpoint Manager and Conditional Access, mobile devices that have been compromised with malicious apps or malware are considered high risk and are blocked from accessing corporate resources.
A unified security experience through Microsoft Defender Security Center where defenders can see alerts and easily get the additional context they need to quickly assess and respond to threats across Windows, Mac, Linux, and now mobile devices.
In the coming months we will be releasing additional capabilities on Android and you will hear more from us about our investments in mobile threat defense for iOS devices as well.
I’m also thrilled to share that our initial release of Microsoft Defender ATP for Linux is now generally available. Customers have asked us to broaden our selection of platforms natively supported by Microsoft Defender ATP, and today we’re excited to officially start our journey with Linux. This release marks an important moment for all Microsoft Defender ATP customers when Microsoft Defender ATP becomes a truly unified solution to secure the full spectrum of desktop and server platforms that are common across enterprise environments: Windows, macOS, and Linux.
We are committed to helping organizations secure their unique and heterogenous environments and we have so much more in store for you this year. We’re excited for you to join us in our journey as we continue to deliver the industry’s best in integrated threat protection solutions.
For more information on Microsoft Security Solutions, visit our website. Bookmark the Security blog to keep up with our expert coverage on security matters. Also, follow us at @MSFTSecurity for the latest news and updates on cybersecurity.
Today, we have an exciting announcement we believe will help increase election security while enabling election officials to take advantage of the advanced capabilities of cloud computing.
For years, the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and state and local governments throughout the United States have worked with the non-profit Center for Internet Security, Inc. (CIS) to monitor the security of election-related data. This is enabled by Albert Network Monitoring, which examines internet traffic and connection attempts on networks owned and run by election officials – including voter registration systems, voter information portals and back-office networks.
Albert provides network security alerts for both basic and advanced network threats, helping organizations identify malicious activity such as attempted intrusions by foreign adversaries or cybercriminals. Data from these sensors is sent in near-real-time to the CIS Security Operations Center, which is monitored around the clock every day by expert cybersecurity analysts.
To date, cloud computing providers, such as Microsoft Azure, have not been compatible with Albert sensors. This presented election officials with the difficult choice of selecting powerful, secure and cost-effective cloud computing options, or hosting the data on local servers if they wanted to take advantage of the added security of Albert. Today, through a partnership with CIS, we’re providing a new choice by making Microsoft Azure compatible with Albert for the first time.
We’re starting this journey through a pilot, which will begin this week, with 14 county Supervisors of Elections in Florida. Moving forward, Microsoft and CIS will look to open the capability to states and jurisdictions across the United States.
Today’s announcement is the result of collaborative work between Microsoft’s Azure Global engineering team and CIS’s engineering team, in partnership with Microsoft’s Defending Democracy Program. In the coming months, we look forward to sharing more details about our work to help secure the 2020 elections and future elections in the U.S. and around the world.
Responding to the impact of the pandemic, we will need to get our economies back on track – which means businesses need to navigate the now, plan for re-booting and re-invent to shape the ‘next normal.’
According to Ralph Haupter, President, Microsoft EMEA, it will require “three critical areas of focus: human ingenuity, adaptability, and innovation.” He sees that digital transformation has accelerated as firms look to stabilize and get back to growth, with projects that may normally take years being delivered in months, and that “most innovation right now has, at its heart, an AI component.”
This set the scene for a lively expert panel debate which explored key questions around the role of artificial intelligence, employee skills and augmenting human ingenuity in helping firms be adaptive and resilient.
The discussion was chaired by Azeem Azhar, founder of the Exponential View, with executives from global engineering, management and development consultancy Mott MacDonald, AI start-up Robovision and technology advisory firm Fourkind, joined by Ralph Haupter.
Jonathan Berte, Founder & CEO of Robovision, echoed Ralph’s observation around accelerated digital transformation and noted that “it’s all part of this bigger journey to making digital twins of companies and societies. And what we see is that companies embracing AI, they just have more knowledge. They have more digitalization in their process and this brings a lot of advantages.”
Mott MacDonald is one of the organizations seeing significant positive business impact, according to Simon Denton, Business Architect, who gave a number of compelling examples: “We’re taking advantage of AI through services like Project Cortex, which is really enhancing our knowledge management within the organization, with its reducing the dangers of knowledge being trapped. Again, this is one of those sort of silent AI partners that’s really helping to connect the organization and bring it together to help us achieve our mission.”
Jarno Kartela, Machine Learning Partner at Fourkind, sees huge potential in AI increasingly augmenting workers. That means skills like creativity and problem-solving become more important than ever before. “Technology like machine learning lets you simulate business environments, different outcomes and predict possible end results. I think that creates a lot of resilience for the companies adopting this type of technology. But, at the same time, I think creative problem solving and strategic design skills will become even more important because machine learning will move from automating things to helping augment people to solve problems. This will become even more important in times like these.”
Simon offered some practical advice for businesses at the early stages of AI implementation: “It’s about building confidence and trust in AI. I think if people are starting [their AI] journey, it’s about getting your data in order.” The sentiment of moving forward with confidence was shared by Jarno, “We shouldn’t be afraid of using emerging technology and augmenting human skills because it’s not really about losing control, but improving our own decision-making.” And Jonathan encouraged business leaders not to wait and risk ceding market share: “Don’t fall into the trap of analysis paralysis and over analyze your road to AI. Just jump into it.”
You can dive into the full debate here, and a full transcript is below:
Part 1: The panel discusses digital transformation and AI, the role of skills and augmenting employees, what it means for business adaptability and resiliency, and managing uncertainty in the ‘new normal.’
Part 2: The conversation picks up on curating AI models, and moves onto why some business functions lead with AI while others lag, advice for organizations less far along their AI journey, and the role of culture and leadership.
Full transcript
PART 1
AZEEM:
IT IS VERY EXCITING TO BE HERE. AND TO BE ABLE TO HEAR FROM A NUMBER OF EXPERTS WHO ARE THEMSELVES, ACROSS MANY DIFFERENT TIME ZONES, ON KEY QUESTIONS RELATING TO HOW THE INVESTMENT IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND IN PARTICULAR THE INVESTMENT INTO THE SKILLS OF YOUR WORKERS HAS MADE FIRMS MORE CAPABLE OF ADAPTING TO THE NEW NORMAL THAT THIS CRAZY YEAR OF 2020 KEEPS THROWING AT US.
SO OUR PANEL OF EXPERTS SHARED THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH US, AND WE WILL ALSO HEAR FROM MICROSOFT EMEA PRESIDENT RALPH HAUPTER ON AI, AND THE MANY CUSTOMERS THEIR FIRM HAS HELPED.
AS WE STEP INTO OUR DISCUSSION, MAYBE IT IS WORTH SPENDING A FEW SECONDS TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE MEAN BY AI IN THE CONTEXT OF OUR DISCUSSION TODAY. IT IS SUCH A TERM THAT HAS CAPTURED THE IMAGINATION IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS, BUT FOR BUSINESSES, I SEE IT AS A VERY PRACTICAL SET OF TOOLS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TODAY FOR COMPANIES TO MAKE USE OF FOR THE BENEFITS OF THEIR CUSTOMERS, THEIR INTERNAL OPERATIONS, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT. IT IS A SET OF TECHNOLOGIES AND PRODUCTS THAT AT THEIR HEART HAVE THE NOTION OF COMPUTER SYSTEMS THAT ARE PERFORMING THEIR ACTIONS ON THE BASIS NOT PURELY BY WHAT THEIR PROGRAMMERS HAVE TOLD THEM TO DO, BUT FROM LEARNING FROM THE DATA AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERIENCES THAT THESE SYSTEMS EXPERIENCE. NOW, THESE TASKS COULD BE SIMPLE THINGS LIKE RECOGNIZING OBJECTS, FOR EXAMPLE HANDWRITING AND IMAGES, OR THINGS I’M SURE MANY OF US HAVE EXPERIENCED, TO OUR DELIGHT, ENGAGING IN LIFELIKE CONVERSATIONS WITH CHATBOTS OR THINGS THAT HAPPEN UNDERNEATH THE SURFACE OF OUR INTERACTIONS WITH COMPANIES, BY OPTIMIZING THE ALLOCATION RESOURCES ACROSS A NETWORK OR SUPPLY CHAIN. AT THE HEART IS DATA PREDICTION, OPTIMIZATION LEARNING, VERY PRACTICAL CORE TECHNOLOGIES THAT CAN HELP ANY BUSINESS. BUT LIKE SO MANY OF THE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMATIONS WE HAVE SEEN BEFORE, WHETHER IT WAS THE MOVE TO CLOUD OR CRM OR EVEN RELATIONAL DATABASES EARLIER IN OUR HISTORY, THIS IS A TECHNOLOGY THAT IMPACTS HOW EMPLOYEES ACT AND HOW THEY ARE ORGANIZED AS MUCH AS IT AFFECTS AN I.T. DEPARTMENT AND AS MUCH AS IT AFFECTS THE STRATEGIES IN A BUSINESS. AS A TECHNOLOGY, IT IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT DEMAND A LOT FROM THE EMPLOYEE AND THE WAY IN WHICH COMPANIES SCALE UP THEIR WORKERS.
TO HAVE THIS DISCUSSION, WE HAVE BEEN VERY LUCKY TO HAVE SOME EXPERTS WHO HAVE SOME HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE WITH THIS. WE WILL ASK EACH OF THEM TO GIVE A LITTLE ONE MINUTE INTRO INTO THEIR COMPANY’S BUSINESS AND MISSION ON THEIR OWN ROLE. WE HAVE SIMON, JONATHAN, JARNO FROM FOURKIND, AND I WILL ASK RALPH FROM MICROSOFT TO SAY A FEW WORDS. PERHAPS WE COULD START WITH YOU, SIMON.
SIMON: HI, I AM SIMON DENTON. WE ARE A GLOBAL MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANCY, SO AROUND THE WORLD WE HELP CLIENTS WITH INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS FOR TRANSPORT, ENERGY, WATER, AND THE ENVIRONMENT. YOU MAY NOT HAVE HEARD OF US MUCH, BUT WE ARE ON SOME EPIC PROJECTS WITH TRANSFORMING RAIL NETWORKS IN LOS ANGELES AND SYDNEY, TO SHAPING THE BIGGEST ENERGY FARMS. WE SECURE WATER SUPPLIES TO CITIES LIKE NEW YORK AND LONDON. WE ARE UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO BRIDGE THE PHYSICAL AND THE VIRTUAL DIVIDE. MY ROLE IS TO FACILITATE CONNECTIONS WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION AND EMPOWER OUR STAFF TO DO WHAT THEY DO BEST AND TO SERVE THEIR CLIENTS WELL.
AZEEM: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SIMON. JONATHAN, COULD WE TURN TO YOU FOR A BRIEF INTRODUCTION.
JONATHAN: YES, I AM THE FOUNDER OF ROBOVISION. IT IS ALL ABOUT DEMOCRATIZING AI. YOU WANT TO GET AI FROM THE DATA SCIENTIST DEPARTMENT TO SPECIALISTS AND NORMAL PEOPLE EVERYWHERE SO THEY CAN BUILD THEIR OWN DEEP LEARNING MODELS, CREATE THE DATA, ANNOTATE IT WITH THE HELP OF THE CLOUD, AND IN THIS WAY WE ARE DEVELOPING EASY TOOLS WITH MANUFACTURING, AGRICULTURE, SMART NATIONS, AND THE LIFE SCIENCES. WE ARE ALSO HELPING THE COVID-19 CRISIS BY ENABLING RADIOLOGISTS TO CREATE DEEP LEARNING MODELS THEMSELVES AND TO MORE QUICKLY ANALYZE CT SCANS WITH COVID RELATED DAMAGES.
AZEEM: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. JARNO FROM FOURKIND.
JARNO: HELLO. WE AT FOURKIND ARE A BUSINESS FOCUSED ADVISORY COMPANY WITH DEEP KNOWLEDE IN MACHINE LEARNING, AND WOULD LIKE TO SOLVE PROBLEMS THAT OTHERS CLAIM UNSOLVABLE, RANGING FROM MAKING WHISKY WITH COMPUTERS TO UTILIZING AIRPORTS. WE HAVE 12 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE FROM STRATEGY TO DEVELOPMENT, AND I AM SUPER EXCITED TO WHAT WE WILL DO NEXT BECAUSE I THINK WE HAVE ONLY JUST TOUCHED WHAT IS POSSIBLE. THANKS.
AZEEM: THANK YOU, JARNO. NOW YOU’RE MAKING ME THIRSTY, GIVEN SOME OF YOUR WONDERFUL INNOVATIONS. RALPH, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. I THINK YOU ARE STILL IN ASIA AT THE MOMENT, BUT IT WOULD BE WONDERFUL TO HEAR YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON AI SKILLS COMPONENT, WHAT YOU’RE SEEING FROM THE RESEARCH AND WHAT THAT MEANS FOR LEADERSHIP.
RALPH: THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY HERE. I WOULD BE READY FOR WHISKY, TO BE HONEST, FROM A TIMING PERSPECTIVE. WE SEE IN THESE TIMES WHERE WE HAVE DISRUPTION, A LOT OF FOCUS RIGHT NOW IS ON HOW TO STABILIZE AND GO BACK TO GROWTH. THE EXPERIENCE WE HAVE RIGHT NOW IS THAT THERE ARE THREE CRITICAL AREAS TO FOCUS ON. ONE IS HUMAN INGENUITY, THE OTHER IS ADAPTABILITY. FINALLY THE FOCUS ON INNOVATION. INNOVATION IS RIGHT NOW HAPPENING, TECHNICAL INNOVATION IS HAPPENING AS WE SEE AND SPEAK, AND AS WAS MENTIONED, WE LITERALLY SEE PROJECTS WHICH NORMALLY TAKE TWO YEARS HAPPENING IN TWO MONTHS BY JUST PUTTING UP INNOVATION BACK TO BEING A DRIVER FOR GROWTH.
MOST OF THESE INNOVATIONS RIGHT NOW, ARE HAVING IN THEIR HEART, AN AI COMPONENT. AS AN EXAMPLE, WE SAW IN DENMARK DURING THE CRISIS IN COPENHAGEN, THE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE THERE, BUILDING A CHATBOT. AND WITHIN A DAY THEY COULD HAVE 30,000 CALLS FOR CLARIFICATION IF PEOPLE HAD INDICATIONS OF INFECTION. THAT WAS DONE WITH AI IN A COUPLE OF DAYS, AND IT SHOWS THE POWER OF INNOVATION AND HOW IT COMES TOGETHERWE THINK THAT TECHNOLOGY IS HERE TO NAVIAGTE THE NOW,IT’S HERE FOR PLANNING TO REBOOT, AND NOW WE’RE AT THE PHASE OF RESHAPING THE NEXT NORMAL. EVERY ORGANIZATION IS GOING THROUGH THAT, WONDERING WHAT TO DO. DISCOVERING HOW AI CAN HELP AND FIGURE OUT WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE CULTURE OF THE ORGANIZATION.
SO WE WENT ON THAT AND TRIED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS THE EMPLOYEES’ IMPACT AND WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE EMPLOYEE IN THIS GROWTH OF AI? WE FOCUSED ON THE SKILLS COMPONENT OF THE EMPLOYEES IN THAT CONTEXT. WE DID RESEARCH WHERE WE WERE IN MARCH AT THE TIME OF THE CORONAVIRUS PEAK. WE WENT IN MORE THAN 20 COUNTRIES TO MORE THAN 12,000 EXECUTIVES AND ASKED THEM AND THEIR EMPLOYEES ABOUT TECHNOLOGY USAGE, THE IMPACT ON AI AND THEIR SKILLING. WE FOUND A COUPLE OF INTERESTING DATA POINTS. 93% OF THE FIRMS ARE SAYING THEY HAVE ACTIVELY BUILT SKILLS FOR THE WORKERS TO WORK WITH AI. 70% OF THEM SAY EMPLOYEES ARE PREPARING THEM FOR AI, WHICH I THINK IS GOOD NEWS, A STRONG CORRELATION BETWEEN A COMPANY’S IMPACT AND THE EMPLOYEES’ TRAINING. SO TWO THIRDS OF TODAY’S WORKERS ARE MENTORED BY AI.
WHAT IS THE OUTCOME? IT IS BUSINESS EFFICIENCY, BUT IT IS ALSO SPEED AND CHANGE OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND SERVICE AND EXPERIENCE ON AN AI BASIS, AND EVEN MORE IT IS A CHANGE ON THE CULTURE OF INNOVATION CULTURE. SO I PERSONALLY WOULD SAY I HAVE SEEN THROUGH AI CHANGES IN CULTURES OF THE COMPANY HAPPENING. LEADERS EMBRACING DATA , WHICH IN MANY WAYS IS THE FOUNDATION FOR AN AI EXPERIENCE, LEVERAGING THAT ONTO RESHAPING COMPANIES. NINE OUT OF 10 EXECUTIVES SAY THEY BENEFIT FROM AI, THE SUPPORT WHERE THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED IT ONCE. THIS ALL IS ABOUT IMPROVEMENT. YOU SKILLE PEOPLE, YOU HAVE BETTER OUTCOME. IT IS A COMBINATION OF AI TECHNOLOGY AND THE SKILLING, WHICH IS IMPORTANT, TO HAVE PEOPLE READY IN THE CAPABILITY TO LEVERAGE THAT. SO IT IS AS MUCH A PRIORITIZATION OF SKILL, OF TECHNOLOGY WHICH NEEDS TO HAPPEN, AND I THINK ONE THING WE CAN BE CERTAIN IS THE IMPORTANCE OF EMPOWERING HUMAN INGENUITY THROUGH AI. THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME TO JOIN. I AM GIVING IT BACK TO YOU, AZEEM.
AZEEM: I THINK ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING DIMENSIONS OF THIS IS THE TECHNOLOGY AND HUMAN SKILLS. YOU DESCRIBED THE CIRCLE OF IMPROVEMENT, HOW THE INVESTMENT IN ONE DRIVE CERTAIN PERFORMANCE WHICH DRIVES MORE INVESTMENT. THAT IS A FASCINATING DYNAMIC. I AM CURIOUS TO HEAR FROM OUR EXPERTS PERHAPS STARTING WITH JARNO, ON HOW ORGANIZATIONS MIGHT BE USING AI TO AUGMENT AND UNLOCK THAT INGENUITY THAT IS WITHIN THEIR EMPLOYEE BASE.
JARNO: AT LEAST FOR THE EXPERIENCE WE HAVE HAD WITH CUSTOMERS, WE HAVE INTERACTED WITH, THE MAIN TWIST CURRENTLY SEEMS TO BE MOVING FROM AUTOMATING STUFF LIKE WE HAVE DONE FOR A WHILE NOW, TO AUGMENTING CREATIVE EXPERTS IN R&D AND IMPROVING THE CAPABILITIES OF DECISION-MAKING AND STRATEGIC FUNCTIONS. I THINK THIS REQUIRES AN INNOVATIVE AND BOLD APPROACH TO USING EMERGING TECHNOLOGY, AND I THINK THAT IS A TALL ORDER FOR MANY COMPANIES TO PULL OFF BECAUSE IT TAKES A LOT OF COURAGE AND IT REALLY TAKES A LOT OF INTEREST AND ACTUALLY WANTING TO TRY OUT AI TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
AZEEM: THANK YOU. WHAT IS YOUR VISION FROM ROBOVISION?
JONATHAN: IN TERMS OF GETTING PREPARED FOR THIS SO-CALLED SECOND WAVE OF THE COVID-19 CRISIS, WHAT WE SEE IS ESPECIALLY WITH SPECIALISTS LIKE RADIOLOGISTS, EMBRACING THE TECHNOLOGY BIG TIME, REALLY ENABLING THEIR OWN SKILLS, AUGMENTING IT WITH AI TO MEASURE FASTER AND TO GET THIS PATIENT THE RIGHT TREATMENT THEY DESERVE IN TERMS OF THIS CRISIS.
WHAT WE SEE IN MANUFACTURING IS A GREATER SENSITIVITY TO QUALITY CONTROL BECAUSE OF THE HUMAN LOOP, BECAUSE OF SEVERAL RESTRICTIONS IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, WE SEE DURING A LOCKDOWN IT IS DIFFICULT TO GET MANUFACTURING GOING. BUT SOMETIMES MANUFACTURING IS REALLY VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE LIFELINES OF SOCIETIES LIKE FRUIT PACKAGING AND SO ON. INSTEAD, YOU NEED THIS QUALITY CONTROL. WE SEE A BIGGER PUSH IN TERMS OF CRISIS, TO EMBRACE AI AT A HIGHER SPEED, AND THESE PRIOR DEALS OF SIX TO 12 MONTHS ARE NOW DEAL CYCLES OF FOUR WEEKS.
ALSO SMART NATIONS, SOCIAL DISTANCING MEASUREMENTS, YOU CAN JUST MEASURE IF PEOPLE ARE COMPLYING TO CERTAIN REGULATIONS OR IF THEY ARE SOFTENING THESE RESTRICTIONS. SO A LOT OF SPEED, AND OTHER EMBRACING OF THESE NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN THESE NEW ECOSYSTEMS.
AZEEM: THANK YOU, JONATHAN. AND SIMON FROM MOTT MACDONALD, THE SAME QUESTION, HOW THE ORGANIZATION IS USING AI TO AUGMENT AND UNLOCK THE INGENUITY OF THEIR EMPLOYEES. THIS AND TO JONATHAN’S ANSWER, HE IS WORKING IN A PURELY SOFTWARE WORLD, AND PERHAPS THE CADENCE IS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT FROM MOTT MACDONALD, GIVEN THE INFRASTRUCTURE. BUT I’M SURE THERE IS A CONNECTION BETWEEN AI AND THE COMMUNITY OF YOUR TEAMS.
SIMON: THERE ALMOST CERTAINLY IS. AS AN ENGINEER I USED TO HAVE TO SIGN INTO INFRASTRUCTURES AND THEN PUT IT INTO A PRODUCTIVE MODEL WITHIN THE ENGINEERING APPLICATION, AND IT WOULD CONFIRM MY CHOICE. I WOULD TALK WITH A MEMBER ABOUT BEING OVERSTRESSED OR NOT. THEN WE CAN PUT THE SAME INPUTS IN THAT ENGINEERS WOULD GET, AND THE MODEL WILL MAKE A SUGGESTION OF WHAT THE BUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE SHOULD BE. SO THE ENGINEER CAN TAKE IT ON AND INTERPRET IT CORRECTLY. WE ARE SEEING A LOT OF WORK, ALMOST SUBCONSCIOUSLY BEING SUPPORTED BY AI, BEING ASSISTED BY THE MACHINE LEARNING.
ALSO NORMALIZATION, TAKING THE JUMP TO AI BY THE CORTEX, WHICH IS ENHANCING OUR KNOWLEDGE MANAGER WITHIN THE ORGANIZATIONS, WHERE THERE ARE DANGERS OF KNOWLEDGE BEING TRAPPED. IT IS ONE OF THOSE SILENT AI PARTNERS THAT IS HELPING TO CONNECT THE ORGANIZATION AND BRING IT TOGETHER TO HELP US ACHIEVE OUR MISSION.
THE THIRD STRAND WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT IS AROUND MAKING INFRASTRUCTURE SMARTER. I KNOW TECHNICALLY IT IS LARGELY INANIMATE OBJECT, SO MAKING IT SMARTER IS PROBABLY A BIT OF A CONTRADICTION THERE. THERE IS SO MUCH DATA AVAILABLE WITH THE ASSETS THAT WE HAVE IN THE WORLD, FROM A RAILWAY STATION TO A ROAD, HOSPITALS, ENTIRE TEAMS. WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT USING AI AND HELPING TEAMS WITHIN OUR ORGANIZATION NAVIGATE IT SO THEY CAN ADVISE CLIENTS HOW TO GET ASSETS AND HOW TO BEST USE THEM. WE CAN MODEL MUCH QUICKER THROUGH AI-BASED PREDICTIVE MODELING TO DETERMINE SAFE SWIMMING CONDITIONS. A SAFE SWIM SERVICE DOWN THERE, YOU WILL GO TO THE BEACH AND SEE A SIGN THAT SAYS THE WATER QUALITY IS FIT FOR SWIMMING. WE KNOW THAT THROUGH PREDICTIVE AI MODELING. WE KNOW WHERE THE RUN-OFF IS, WHAT THE LEVELS ARE. ALL THAT INFORMATION WOULD BRING YOU TOGETHER. ALLOWING PEOPLE AS A CONSUMER, IT IS A BIG FOCUS AT THE MOMENT.
AZEEM: ANOTHER IDEA THAT CAME ACROSS IS THE NOTION OF INCREASING SPEED. I WANT TO RAISE THAT QUESTION IN OUR LATER QUESTIONS. I’M CURIOUS ABOUT THIS, TO PUT THIS TO JARNO AND JONATHAN IN PARTICULAR. THIS QUESTION ABOUT WHETHER THE PRIOR INVESTMENT IN EQUIPPING EMPLOYEES TO BE SKILLED AND SUCCESSFUL WITH AI HAS MADE FIRMS MORE AGILE AND RESILIENT. WHICH OF THOSE SKILLS ARE BENEFITING FROM THE MOST. PERHAPS JONATHAN YOU COULD BE THE FIRST TO TAKE THIS ONE.
JONATHAN: WHAT WE SEE IS THAT COMPANIES EMBRACING AI, HAVE MORE KNOWLEDGE, MORE DIGITALIZATION, AND THIS BRINGS A LOT OF ADVANTAGES. IT BRINGS THE ADVANTAGE OF KNOWING WHAT DISEASES ARE BECAUSE YOU ARE WORKING WITH CAMERAS AND YOU CAN MINE THE DATA, KNOW WHETHER A DISEASE IS MORE PRONE THIS YEAR THAN LAST YEAR. IN THE CONTEXT OF SMART NATIONS YOU CAN KNOW WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PEOPLE STREAMS. WHAT WE SEE IS A LOT OF CONTROL. PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS GET CONTROL OF THE FLAWS, THEY ARE AWARE OF QUALITY ISSUES, AWARE OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF ISSUES WITHIN THEIR ORGANIZATION.
AZEEM: THANK YOU. JARNO, HOW ABOUT YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON THE QUESTION? I’D LOVE TO PUT IT TO RALPH AS WELL.
JARNO: INVESTMENT IN ANY EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AND THE DETAILS AND PAINT A BIG PICTURE OF WHERE BUSINESS IS HEADING BECAUSE TECHNOLOGY IS SO EMBEDDED IN BUSINESS TODAY. MACHINE LEARNING IN PARTICULAR, BECAUSE OF THE SET OF POSSIBILITIES THAT CAN SIMULATE A BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT AND SIMULATE DIFFERENT OUTCOMES AND PREDICT IMPOSSIBLES. I THINK THAT CREATES A LOT OF RESILIENCE FOR THE COMPANIES ADOPTING THIS TYPE OF TECHNOLOGY. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I THINK CREATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING AND STRATEGIC DESIGN SKILLS WILL BECOME EVEN MORE IMPORTANT BECAUSE MACHINE LEARNING, MOVING FROM DESIGN STUFFED AUGMENTING AND SOLVING PROBLEMS, MOVES IT CLOSER TO ENGINEERING. HUMAN INGENUITY THAT DESIGNED THE STRATEGIC BITS WILL BECOME EVEN MORE IMPORTANT IN TIMES LIKE THESE.
AZEEM: THANK YOU, JARNO. RALPH, I WANTED TO COME TO YOU ON THIS PARTICULAR QUESTION, WHICH IS WHETHER PRIOR INVESTMENT IN EQUIPPING EMPLOYEES WITH SKILLS TO BE SUCCESSFUL WITH AI HAS MADE FIRMS MORE AGILE AND RESILIENT. JARNO ADDED A DETAIL THERE ABOUT STRATEGIC AND CREATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING AS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT. DOES THAT REFLECT YOUR EXPERIENCE?
RALPH: I WOULD SAY THAT, YEAH, THEY MAY BE A STEP OR TWO FURTHER AHEAD ON WHAT I’VE SEEN IN THE BROADER MASS USAGE OF AI. REFLECTING ON CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENTS AND THE FEEDBACK WE’RE GETTING, AND THE THINGS WE ARE SEEING, WHAT CLEARLY MAKES A DIFFERENCE IS RIGHT NOW IS MOST COMPANIES ARE DEEPLY INVESTING INTO DATA-DRIVEN OPERATING MORE FOR THE ORGANIZATION. I SEE THEY MAKE A LOT OF DIFFERENCE NOW. I JUST HAD A CALL JUST YESTERDAY WITH A LUXURY GOODS COMPANY, WHICH IS PRETTY STRESSED IN A GIVEN ENVIRONMENT. BUT THEY HAVE BEEN SO CONFIDENT IN THE DATA MODELS THEY HAVE BEEN BUILDING NOW, HOW THEY ARE FORECASTING AND PREDICTING THE TYPE OF PRODUCT AND REVENUE NUMBERS, AND SEE THE PROGRESS OF ENRICHING THESE DATA MODELS OVER THE LAST WEEKS BY COLLECTING EXTERNALLY, WHERE YOU THINK ABOUT SHOPS OPENING, STARTING AGAIN, SEEING T HOW PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED PHYSICALLY TO GO INTO A SHOP, MULTIPLY THE SHOP SIZE, WITH PEOPLE, BUT YOU CANNOT GO IN THERE. GIVE THEM MUCH MORE CONFIDENCE IN HOW THEY PREDICTED BUSINESS. THAT IS BASED ON PEOPLE INVESTING AND THEN EDUCATING PEOPLE IN BEING REALLY DEEP INTO THIS RESEARCH SIDE. THAT IS COMING STRONG IN MANY COMPANIES IN DIFFERENT SEGMENTS, AND FINANCE, IN MAINTENANCE AND BACK-OFFICE ORGANIZATIONS. THERE IS THIS USAGE HAPPENING THAT WAS INVESTED OVER THE LAST 12 MONTHS, I WOULD SAY.
AZEEM: PROBABLY THE BEST TIME TO PLANT A TREE IS 20 YEARS AGO, AND THE SECOND BEST TIME IS TODAY. I WANT TO BUILD ON THIS IDEA THAT YOU HAVE INTRODUCED HERE, RALPH, WHICH IS THAT OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS COMPANIES HAVE HAD TO GATHER AS MUCH DATA AS THEY CAN ABOUT THEIR NEW NORMAL. THERE IS THIS IDEA THAT AI SYSTEMS ARE BUILT WITH MODELS THAT ARE AT SOME POINT TRAINED ON THE DATA THAT WE KNOW UP UNTIL THEN, AND THE WORLD HAS CHANGED IN THE LAST SIX WEEKS. I AM CURIOUS TO THIS QUESTION ABOUT HOW FIRMS ENSURE THAT THEIR AI MODELS ADAPT TO THAT NEXT NORMAL. I WOULD BE HAPPY TO ASK JARNO’S VIEW OF THAT FIRST, AND THEN BE HAPPY TO TAKE THAT OF THE OTHER PANELISTS AS WELL.
JARNO: I HAVE HAD A FAIR BIT OF EXPERIENCE ADAPTING MODELS WITH THESE MACHINES. THE PROBLEM WITH MOST MACHINE LEARNING WE SEE TODAY IS IT THE ONLY USES PAST DATA AND DOES NOT EXPLORE THE WORLD AROUND IT. SOME COMPANIES HAVE BENEFITED MASSIVELY FROM USING REINFORCEMENT LEARNING IN A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT. BECAUSE THAT IS A DREAM WORK, NATIVELY ADAPTING TO A CHANGING WORLD IN LET’S SAY DYNAMIC PRICING OR PERSONALIZED NEWCOMERS. OTHER FRAMEWORKS SHOULD BE USABLE, TOO, BUT THE CORE PROBLEM WITH MACHINE LEARNING IS THAT THEY ARE NOT EXPLORING NEW CHOICES, SO WE ARE NOT LEARNING ANYTHING NEW. WE SHOULD NOT JUST EXPLOIT PAST DATA, WE SHOULD ACTUALLY INFECT, STOP SAYING THAT WE NEED DATA FOR AI, BECAUSE IT IS JUST NOT TRUE.
AZEEM: ONE OF YOUR EXAMPLES WAS THAT YOU TRAINED MACHINE VISION SYSTEMS TO RECOGNIZE CT SCANS OF A PATIENT’S COVID LUNGS, WHICH IS A NEW DATA SET THAT DID NOT EXIST THREE MONTHS AGO. WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ABOUT WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO MAINTAIN THESE MODELS AND KEEP THEM ENSURE THAT THEY ARE READY FOR THE NEXT NORMAL, BOTH THE CURRENT ONE AND THE ONE AFTER THAT?
JONATHAN: BE EXTREMELY FLEXIBLE. IT IS A SIMPLE ANSWER, BUT MAKE SURE THAT THE FLEXIBILITY IS SHORT AND WITH SCALABILITY. WE HAD ALMOST UNLIMITED SCALABILITY SO WE COULD ONBOARD A LOT OF HOSPITALS. WE HAVE DONE THAT ON THE SECOND DAY IN LOCKDOWN. WE HAVE CONTACTED MICROSOFT AND SAID IF YOU WANT ALL OF THESE HOSPITALS UPLOADING DATA IN A PLATFORM, IT IS PERFECTLY FEASIBLE FROM A CLOUD’S POINT OF VIEW. A CLOUD IS MADE FOR THESE KIND OF THINGS, AND YOU NEED TO BE AWARE OF THE SPECIALISTS THEMSELVES, NEED TO HAVE THE RADIOLOGIST IN THIS CASE, TO HAVE A GOOD ENVIRONMENT TO LABEL THIS DATA, SO THAT IT NEEDS TO BE WITH ALL THE TOOLING BECAUSE THEY ARE VERY NEEDED AT THIS MOMENT. THERE IS NO MEDICAL SPECIALIST IN THE FRONT LINE THAT HAS TIME, A LOT OF TIME RIGHT NOW. YOU NEED TO MAYBE BE AWARE THAT IT NEEDS TO BE GENERIC AND VASTLY ADAPTABLE FROM YOUR KIND OF USE CASE. WE HAVE MANAGED TO DO THAT WITH MICROSOFT BY MAKING THE CITY AI MODELS.
AZEEM: SIMON AND RALPH, I AM COMING TO YOU WITH THIS QUESTION AS WELL, BUT I JUST WANT TO PLAY BACK SOMETHING THAT I THINK IS INTERESTING AND WHAT JONATHAN JUST SAID, WHICH IS THAT OF COURSE YOU NEED TO KEEP THE DATA MODELS UP-TO-DATE. PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO DO THAT DO NOT OFTEN HAVE THE TIME TO DO THAT, SO YOU HAVE TO AUGMENT THEM WITH AUTOMATED SYSTEMS. THOSE ARE LEARNING SYSTEMS AS WELL. JONATHAN?
JONATHAN: YOU HAVE TO USE TECHNIQUES LIKE PREDICTIVE LABELING, LIKE GIVING A PROPOSAL TO A RADIOLOGIST DETECTING COVID IN THE LUNG. IT IS SOMETIMES A LENGTHY INSTRUCTION SHEET, AND SOME OF THEM HAVE MISUNDERSTOOD SOME INSTRUCTIONS, SO YOU NEED TO WITH MACHINE LEARNING UNDERSTAND THAT IF SOMEBODY IS LOSING TIME BECAUSE OF INCORRECTLY LABELING, HE IS FILING UP GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT WITHIN THE DEEP LEARNING SYSTEM. YOU NEED ALL KINDS OF TUNING TO MANAGE THE CROWD OF DATA. THIS CROWD CAN BE VERY VERSATILE. WE HAVE PEOPLE FROM SOUTH AFRICA OR VENEZUELA LABELING RECYCLING DATA, BUT WE HAVE SPECIALISTS, RADIOLOGIST LABELING CT DATA. THIS TRULY NEEDS TO BE SO GENERIC THAT YOU CAN SWIFTLY PIVOT YOUR USE CASE ACCORDING TO A CRISIS. YOU UNDERSTAND?
AZEEM: ABSOLUTELY. THAT IS A FANTASTIC CASE STUDY.
Part 2
AZEEM: LET ME TAKE THIS QUESTION ABOUT MODELS NOW, AS A REMINDER. IT IS HOW SHOULD FIRMS ENSURE THAT AI MODELS ARE CAPABLE OF ADAPTING TO THIS NEXT NEW NORMAL. AND PERHAPS WE WILL HEAR FROM SIMON FIRST, AND THEN I WILL COME TO RALPH.
SIMON: WHAT IS IMPORTANT WITH MODELS IS THAT THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND PESSIMISM. AT THE MOMENT WE ARE FEEDING THEM RATHER PESSIMISTIC DATA SETS. WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL IF WE ARE USING THOSE KINDS OF MODELS THAT WE ARE NOT TRAINING THEM TO BE PESSIMISTIC. SO WHEN THINGS EMERGE AND THINGS ARE BETTER, THEY DO NOT GIVE US THE NEGATIVE OUTCOMES COMES EVERY TIME. THE DATA SET HOW AI IS USED ON MACHINE LEARNING HAS TO BE CONTEXTUAL. THERE NEEDS TO BE A BROAD ENOUGH CHURCH FOR THE RIGHT TO VIEW TO BE FORMED. IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE USING THESE ADAPTIVE MODELS, THAT THEY USE RETROSPECTIVE DATA TO GET SOME POSITIVITY, TO GIVE A BIT OF A SLANT, A BIT OF AN UNDERSTANDING, AND THEN TAKE IT FORWARD. WE ALSO RECOGNIZE THE FACT THAT PROBABLY ALL OF THAT DATA IS AVAILABLE TO YOU, SO PART OF IT IS STRINGING THAT DATA TOGETHER, PUTTING IT INTO A MODEL AND SEE HOW IT REACTS AND HOW IT POPULATES. THAT IS THE SECOND PART OF IT, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU DO NOT HAVE A MODEL TO START WITH.
AZEEM: YOU STARTED OFF WITH PESSIMISM BUT THEN ENDED UP POSITIVE, I KNOW MANY A SERIES THAT DIED AFTER STRINGING DATA TOGETHER. IT IS ALWAYS A BIG CHALLENGE. RALPH, I’M CURIOUS ABOUT THIS QUESTION ABOUT HOW YOU ENSURE MODELS ADAPT TO THE NEXT NORMAL, AND IN PARTICULAR, THIS SEEMS TO BE A CASE, AS IT CAME ACROSS FROM SIMON’S ANSWER AND JARNO’S, IT IS A PEOPLE SKILLS, HUMAN CAPITAL QUESTION TO TACKLE.
RALPH: I WOULD SAY IT STARTS WITH THE HUMAN POINT OF VIEW, AND I DON’T KNOW IF IT FITS HERE, BUT THE DATA CENTERS NEED TO BRING A LEVEL OF CHOREOGRAPHY WITH DATA SCIENTISTS NEED TO TRAIN AND REACH OUT FOR DATA. THE REASON I AM SAYING IT THAT WAY IS BECAUSE I THINK THE SHIFT I HAVE SEEN OVER THE LAST SIX MONTHS IS THAT IT STARTED WITH COMPANIES BUILDING MODELS AND INSIGHTS BASED ON THEIR EXISTING DATA. RIGHT NOW, I SEE A PHASE WHERE SOME COMPANIES START OUT TO REACH AND FIND OUT WHAT EXTERNAL DATA IS AVAILABLE, BUT THE PROCESS I WOULD SAY IS ALMOST RANDOM. SO WHAT I AM OBSERVING OVER THE LAST 12 WEEKS IS THAT WE SEE MORE AND MORE COMPANIES COMING IN WITH A SPECIALTY OF DATA SET, WHICH IS AUGMENTING COMPANY-OWNED DATA SETS. SO I SEE A LOT AS AN EXAMPLE IN THE CONTEXT OF SUPPLY CHAIN. THAT HAD AN IMPACT ON COMMERCIAL COMPANIES. I SAW IT HAVING AN IMPACT IN THE HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY. BUT I DON’T SEE GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS ASKING SUPPLY CHAIN COMPANIES TO HELP THINK THROUGH HOW THEY ORGANIZE A COUNTRY IN TERMS OF LOGISTICS CAPABILITY. BUT IT NEEDED TO HAVE A STEP IF SOMEBODY GOES OUT OF THE FRAME AND BASICALLY LOOKS AT PARTNERS WHO ARE HAVING A VERY DIFFERENT DATA SET COMPARED TO THEIR EXISTING BUSINESS MODEL, AND JUST TRIED TO COMBINE AND GET THAT PIECE OF DATA ACCESS INTO THE FULL MODEL. SO HAVING IT AS A MODEL, HAVING A HUMAN DRIVER, USING NOW A REAL OUTREACH TO BRING PARTNERS INTO PLAY I THINK IS SUPER IMPORTANT TO FACE WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW. I THINK IT IS TRUE, IT IS NOT ABOUT HAVING A DREAM THAT YOU HAVE TO BE A PERFECT AND HOLISTIC DATA SET, BUT IT IS HUMAN ASPIRATION TO REACH OUT AND BRING THE NEXT BEST POTENTIAL SOURCE AND PARTNERSHIP TO THAT MODEL, WHICH I THINK MAKES A DIFFERENCE AS I AM OBSERVING IT RIGHT NOW.
AZEEM: THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS. THERE IS SO MUCH TO DELVE INTO ON THIS QUESTION, SO PERHAPS WE WILL DO SO LATER ON. I AM CURIOUS TO MOVE TO THE NEXT QUESTION, WHICH IS REALLY ABOUT HOW WE ARE SEEING THE DEPLOYMENT OF AI WITHIN A PARTICULAR BUSINESS FUNCTION? MY OWN EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN THERE WERE CERTAIN BUSINESS FUNCTIONS THAT ARE OFTEN THE FIRST TO BRING THIS TECHNOLOGY ON, BUT THAT IT DOES VARY QUITE A LOT FROM ORGANIZATION TO ORGANIZATION, SOMETIMES DOWN TO INDIVIDUALS WHO SEE THE OPPORTUNITY. I AM VERY CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE IS WITH WHICH BUSINESS FUNCTIONS MIGHT BE LEADING WITH AI, WHILE OTHERS ARE LAGGING. PERHAPS SIMON, YOU WOULD BE SO KIND TO ANSWER THIS FIRST, AND THEN WE WILL GO TO THE OTHER PANELISTS AS WELL.
SIMON: SURE, THE SMART INFRASTRUCTURE TEAM, YOU WOULD EXPECT THEM TO LEAD THE WAY FORWARD. THE REASON WHY WE CREATED IT, TO ENABLE OUR CLIENTS TO MAXIMIZE THEIR INVESTMENTS AND THEIR ASSETS AND BUILD THESE THINGS. THE REASON THAT GROUP IS LEADING IS BECAUSE THEY HAVE GOT AN INTEREST IN IT. IT IS NOT JUST SOMETHING THAT THEY TEND TO DO, THEY HAVE AN INTEREST AND PASSION WITHIN THAT, SO THEY ARE DRIVING IT FORWARD.
THE OTHER PART OF THE ORGANIZATION, TAKING A LEAD IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION, THEY ARE TAKING REAL ADVANTAGE FROM THAT MACHINE CURATED, MACHINE SUGGESTED KNOWLEDGE AND HELPING THEM TO FORM BETTER TEAMS TO WIN THE RIGHT WORK. THE SIMPLE SORT OF AI INVESTMENTS THEY DID NOT KNOW THEY WERE USING AI, BUT THEY ARE LEADING THE WAY. AND THERE ARE OTHERS. THIS IS A STEP CHANGE. THIS IS A CLASSIC BELL CURVE MOMENT WHERE YOU HAVE THE EARLY ADOPTERS. EVERY ORGANIZATION HAS TO DO SO FOR ALL THE RIGHT REASONS, AND I THINK WE HAVE A GOOD BALANCE.
AZEEM: WE HAVE ABOUT SIX MINUTES LEFT BEFORE WE MOVE TO THE NEXT PHASE OF THIS. THE TIME HAS REALLY GONE WITH THESE WONDERFULLY DEEP ANSWERS. ON THAT QUESTION, WHICH FUNCTIONS DO YOU SEE LEADING. JARNO, WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN ACROSS THE WORK YOU HAVE DONE? OH, I THINK WE HAVE LOST JARNO. JONATHAN, WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN?
JONATHAN: WHAT I HAVE SEEN IS THAT IT IS RELATED TO THE EVOLUTION IN THE AI ITSELF. DEEP LEARNING WAS FOUNDED ON THE PREMISE OF REVERSE ENGINEERING IN THE SYSTEM, AND WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IS THAT BUSINESSES RELATED TO IMAGERY AND THE ANALYSIS OF IMAGERY IS ESSENTIAL. IT IS GOING TO BE ESSENTIAL THAT THEY LEAD BECAUSE IT IS SIMPLE AND IT IS NOT SO RELATED TO BLACK SWAN EVENTS LIKE THE CORONA CRISIS. WHAT IS MUCH MORE DIFFICULT IS THE TIMELINES WITH AI, BECAUSE WE AS HUMAN BEINGS CANNOT EASILY LABEL. WE ARE OFTEN OURSELVES IN STRONG DISCUSSIONS ABOUT IMPLEMENTATION OF TIMELINE. IF THERE IS ONE SINGLE THING WHERE WE MOSTLY AGREE ON, IT IS ON PHYSICAL INFORMATION BECAUSE IT IS CLEAR AND PRESENT AND YOU CAN POINT TO IT AT A GLANCE. SO IT IS VISION FIRST, AND WE SEE A LOT OF EVOLUTION IN THE SPACE. THEN YOU HAVE THE MORE IMMATURE STACKS OF TECHNOLOGY, REINFORCEMENT LEARNING, TIMELINE ANALYSIS, AND CERTAIN DIFFICULT CONTEXTS. THAT IS OUR TAKE ON THE SITUATION.
AZEEM:5 WE JUST GOT JARNO BACK AGAIN. THE EXPERIENCE THAT YOU HAVE SEEN WITH WHICH BUSINESS FUNCTIONS MIGHT BE LEADING WITH AI AND WHICH ONES MIGHT BE LACKING?
JARNO: IT IS CLEAR THAT BUSINESS FUNCTIONS THAT HAVE A FIRST FEEDBACK LOOP ARE SORT OF TRIUMPHING IN THIS TYPE OF CAREER BECAUSE THEY CAN SORT OF EXPORT TECHNOLOGIES FASTER BECAUSE THEY CAN TRY OUT NEW THINGS WITH CERTAINTY, KNOWING WHO THEY WORK ON OR NOT. KNOWING IF THEY WORK OR NOT. USING THAT IN R&D WITH THE STRATEGIC FUNCTIONS. THE FEEDBACK LOOP IS PRETTY LONG AND IT TAKES A WHILE TO KNOW IF SOMETHING WORKS OR NOT. SO I THINK THAT AFFECTS THE ADOPTION RATE ACROSS DIFFERENT BUSINESS FUNCTIONS. YOU CAN EASILY SEE THAT SORT OF FEAR OF ADAPTING NEW TECHNOLOGY. LIKE IN THE WHISKY CASE WHERE YOU CAN IMAGINE WHEN PEOPLE IN SCOTLAND HEARD THAT WE ARE GOING TO MAKE WHISKY WITH COMPUTERS. IT WAS LIKE NOTHING THEY HAD EVER SEEN AND HEARD, AND WE HAVE GOTTEN FEEDBACK THAT YOU CANNOT DO THIS STUFF. A WEEK AGO, WE WON A REALLY PRESTIGIOUS PRIZE ON AN AWARDS SHOW FROM THE INTELLIGENCE WHISKY. I KNOW THAT FUNCTIONS THAT HAVE LONG FEEDBACK LOOPS ARE GOING TO BE A BIT BEHIND.
AZEEM: THANK YOU FOR THAT. I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE EMPTY BOTTLE OF YOUR WHISKY THAT I HAVE SITTING ON A SHELF IN A KITCHEN IS TESTAMENT TO THE FACT THAT THE AI IS WORKING THERE. WE HAVE 3, 4 MINUTES LEFT BEFORE WE MOVE TO AUDIENCE QUESTIONS. WE HAVE THE LAST QUESTION, AND I WILL START WITH JONATHAN FIRST. WHAT BRIEF ADVICE DO AI-LEADING BUSINESSES HAVE FOR OTHERS THAT ARE NOT AS FAR ALONG THAT JOURNEY AS THEY MIGHT BE? IF WE COULD START WITH JONATHAN, PLEASE.
JONATHAN: START EARLY AND ACCEPT TO FAIL FAST. THE INNOVATION GOES INTO A FAST ITERATION AND YOU HAVE GONE INTO EFFECTS AND MVPS QUICKLY. DO NOT FALL INTO THE TRAP OF ANALYSIS PARALYSIS AND OVERANALYZE. JUST JUMP INTO IT AND GET IT GOING, GET THE ABSORPTION GOING IN YOUR ORGANIZATION BECAUSE YOU WILL SEE OTHER THINGS WITH PURE AI, YOU WILL SEE THAT YOUR DATA IS NOT CONSISTENT OVERALL, AND YOU WILL SEE PRACTICAL ISSUES BEFORE YOU CAN REALLY START THIS WONDERFUL JOURNEY OF CREATING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR CONTEXT. THE OTHER THING IS REALIZE THAT IF YOU WAIT TOO LONG, YOUR COMPETITOR WILL PROBABLY GRAB SOME MARKETS AND YOU WILL BE TOO LATE AT SOME POINT. IF WE ARE LIVING IN FAST-MOVING TIMES, DISRUPTIONS, IT IS IMPORTANT TO JUMP ON THE WAGON.
AZEEM: WAGONS AND WHISKY. NOW I’M GETTING CONFUSED. LET’S ASK JARNO THAT SIMILAR QUESTION. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU HAVE FOR COMPANIES THAT ARE LESS FAR ALONG THERE AT OUR JOURNEY?
JARNO: I THINK THAT IS A GOOD AND REALLY IMPORTANT QUESTION, AND I THINK IT SORT OF BOILS DOWN TO THE HUMAN BITS AND THE CULTURE BITS, THAT WE SHOULD NOT BE AFRAID OF USING EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AND AUGMENTING BECAUSE IT IS NOT REALLY ABOUT LOSING CONTROL, BUT IMPROVING OUR OWN DECISION-MAKING. I THINK ALSO WE SHOULD OPT FOR USING APPROACHES WHERE MACHINES ACTUALLY LEARN AND GENERATE SOMETHING, AND EXPLORE WHAT IS POSSIBLE INSTEAD OF REPEATING WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW, WHEREVER THAT TYPE OF EXPLORATION IS POSSIBLE. I THINK YOU WILL BE SURPRISED.
AZEEM: THANK YOU. SIMON, I AM CURIOUS TO HEAR FROM YOU, IN PARTICULAR BECAUSE YOUR SECTOR IS ONE THAT HAS LONG FEEDBACK LOOPS. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU HAVE FOR ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE LESS FAR AHEAD ON THAT JOURNEY?
SIMON: OUR FEEDBACK LOOPS ARE USUALLY MEASURED IN DECADES. SO FIRST, IT IS REALLY AROUND CONFIDENCE AND TRUST AND WHAT IT IS DOING. IF YOU HAVE NOT ENGAGED WITH AI BEFORE, DIPPING YOUR TOE IN, IT IS ABOUT GAINING CONFIDENCE AND TRUST WITH WHAT THE ANSWERS AND WHAT THE IMPLICATIONS ARE. THE OTHER POINTS, YOU DO NEED TO APPRECIATE THAT IT IS NOT YOUR SILVER BULLET. IT IS NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU THAT 4:00 A.M. EPIPHANY STRAIGHTAWAY. BUT GETTING YOUR DATA IN ORDER, SOMETIMES IT IS A PAINFUL PROCESS, BUT IT HELPS YOU GET THINGS A BIT CLEANER, STANDARD FORMAT. IN OUR INDUSTRY, WE ARE QUITE LUCKY. WE ARE 10 YEARS INTO A STANDARD CYCLE, AND WITHIN THE STANDARD CYCLE, THEY HAVE BEEN STARTING TO PRESCRIBE THE METADATA THAT YOU SHOULD BE CAPTURING WITHIN THE CREATION OF YOUR ASSETS. SO THEY ARE REACHING QUITE FAR AHEAD. I WANT TO STRESS THAT YOU HAVE TO BE MORE ECONOMICAL WITH DATA, COLLABORATE A BIT MORE. JUST GO FOR IT.
AZEEM: RALPH, LET’S PUT THIS LAST QUESTION TO YOU AGAIN, WHICH IS ABOUT THE ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO CLIENTS WHO ARE NOT AS FAR ALONG THEIR AI JOURNEY AS SOME OF THE FIRMS WE HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING SO FAR IN OUR SESSION.
RALPH: I WOULD REFRAME IT AS OBSERVATIONS I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO TAKE FROM COMPANIES. FOR ME, ALWAYS A STARTING POINT IS STUDIES WOULD SAY TWO YEARS DOWN THE ROAD, 60% TO 65% OF OUR GDP IS FROM A DIGITAL FOOTPRINT. BY DEFINITION OF LEADERSHIP, A COUNTRY SHOULD HAVE A DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AGENDA.
HAVING LEADERSHIP THAT CAN ARTICULATE WHAT AI WILL DO FOR A COMPANY MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE. LEADERSHIP ON AI I THINK DRIVES BEHAVIOR. BY DOING SO, MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY FIND OUT THAT OF ALL OF THE THINGS AND EXPERIENCES THEY HAVE, IT IS ALREADY AUGMENTING DAILY LIFE. ON THE PRIVATE PERSONAL SIDE AS MUCH AS IN BUSINESS. THE NEXT STEP HAS ALWAYS BEEN FOR ME THAT PEOPLE START HAVING BOARD MEETINGS BASED ON DATA AND NOT BASED ON PRESENTATIONS. SO WHEN YOU START HAVING EXECUTIVES LOOKING AT DATA WHICH IS REAL-TIME PULLED, WHICH IS REASONABLY DONE, AT THE MOMENT THEY HAVE THE DATA, THEY SAY WHAT MORE CAN YOU GET OUT OF IT? HOW CAN YOU USE IT BETTER? THAT HAS BEEN TO ME ALWAYS THE BEST WAYS TO ACCELERATE. AND BUILD GROUPS OF KNOWLEDGE. INVEST IN SKILL SET OF PEOPLE. DO RESEARCH WORK. ON THE PRODUCTION SIDE, PEOPLE WHO AUGMENT VIDEO TECHNOLOGY, JUST BUILDING GROUPS OF KNOWLEDGE AND DATA-DRIVEN SKILLS, THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS. FROM THERE ONWARDS, I WOULD SAY THAT ALL COMPANIES I HAVE OBSERVED IT, IT IS JUST A SELF-FULFILLING PROCESS OF GROWTH AND INTEREST AND MORE DEPTH WHERE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO USE THE TECHNOLOGY FOR THEIR OWN BENEFIT AND BRINGING PEOPLE AND TECHNOLOGY TOGETHER.
AZEEM: WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PEOPLE AND TECHNOLOGY, THAT TAKES US TO THE QUESTION OF CULTURE. WE DO JUST HAVE FIVE MINUTES LEFT TO ASK ABOUT THIS, EXPLORE THIS QUESTION OF CULTURE. I AM CURIOUS IN PARTICULAR ABOUT THE DISTINCTION OF WHETHER THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAS TO BE DRIVEN FROM THE TOP DOWN, WHETHER IT CAN HAPPEN FROM THE BOTTOM UP, AND WHAT ARE THE KEY ELEMENTS OF CULTURAL HYGIENE THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR SUCCESSFUL AI IN SKILLING INITIATIVES. I AM COGNIZANT THAT OUR ATTENDEES ARE APPROACHING THE TOP OF THE HOUR. IF YOU COULD EACH TRY TO ANSWER THIS WITHIN A MINUTE SO WE GET A MOMENT TO SUMMARIZE, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. I WILL ASK JARNO TO START ON THAT QUESTION. THANK YOU.
JARNO: I THINK, LIKE, IN TERMS OF CULTURE, LIKE FOR MACHINES WITH LEARNING, YOU NEED TO BRING THE VALUE FOR THE SORT OF CXO LEVEL, THE SORT OF BOTTOM LEVEL WHERE YOU WANT TO APPLY THAT CHANGE. LIKE IF YOU START AN ENDEAVOR TO DO SOMETHING FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE, YOU NEED TO START WHERE YOU KNOW THE BUSINESS PROBLEM, BUT YOU NEED TO START WITH A CULTURAL APPROACH THAT TAKES THE CUSTOMER SERVICE LIKE REALLY INTO THE LOOP OF DEVELOPING THE ENTIRE SYSTEM AND DOES THAT WITH THAT HUMAN INTELLECT, REALLY HEAVILY ENTWINED WITH WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH WITH TECHNOLOGY. SO I THINK A LOT OF IT BOILS DOWN TO JUST HOW CAN YOU BUILD THAT TYPE OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGY TO A COMPANY WITH PROJECTS THAT ARE LED AND SORT OF MANAGED FROM THE SORT OF END USER AND FROM THE END USER EXPERIENCE ONWARDS. I THINK THAT WILL LEAD TO A LOT OF SUCCESS.
AZEEM: THANK YOU. WE WILL GO OVER TO SIMON ON THIS, WHICH IS WHAT ROLE DOES COMPANY CULTURE PLAY IN A SUCCESSFUL AI AND SKILLING INITIATIVE? YOU HAVE JUST ONE MINUTE.
SIMON: TOP-DOWN SUPPORT HELPS GET THINGS DONE, BUT WHATEVER YOU DO, FACILITATE THE COALESCING OF LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE TOGETHER. THAT IS THE FIRST POINT. IT DOESN’T MATTER WHERE THEY ARE FROM, JUST GIVE THEM THE PLATFORM OR A WAY OF COALESCING TOGETHER. YOU GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY WITH THE TOOLS AND THE ARTIFACTS AND LET THEM EXPLORE. WE LEARN THROUGH PLAYING THAT THAT IS THE BEST WAY TO GROW AND DEVELOP OUR SKILLS. SHOW A BIT OF EMPATHY TOWARD THEM. THEY ARE LEARNING SOMETHING NEW, PLAYING WITH SOMETHING NEW, PROBABLY ON THEIR OWN TIME, TOO. INCUBATE, EXPAND, AND THEN YOU CAN DEPLOY.
AZEEM: I LOVE THAT. THAT’S GREAT. JONATHAN, YOUR PERSPECTIVE. 45 SECONDS IS NOW YOUR ALLOCATED SLOT.
JONATHAN: ENABLING, ENABLING, ENABLING. ENABLING YOUR CUSTOMER, ENABLING YOUR TEAM. ENABLING FROM A CEILING POINT OF VIEW. LET THEM READ PAPERS, LET THEM CONNECT THE DOTS IN A CREATIVE WAY. DRAW OUTSIDE OF THE BOX. DO NOT BE TOO SCHEMATIC. THAT THEY PLAY AROUND. AS SIMON SAYS, IT IS IMPORTANT NOT TO TRY TO MANAGE IT. THESE SMART PEOPLE, THEY CAN MANAGE THEMSELVES. IT IS A BIT LIKE ANARCHY IN A GOOD WAY. YOU NEED TO HAVE IT WORK AT GRASSROOTS, YOU NEED TO ENABLE IT. GIVE THEM THE TOOLS THEY NEED, THE GPU, A LAPTOP, AND OFF THEY GO.
AZEEM: “ANARCHY BUT IN A GOOD WAY.” RALPH, WHAT ROLE DOES CULTURE PLAY IN AI AND SKILLING INITIATIVES?
RALPH: ESTABLISH A FRAMEWORK, ESTABLISH A FRAMEWORK OF LEARNING, AND MAKE SURE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND IT IS A TECHNICAL ENVIRONMENT. BUT IT IS NOTHING WHICH IS LIMITED TO PEOPLE WITH A TECHNICAL BACKGROUND. SO EVERYBODY IN THE CONTEXT OF AI WITH TOOLS AND THE WAY THAT STUFF IS DONE AND ACTUALLY BENEFIT BY USING SMALL BITS AND PIECES AND JUST GET INTO IT, AND IT MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE FOR THE WHOLE ORGANIZATION OF THE COMPANY.
AZEEM: RALPH, THANK YOU FOR THAT, AND THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE PANELISTS. IT IS AN INCREDIBLY RICH DISCUSSION. I HOPE THIS IS BEING RECORDED AND PEOPLE GET A CHANCE TO WATCH IT AGAIN BECAUSE THERE IS SO MUCH NUANCE AND INSIGHT THAT HAS BEEN BROUGHT UP TODAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO JARNO, TO SIMON, JONATHAN, AND FINALLY TO RALPH.
While all motorsports events are currently on hold due to the pandemic, here is a look at the innovation that usually takes place behind the scenes.
On a normal Friday afternoon on the race track, pre-pandemic, practice laps would just be finishing. The driver gets out of the car and removes his helmet and gloves. Now it’s time for the engineering team. They all have the same goal in mind: optimizing lap time.
A split second can change everything in racing and teams in many of the world’s leading series, like Formula 1 or NASCAR, depend on the simulation tool Vehicle Simulation Model (VSM) from AVL to help achieve better lap times. AVL is based in the Styrian province of Austria, with head office in Graz and others in local innovation centers. It is a global market leader, known for developing VSM, a fully responsive application for vehicle dynamics simulation that is designed especially for racing.
The company has created VSM and several other racing solutions under its global brand AVL RACING. In the highly dynamic and competitive racing environment, innovation is highly prized. Customized projects range from simulation inquiries, to realistic test procedures and support directly at the racetrack. This means that AVL RACING is involved throughout the customer development cycle in its role as an integrated and neutral partner. The experience gained is also be used for developing future mobility solutions.
When it comes to executing its solutions, AVL places their trust in Microsoft as a strong and safe cloud partner. Since VSM has been running on Microsoft Azure Cloud, it has been able to offer its customers even more simulations in an even shorter time span. This unbelievable computing power combined with the HP of the racing car makes an unbeatable team.
“In motorsports, hundredths of seconds can decide between victory and defeat“, Michael Peinsitt, Skill Team Leader RACING at AVL, summarizes.
With our simulation tool VSM and the power, reliability and speed of Microsoft Azure, we enable our customers to squeeze out exactly those decisive hundredths.
100,000 rounds ahead: using the data cloud to get to pole position
Speed is essential not only on the racetrack. Between practice sessions, there is little time for adjusting screws. Better results on the racetrack can also be achieved by making changes in driving style, the vehicle or the strategy. Possibilities multiply depending on how the parameters are combined and engineers have very little time to decide which modifications to make on the racing car.
This is exactly the situation that the simulation engineers have used VSM to prepare for. Thousands of options have been simulated ahead of time using the Azure Cloud solution from Microsoft, and they can be used for comparison with the actual data from the racing car. This advancement is clearly visible: a few years ago, only about 5,000 laps could be analyzed. With today’s technology, around 100,000 laps can be covered through simulation. That equates to a computing performance of 10,000 computers available to the engineer.
Based on driver feedback, data from the car, and simulation data, the engineer can decide on appropriate changes. But these need to be checked through many simulations and time is of the essence. The computing power that is necessary for this analysis comes directly to the racetrack from the Microsoft Azure Cloud. Within less than 40 minutes, the results are there.
“Our businesses have more in common than you can see at first glance. Powerful speed is complemented by the highest possible security measures, both in the race and in the cloud simulation,” says Hermann Erlach, Chief Operating Officer at Microsoft Austria about the cooperation with AVL. He continues:
Flexibility and the ability to respond to the most diverse conditions is a prerequisite.The individual customization options offered by Microsoft Azure ensure the decisive added value for AVL. An added value that they can pass on to their customers with the Vehicle Simulation Model.
Dynamic vehicle simulation as a decisive factor
How fast can the vehicle corner when the (simulation) driver does everything right? How do the tyres respond to changed conditions, for instance, when there is rain on the racetrack? Many factors come into play in racing. With VSM, the entire vehicle, including the driver and the racetrack, are simulated and analyzed in real time.
Microsoft Azure provides an environment that significantly eases the secure networking of systems and makes fast and direct access to tables and databases possible. This allows a particularly clear presentation of the VSM simulation results, a big advantage of this simulation tool chain. Finished frameworks support in distributing the simulations. Meta services such as artificial intelligence (AI) contribute to the computing performance.
“It feels especially great to hear that a victory was achieved because our simulation tool was able to simulate 50,000 laps in the Microsoft Azure Cloud,” says Peinsitt. At the end, it’s the hundredth of a second that leads to victory. And AVL is just as excited as its customers and their teams.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is providing breakthrough value to businesses across every vertical, from manufacturing, to energy, to agriculture, to real estate, to healthcare and more. IoT provides real-time insights into assets, enabling businesses to reduce operational expenses, unplanned downtime and unnecessary servicing.
While the benefits of IoT are well established and significant, one of the biggest hurdles for customers is securing IoT devices – both for new digitization initiatives as well as for legacy Operational Technology and industrial control system environments. Two years ago, Microsoft announced a $5 billion investment in IoT to further our commitment to build a trusted, easy-to-use platform for our customers and partners to build connected solutions – no matter where they are starting in their IoT journey.
Microsoft already provides multi-layer IoT security and IoT security monitoring in Azure, which is being used by thousands of customers in production and has made securely configuring IoT devices possible. And while securely configuring IoT devices is possible, our mission is to simplify IoT and make securing IoT devices easy.
Yet there are still challenges customers have that we seek to solve:
Giving customers visibility into what IoT devices are already connected to their networks.
Managing the security on existing IoT devices (referred to as “brownfield devices”) that have been historically difficult due to a myriad of custom protocols.
Today we are excited to share that Microsoft is acquiring CyberX to help solve these challenges. CyberX will complement the existing Azure IoT security capabilities, and extends to existing devices including those used in industrial IoT, Operational Technology and infrastructure scenarios. With CyberX, customers can discover their existing IoT assets, and both manage and improve the security posture of those devices. With CyberX, customers can see a digital map of thousands of devices across a factory floor or within a building and gather information about their asset profile and vulnerabilities. Gaining this visibility is not only critical for understanding where security risks may exist and then mitigating those risks, but it is also a fundamental step to securely enable smart manufacturing, smart grid and other digitization use cases across production facilities and the supply chain.
And while Microsoft is adding CyberX to our security capabilities, our partnerships with the broad set of security providers in the ecosystem is more important than ever, with many of them providing on-the-ground expertise and integration services.
We will continue to deliver more value to our customers as CyberX is further integrated with Microsoft’s broad portfolio of IoT security offerings in threat protection that span users, endpoints, applications, data and more. For example, in conjunction with Azure Sentinel, Microsoft’s cloud-native, next-generation security information and event management (SIEM)/security orchestration, automation and response (SOAR) with built-in IoT security workload, SecOps personnel will be able to identify threats that span Operational Technology- and IT-converged networks that were previously challenging to detect.
We know that customers need help improving the security of their existing IoT environment. CyberX’s technology and team will be an incredible addition to Microsoft in our commitment to both IoT security and innovation as you work to digitally transform your business. For more information about CyberX, you can view the CyberX listing in the Azure Marketplace, check out their website, or request a demo here.
I work in tech. I am a mother. I am a manager. I am a wife. I am a colleague. I am a sister. I am a friend. I am an ally.
Like you, I am many things. The reality of today is that we ALL are many things at once. Since Covid-19, my daily journey of managing, parenting, working, chauffeuring, cooking, and planning has become even more chaotic. I have even taken on a few new roles, such as teacher, mentor, and activist.
In all this chaos, what I have learned is how important it is, now more than ever, to stay connected with those who matter most. This need to connect, collaborate, and jointly organize our lives is why we expanded Microsoft Teams beyond work groups. In March, we announced new features in Teams on mobile (iOS and Android apps) designed to bring you closer to your friends and family. The new features start to roll out in preview to the Teams mobile app today and will be fully rolled out in the coming weeks.
At work, every day more people love what Teams does for them because it is the hub for teamwork that lets you chat, meet, call, and collaborate all in one place. While Teams is great for work, we believe it can help everyone better manage their responsibilities across both work and life.
Today, people use multiple apps and disconnected tools – both online and offline – such as calendars, email, messaging, photo apps, to-do lists, and documents to manage it all. I personally have to swap through at least three different apps to coordinate, communicate, and set up my family virtual get-togethers and can’t keep track of which of my groups use what video calling app. I have our family grocery list in a different place than my to-do list, and in a different place than our family chore list. It’s maddening to keep it all organized. And don’t even get me started on the various calendars I have to stay on top of, from kid’s clubs, soccer games and karate practices to my virtual happy hours and birthday parties.
With the new features, we hope to extend the power of Teams beyond work scenarios to your personal life. Whether you’re a busy parent managing daily family life or just trying to stay connected and in sync with those who matter most, the new features are designed to alleviate the need for disparate tools and instead offer one central hub for individuals, groups, and families to collaborate and stay connected and organized.
You can get started with these new preview features in two ways.
If you currently use the Teams mobile app at work, simply click into settings, and select Add an account. You can then sign in with your personal Microsoft account, or create a new one with your phone number. Through settings, you will then be able to toggle between your personal and work accounts.
If you don’t use Teams yet, visit the app store on your iOS or Android to download the mobile app and sign up with a personal Microsoft account, or create a new one with your phone number.
Once you’re signed up, start inviting friends and family and creating your groups!
Here’s a look at some of my favorite features you should try in the preview:
Stay connected with text, chat, and video calling
Just like you do with Teams at work, you can stay connected with friends and loved ones through messaging and video calling. Create groups to chat and call, so you can stay connected with your family, your book club, your virtual Friday happy hour group, or whoever your group may be. You can also chat or call one-on-one. Our goal is that Teams will become the messaging hub for all your personal chats and video and voice calls, with fun features like sharing GIFs, photos, videos, documents, and even location already integrated.
Keep everyone on the same page and pick up where you left off
Teams is more than just a chat and calling app. Once you create your groups or one-on-one chats, you will be able to stay organized by sharing lists, documents, and calendars all within the group dashboard. You can share the reading list and schedule the next virtual meet-up with your book club group or stay on top of grocery lists and assign chores in your family group. (My wife and kids love assigning tasks to me!) You can then easily go back and see the chats, tasks, pictures, videos, and group calendars you have shared within your dashboard. It is a great way to pick up conversations or projects where they left off.
Collaborate and share important documents efficiently and securely
Teams integrates with your other Microsoft 365 apps so you can easily share from Word, Excel, and PowerPoint right from within the Teams app, whether you’re planning your family budget, or like me, trying to prepare your kids’ summer schedules (if we get a summer). And because they’re stored in OneDrive, you can access these documents across other devices if you’re away from your phone.
Easily share location and information
Location sharing* is available as part of these new personal features as well. You can let your loved ones know you’re running late, or that you’re still at the grocery store and can get extra milk, with easy location sharing. While it might be a while before we’re getting together in person, Teams location sharing will make it easy to share your location and find your friends for that park picnic—or in the crowd at a concert.
Teams also comes with a Safe, which lets you securely store and share important information, like passwords, rewards numbers, or login information. You can easily share right from the Teams app so your whole family has easy access to the home Wi-Fi password or your streaming service login, all backed by the security of two-factor authentication and end-to-end encryption.
The team is excited to take this next step with Teams and extend the value of Teams at work to your whole life. We want your input on this journey, so we’re releasing these features in mobile preview to get feedback on how you want to connect and organize across your life. As we roll out the preview over the coming weeks, we look forward to collecting your feedback to help us evolve and improve the experience over time. General availability of the new features, as well as expanding features to the desktop and web versions of Teams, is expected later this year.
Microsoft Teams
The power to organize and connect with family and friends, all in one app.
Today’s sunny morning in Seattle brightened even further with the good news from the United States Supreme Court that restores legal protection for nearly 700,000 Dreamers, including more than 60 Microsoft employees. It was on their behalf that, in 2017, Microsoft filed a lawsuit with Princeton University and a Princeton student, Maria Perales Sanchez, to object to the rescission of theDeferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. We acted quickly because we saw firsthand this issue’s importance to the nation’s talented Dreamers and DACA’s critical benefits for every part of the American economy.
Little did we know in 2017 that this case would bring Microsoft to the steps of the Supreme Court for the fifth time in a little more than a decade. This has been a good week at the Supreme Courtfor the rights of people who live in the United States. As a company that has brought a wide range of important issues before the court, we constantly appreciate the hard work that takes place within its four walls.Today’s decision marks an important milestone, and we’re gratified that the court once again has provided a thoughtful and fair outcome to a complicated legal issue.
We also appreciate that today’s decision, while critical, is but one more step in a long and winding road. The DACA debate will continue, and the big question now is what comes next.
Our plea is for a national discussion that involves more light and less heat. A path that starts with a recognition of the Dreamers’ collective importance to our country. A conversation that brings people together in a bipartisan spirit in a creative search for common ground. A discussion that encourages the White House and Congress to work together. An approach that gives people the time and space to be thoughtful. A route that avoids precipitating another crisis in a year that has already had more than its share.
Some may suggest that this path sounds more like a dream itself. But it’s what the nation and our economy need.
Consider this: While Microsoft was the only company in the country to file a lawsuit to contest DACA’s rescission, when the case reached the Supreme Court, we were no longer alone. By last year, 145 businesses signed amicus briefs supporting DACA. And the business community was joined by an even broader group that included 210 educational institutions, 129 religious organizations and 109 municipalities. All of us stood together to underscore the Dreamers’ talent and importance to the economy and the country.
And that was before anyone had heard of COVID-19.
The past few months have provided even more dramatic evidence of the role that DACA registrants play in our country. More than 30,000 of them work in the healthcare space alone. They are nurses, lab technicians and respiratory therapistswho serve Americans from all backgrounds as our country responds to a pandemic that is unique in our lifetimes. Another 200,000 Dreamers provide other essential services, working in pharmacies and grocery stores and delivering vital goods to our front doors. In the middle of a pandemic, any step that puts Dreamers at risk can put all of us at risk.
We filed this lawsuit because we believed at Microsoft that it was important to stand up for our employees. To make clear that we had their backs. But along the way, we’ve come to appreciate even more clearly how important the Dreamers are for all of us.
The summer of 2020 comes in a year of crisis, but it provides a potential inflection point for the nation’s future. As we’ve seen in recent weeks, it’s a time to reflect on and recommit ourselves to racial equity and justice, especially for the country’s African American and Black populations. It’s a time that calls for thoughtful action to protect the rights of people in a fair manner. It’s a discussion that needs to bring people together, while making room for the nation’s Dreamers.
In recent months, we’ve worked closely with political campaigns and parties who are protected by our AccountGuard threat notification service and conducted hundreds of security trainings ahead of the 2020 elections. We’ve heard one repeated request throughout these engagements: Those involved in the democratic process want more protection for what we call identity management, or the ability for their staff to securely log into their accounts and access their email and files while preventing unwanted intrusions. Greater security in this area would help prevent the “hack-and-leak” scenario where cybercriminals or foreign governments steal a campaign official’s emails and release them online.
Starting today, we’re bringing Microsoft’s enterprise-grade identity and access management protections to AccountGuard members in the U.S. at no cost to further help secure them ahead of the 2020 elections. We’re also announcing a new partnership with Yubico to provide phishing-resistant security keys to AccountGuard customers. For political campaigns and committees, these services will be offered through Defending Digital Campaigns, a non-profit and non-partisan organization that has been authorized by the Federal Elections Commission to provide campaigns with free or low-cost technology from a variety of companies. Our Defending Democracy Program will also work directly with democracy-focused non-profit organizations and think tanks enrolled in AccountGuard to help them use these protections.
There are a range of identity and access management protections we’ll offer as part of this, but five examples, which we believe are protections that benefit all campaigns, include:
Multi-factor authentication: While all Microsoft business and consumer email services support multi-factor authentication, what we’re announcing today contains extra protection against phishing for those using this important feature. Customers can now use the Authenticator app on their phones or hardware keys from Yubico as another factor for identity protection.
Single sign-on: This feature enables one set of credentials to be used securely across hundreds of cloud apps, making it easier for a staffer or campaign official to access the apps they need with a high level of security but also more quickly and easily.
Conditional access policies: This is the ability for a campaign to help ensure only the right people are logging into their network by setting conditions such as the behavior people can use to navigate to their accounts, where they are physically located, what kinds of devices they might be using and what applications they might be using.
Privileged identity management (PIM): This includes security features enabling campaigns to manage, control and monitor access to important resources in the organization. PIM will provide time-based and approval-based authorization to access certain resources and lessen the risk of excessive, unnecessary and misused access permissions to sensitive resources.
Access governance: Campaigns have vendors, staffers and volunteers who come and go, and this set of features helps automatically terminate access when they depart an organization or complete a project, shrinking the number of entry points for a hacker.
Our new partnership with Yubico, the recognized industry leader in physical security keys, will provide YubiKeys to AccountGuard customers for defense against phishing and other cyberattacks. Yubico will provide 10 YubiKey 5 Series security keys, to be used on compatible computers or phones, to any AccountGuard-covered organizations for free, for a limited time, plus up to an additional 40 keys at a 50% discount.
We know that many political campaigns do not have dedicated IT support staff, and today’s news comes with hands-on help for those that need it. Deployment assistance for the technologies in today’s news will be provided to AccountGuard customers as an included benefit through our FastTrack program or through our FastTrack-ready partners. A dedicated team of deployment engineers will be available to help provide remote assistance and guidance, and Microsoft partner Patriot Consulting Technology Group will offer additional onboarding support, integration and trainings.
Any AccountGuard-eligible customer can learn more about enrolling in AccountGuard or taking advantage of the tools announced today by contacting AccountGuard@microsoft.com. While we’re offering this to U.S.-based AccountGuard customers ahead of the 2020 U.S. election, we will explore offering it in other geographies in the future.
