Artificial Intelligence: The simplest way
The following is an extract from "Artificial Intelligence," Jerry Overton, O'Reilly Media, August 2018.
Introduction: A simple vision for artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is when a machine performs a task that human beings find interesting, useful, and difficult to do. The current wave of AI works by using computer models to simulate intelligent behavior. AI can drive economic growth by automating the workforce, improving efficiency, and becoming a source of product or service innovation.
The potential of AI varies by country depending on factors like the flow of information, communication infrastructure, regulatory frameworks, and public and private investment in the digital economy. The potential of AI varies by industry, depending on factors like the adoption rate of AI and the industry’s investment in AI. Overall, however, AI has the potential to increase economic growth rates and boost profitability for much of the world’s economy.
Every business needs an AI strategy to adapt and stay competitive. Getting access to AI technology is relatively straightforward. The difficult part is applying the technology to a specific business con‐ text. In this report, we introduce you to the simplest way to actively engage in applying AI. We help you put your organization on the path to a viable, effective use of AI. It covers ways to do the following:
- Collect the data needed for AI
- Choose an AI strategy that produces useful results
- Scale up to make AI available wherever it is useful
- Check for bias and other ethical concerns
About the author
Jerry Overton is a data scientist in DXC Technology’s Analytics group and a DXC Fellow. He is the global lead for DXC's Applied Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence. An author, inventor and instructor, Jerry blogs at Doing Data Science, where he shares his experiences leading artificial intelligence (AI) innovation. Jerry is vice chair of The Scott-Morgan Foundation, whose mission is to promote the ethical use of AI and robotics to enhance people’s lives and society.