Could AI Be a Game-Changer for SMBs? Posted on : Jun 25 - 2017

Artificial intelligence is within reach of small businesses. Should you be grabbing the opportunity?

Not too long ago, it was the stuff of scary science fiction, but today artificial intelligence--AI--is fast becoming a useful and accessible technology. It's still in its early stages, so larger organizations with significant IT budgets have been the early adopters. But affordable "pre-trained" generic services that use third-party data and are suitable for small and medium-sized businesses are already emerging.

AI in plain English

"Artificial intelligence is about computers behaving in a way that we would call intelligent in humans. Today, machine learning is the leading route towards that goal," says Markus Noga, head of machine learning at SAP. Machine learning refers to the use of algorithms that can learn from experience without having to be explicitly programmed by human beings. Experience, for a computer, comes from data.

The availability of Big Data, improved processing power and better algorithms are the foundation of AI. They are the reasons why machine learning will take enterprise software to a new level, Noga says.

Deep learning leads to better performance

Deep learning is another term for the core process behind AI. The AI algorithm changes as it is exposed to more and more data, and its performance improves continuously. "These algorithms have the ability to alter themselves and how they work," explains Chris Nicholson, CEO of Skymind, the developer of a widely used deep learning tool for Java. "You show them data, and they learn how to classify or group or make predictions about that data."

The arc of continuous improvement is important. It results in better outcomes and higher accuracy, which expands the range of tasks AI can perform reliably. For example, some types of sensory data, such as raw images and raw sound, are very disorganized and organic. But AI has advanced to the point where it can analyze such data and make predictions and decisions about it, Nicholson says. View More