Cutthroat competition and sky high salaries are just two signs of the considerable lack of available data science talent. Some folks are trying to fill that by putting automated machine learning (AutoML) tools in front of citizen data scientists, but others warn that it could backfire. Gartner is credited with coining the title "citizen data scientist" back in 2016 to refer to data professionals who use advanced software like AutoML packages to develop predictive analytic applications. While citizen data scientists' primary job function typically lies outside statistics and analytics, they're knowledge of the business and access to new tools turns them into "power users" who can tackle simple and moderately sophisticated analytical tasks that would typically have required the services of a full-fledged data scientist. Thanks to unsatisfied demand and better AutoML software, the conditions are ripe for a "perfect storm" for the creation of citizen data scientists, Gartner analyst Carlie Idoine wrote in a May 2018 blog post.

Artificial intelligence is of immense importance to the Czech Republic since it is the future of the Czech industry, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said at a conference on artificial intelligence and ethics organised bz the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague. Mr. Babiš said that the process of robotization, which was already underway, would in time help resolve the ongoing labour shortage which is holding back many Czech companies. He said the Czech Republic was one of the leaders in artificial intelligence and was up to the challenge of hosting a European intelligence centre in Prague. The prime minister added that the idea had received support from the other Visegrad Four states. A final decision is expected at the start of next year and the centre is expected to start operating within a matter of months.

Technical skills that are in the greatest demand today are analytics, user experience, automation, IT architecture and Artificial Intelligence, revealed new research from Infosys on Thursday. Infosys looked at two perspectives on the barriers that prevent sufficient demand-supply match of talent -- tangible and intangible barriers to talent transformation. Among the tangible barriers, lack of budget is the biggest barrier to repurposing efforts, followed by organisational issues, lack of management awareness or support, and inadequate talent management plans. Among the intangible barriers, learnability received short shrift in the research, and it limits the tremendous potential of reskilling as a competitive advantage for companies that embrace learnability. Undervaluing learnability limits the potential of other talent initiatives.

At Starmind, we believe that the combined knowledge and cognitive capabilities of humans far exceed any existing technology's computing power; thus, we developed AI to empower and enhance rather than replace the human mind. Our platform helps expedite people's advancement by exploring undocumented human intelligence and enabling real-time access to skills, knowledge, and solutions within corporations, communities, and, since we like to think of the bigger picture: the world. We are backed by some of the best VC investors in Europe, becoming one of the fastest growing AI companies in Europe; and are rapidly expanding our team with the crème de la crème from Airbnb, Twitter, Salesforce, Zuora and many more. Do you have what it takes to help us shape the future of AI? Watch this video to find out how Starmind works!

At Starmind, we believe that the combined knowledge and cognitive capabilities of humans far exceed any existing technology's computing power; thus, we developed AI to empower and enhance rather than replace the human mind. Our platform helps expedite people's advancement by exploring undocumented human intelligence and enabling real-time access to skills, knowledge, and solutions within corporations, communities, and, since we like to think of the bigger picture: the world. We are backed by some of the best VC investors in Europe, becoming one of the fastest growing AI companies in Europe; and are rapidly expanding our team with the crème de la crème from Airbnb, Twitter, Salesforce, Zuora and many more. Do you have what it takes to help us shape the future of AI? Watch this video to find out how Starmind works!

Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation has granted SEK 96 million to be shared by 16 research projects studying the impact of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems on our society and our behaviour. The 16 projects seek to answer a number of questions relating to ethics, society and behaviour in the technology shift that society is facing. Examples of these questions include: How does the labour market change when robots take over certain jobs? What does the growing use of facial and voice recognition technology entail? How is human behaviour affected by the increasing use of drones?

What if AI could negotiate commercial contracts better than humans? This is the idea that is being tested by Pactum, a startup that has just raised a $1.15m pre-seed round from an impressive roster of Estonian tech luminaries, including Jaan Tallinn, co-founder of Skype and Kazaa, Taavet Hinrikus, co-founder of TransferWise, Ott Kaukver, chief technical officer of Twilio and Sten Tamkivi, general manager at Skype and chief product officer at Topia. Here is the pitch: Fortune 500 companies have collectively some 12m supplier contracts that are unmanaged. They may be too small or numerous for them to be looked at in detail by a human negotiator, so everyone is given a standard contract, take it or leave it. "It is too complicated for humans, if you are marketplace with 3m partners, for example, you can't tailor contracts," says Kaspar Korjus, co-founder and chief product officer at Pactum.

It was a medical scoop for the Benelux countries. Anaesthetists at the UZ Brussels hospital made use of new artificial intelligence (AI) technology during an operation. An algorithm, developed by an American supercomputer, analyses all sorts of parameters and predicts a drop in blood pressure, fifteen minutes before the event possibly occurs. The new technology is a telling example of how artificial intelligence can be a priceless asset in healthcare and medicine. AI might become as significant to the 21st century, as was the Industrial Revolution to the 19th century.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are two of the disruptive forces in the industry today. Being in their early stages, they already have the potential to absolutely change the way business decisions are made in the organization. AI/ML favors companies with significant data stores on historic operations. So, it favors companies with scale and those who have invested in ERP, CRM, MES, Sensor Data, etc. and kept historic data. Very small companies and those that have thrown out historic data will be at a disadvantage." Conversations around Artificial intelligence and Machine Learning began in the 1950s. It was then that people started talking about these technologies academically, in relation to the business and what they could generally mean for the development of computer science. In 2019, AI and ML's all-encompassing presence within the business operations have transformed them from merely a niche solution to a mainstream disruptive force. Anil Arora, Principal Data Scientist, SAS India notes that an explosion of data sources, low costs of computational power and advancements in methods and algorithms are the catalysts that have led to the advancement of AI and ML over the last decade. Artificial intelligence is poised to unleash the next wave of digital disruption, and companies should prepare for it now. AI promises benefits, but also poses urgent challenges that cut across firms, developers, government, and workers. The workforce needs to be reskilled to exploit AI rather than compete with it."

Snowflake Computing, which helps companies move their data onto the cloud, leaped to first place from #20 last year and is currently hiring for positions in engineering and sales. Dosist is the first cannabis-centric company to ever make the Top Startups U.S. list. The company is rapidly growing due to the legalization of recreational marijuana (in 11 U.S. states so far) combined with its high-gloss marketing appeal. Samsara combines the power of hardware (think sensors and cameras) with analytical software to boost efficiency in industries like trucking and food production, and it has 180 open roles across everything from engineering to sales to marketing. DoorDash has doubled its employee base every year in its six-year history, and with its recent acquisition of competitor Caviar, the startup is revving up its growth. Brex, another newcomer to the list, is attempting to reinvent B2B financial services, starting with a first-of-its-kind corporate card for startups based on funding rather than credit history. Good American, a fitness fashion line founded by Khloe Kardashian, marks a shift in the retail landscape with its success as a body-positive company offering an inclusive range of sizes. Robinhood, the only company from 2018 to remain in the top ten, continues to grow by recruiting people who share its vision of democratizing the financial system. Peloton Interactive, another newcomer to the list, is shaking up the fitness industry with its live and recorded classes connected to at-home equipment. Compass has become the country's largest independent real estate brokerage, and it's planning to hire hundreds across its product and engineering teams over the next year to help build its end-to-end platform. Nuro, a robotics company in the race to get self-driving right with its small delivery pods, is expanding across all areas of its business with open roles in marketing, communications, engineering, and human resources. Glossier, the online beauty retailer is known for its millennial pink packaging, generated $100 million in sales last year and is now valued at $1.2 billion. When hiring for one of its 43 open positions, Glossier stresses the importance of transferable skills over beauty industry expertise.