Welcome to episode 47 of AI in Action Ireland, the podcast that breaks down the hype and explores the impact that Data Science, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence are making on our everyday lives. In the run-up to the 2019 AI Awards, our goal is to share with you the insights of this year's sponsors to showcase the excellent work that is been done within AI in Ireland. Today's guest is Wayne Butterfield, Director of Cognitive Automation & Innovation at ISG. Wayne is responsible for helping organisations leverage Automation Technologies, such as RPA, NLP, OCR and Virtual Agents to create efficiency and improve the customer/employee experience. Approaching upwards of 40 engagements, as either a practitioner or consultant in the automation space, Wayne has an abundance of experience in everything from opportunity reviews, governing automation programs, automation strategy and running automation CoE's. We are delighted to have ISG on board for the 2019 AI Awards as they are sponsoring our brand new category for Intelligent Automation – Best Use of RPA & Cognitive, with the winner set to be revealed at next month's Awards Ceremony on 20 November at the Gibson Hotel.

While buzzwords such as predictive maintenance, artificial intelligence, digital twin and augmented reality have promised to enable the fabled digital transformation of manufacturing, when it comes to Industry 4.0, most practical applications start and end with machine connectivity. And when it comes to driving value, look no further than answering these questions; "What's happening?" Simply put, most manufacturers are unable to see what's actually happening on the shop floor in real time because their machines are not connected to any sort of data collection or data visualization system. This inability to both see and use data to drive continuous improvement leads to massive inefficiencies that affect every component of a company's operations, from the shop floor all the way to the C-Suite. That said, as the excitement around the opportunity presented by AI continues to grow, we conducted an interview with our very own Lou Zhang, Chief Data Scientist at MachineMetrics, so he could give us his perspective on where AI lands within the Analytics Journey and its relationship to technologies such as machine monitoring and data collection. How far along is the manufacturing industry as a whole when it comes to taking advantage of AI, for machine monitoring and/or other applications?

IT'S ALMOST A BANALITY nowadays to remark that artificial intelligence (AI) is so deeply embedded in our infrastructure that it's affecting decisions everywhere. But what's not trite is considering exactly how it will change markets, medicine, transportation, military operations, politics, social relations, criminal justice, and the likes of you and me -- which will largely depend on big tech companies like Google, Amazon, Facebook, and the rest. If these behemoths continue to grow by supporting products and services that cause harm, then the most important stories we tell about AI won't be about technology, but about capitalism incapacitating democratic governance. In other words: They will be about the private sector dictating the terms of innovation, including the direction of regulation. While the 25 contributors to Possible Minds: 25 Ways of Looking at AI have lots of smart, multidisciplinary things to say about software and society, they mostly underplay or quickly move past the supersized consequences of supersized corporate ambitions.

The exponential growth in data has proven to be a gamechanger in marketing, especially with the introduction of cognitive computing and AI. IBM Watson is breaking new ground in this area and speaking more on this is Marta McMichael, global director of performance marketing at IBM Watson IoT. With an extensive background in the high-tech industry, Marta has worked in varied roles, including working as a programmer, a consultant and managing large account sales at IBM. It is here at IBM that she discovered her passion for marketing and transitioned into it. In the interview, Marta shares her big career epiphany that helped her refocus on creating value for her clients.

Take advantage of our discount rooms at the conference hotel. We are beginning to announce speakers for 2020. Want to join us as a speaker? Check out our proposals page. Jesse Anderson is a data engineer, creative engineer, and managing director of the Big Data Institute. He works with companies ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies on Big Data. This includes training on cutting edge technologies like Apache Kafka, Apache Hadoop and Apache Spark. He has taught over 30,000 people the skills to become data engineers.

Every week, there are news reports on how AI will impact jobs, but what about the impact of AI on indie authors? Can we surf the change instead of being drowned by it? Could it make our lives better as creative entrepreneurs? I recently did a mega-solo podcast on 9 Ways that Artificial Intelligence Will Disrupt Authors and the Publishing Industry, and in this interview, Orna Ross interviews me about some of the specifics that might impact indie authors, in particular. The interview is on the Alliance of Independent Authors AskAlli Podcast feed. The interview starts after the introduction around 12:25 mins. Links and notes here and you can subscribe below. Click here to watch the interview on YouTube. But today we are going to talk about something that sounds maybe mysterious, sounds maybe scary for a lot of authors. But that you have been investing a lot of time and attention and you're hugely interested in and you're actually making work for you. And that is artificial intelligence. And our theme for today is really how can indie authors harness the power of AI? Where are we with it? What can it do for us? And on all things AI, you are our guru so I'm going to be quizzing you, but first, before we start on what it can do for us, what is it? Explain to the people, what are we talking about when we're talking about artificial intelligence?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the most exciting technologies in the world right now. In particular, it's bringing life to ideas that were once just a figment of Hollywood films. However, it has also created polarised viewpoints. Many AI experts are working towards reaping its full potential, while others worry about creating a Black Mirror-esque reality. Perhaps the best way to meet in the middle is by exploring explainable AI.

Today's leading minds talk AI with host Byron Reese On this Episode of Voices in AI Byron speaks with futurist and CEO of the Millennium Project Jerome Glenn about the direction and perception of AI as well as the driving philosophical questions behind it. Listen to this episode or read the full transcript at www.VoicesinAI.com Byron Reese: This is Voices in AI brought to you by GigaOm, and I'm Byron Reese. Today my guest is Jerome Glenn. He has for 23 years been the Director and CEO of the Millennium Project.

Mary Davies, president of Beanstalk Internet Marketing, is the first recipient of the Search Engine Journal Community Award. Mary received the award last week during the Pubcon Pro conference in Las Vegas. We honored Mary in recognition for all her hard work and contributions to Search Engine Journal over the past year – specifically for her work co-managing the weekly Friday Focus column, which we launched this year. Throughout the year, Mary has generously devoted her free time and put her seemingly tireless energy into this column. She has provided great guidance to all of our authors and has been instrumental in making sure we have a constant stream of high-quality articles every week.

"Talking is just something you do, isn't it?" asks Trevor Cox. "We take chatting for granted, and yet it's such an important part of our lives and such a complicated thing." Cox is a professor of acoustic engineering at the University of Salford and an expert in the science of sound. The Verge spoke to Cox about the history of the human voice, AI, and the strangeness of the inner voice. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.