A new global study finds that while the use of artificial intelligence (AI) is low today, it is expected to create increased revenue, productivity, profitability and shareholder value for businesses within two years. Overall, only 16 percent of business leaders surveyed perceive they are currently garnering significant value from advanced AI. However, AI programs are being fast-tracked and that number is expected to more than triple to 52 percent within the next two years. This is according to a new report, "Competing in the Cognitive Age: How companies will transform their businesses and drive value through advanced AI," by global consulting firm Protiviti in collaboration with ESI ThoughtLab. To understand how companies will transform their businesses through applications of advanced AI technologies and the benefits they expect to gain, Protiviti and ESI ThoughtLab conducted a global survey of 300 senior executives across functions, industries and company sizes in the third quarter of 2018.

Accenture has purchased a minority stake in artificial intelligence-based data analytics platform vendor Splice Machine as part of a broader strategy aimed at bolstering its new data analytics services. Splice Machine is open source and is built upon the popular Apache Hadoop, HBase, and Spark distributed platforms. Moreover, its solutions can be deployed on-premise or as a fully managed cloud service. Accenture already has a relationship with the San Francisco-based company. Last year, Accenture integrated Splice Machine's intelligent application platform into its analytics-as-a-service solution.

Futurism has always fascinated me. When I was young, I would pore through science-fiction novels and dream about how far-flung technologies could improve our lives. As an adult now working in tech, I've been able to explore what the world's leading minds believe the coming decades will encompass. To my delight, it appears the real world is finally catching up to the sci-fi fantasy. Robots, autonomous vehicles and smart machines are ubiquitous in classic science fiction.

One of the latest advancements for business development tools is the advent of augmented analytics. As per a report from Deloitte "Augmented analytics marks the next wave of disruption in the data analytics market". It is an approach that automates insights using machine learning and natural language generation. Gartner predicts "by 2020, more than 40% of data science tasks will be automated", resulting in increased productivity and broader use by data scientists. According to Accenture, "1 out of 3 insurers globally now uses Big Data from IoT technologies, such as Fitbit, Samsung Gear or Apple watch to collect lifestyle data from insureds". Augmented Analytics will help reap business value from those data by automating Big Data insights.

Most executives know that artificial intelligence (AI) has the power to change almost everything about the way they do business--and could contribute up to $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030. But what many business leaders don't know is how to deploy AI, not just in a pilot here or there, but throughout the organization, where it can create maximum value. The "how" is the sticking point with any emerging technology, and AI is no exception. How do you define your AI strategy? How do you find AI-literate workers or train existing staff?

AI is certainly being used to attempt to solve many of the world's big problems, such as health treatment, societal security, and the water shortage crisis. But Everest Group research suggests that 53 percent of enterprises do not – or are not able to – differentiate between AI and intelligent automation and what they can do to help them compete and grow. This trivialization of AI is both eye opening and frustrating. While it's true that automation of back-office services is one strong case for AI adoption, there are many more that can deliver considerable value to enterprises. Examples we've researched and written about in the past year include intelligent architecture, front-to-back office transformation, talent strategies, and AI in SDLC.

Most of what's out there is either too fluffy or too mathy, either too general or too focused on specific applications, too disconnected from business outcomes and metrics, and too undirected. Jerry Hartanto leads the AI and Self-Service BI Practice at Trace3, a technology solution provider with growing consulting practices including data intelligence, cloud solutions, cyber analytics, devops, and data center solutions. Hartanto's background is in management consulting, corporate/business strategy, marketing and sales, operations and process improvement, and product development and engineering. He has a BS in Electrical Engineering from McGill University, an MS is Electrical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, and an MBA from the University of Michigan. He can be reached at jhartanto@trace3.com.

WINTER PARK, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 20, 2019--COPC Inc., a global consulting firm that helps companies improve operations to transform the customer experience, and Execs In The Know, a global community of customer experience professionals, have announced the release of the 2018 Corporate Edition of the Customer Experience Management Benchmark (CXMB) Series. The report, The CX Journey: Understanding Corporate Strategies and Best Practices, provides customer experience management insights from the corporate perspective. A key finding is that since 2017, companies have dramatically increased their use of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered solutions for customer service. "Our new corporate report shows that companies see tremendous potential in AI-powered solutions for customer care, both in applications that are customer-facing and in those that assist call center agents with their work. However, we also know from previous research that customers want a quick and easy way out of any AI-powered solution to reach a live person. Our findings overwhelmingly show that companies are keenly aware of this necessity in any customer-facing application. And while customers still want that personal interaction, we think that AI-powered solutions will find their appropriate place in the service journey," said Kyle Kennedy, president and chief operating officer, COPC Inc.

Freelancers are definitely having a moment. It's expected that by 2027 freelancers will make-up over 50 percent of the American workforce. At the same time, technology is also disrupting the landscape of work. Can you think of any industry that's not being impacted by technology like artificial intelligence? I mean why spend a ton of money on a writer when you can have a robot do it for you?