Assembly Line AI Helps Build Products Faster

When one thinks of assembly-line production, a mind likely turns to thoughts of automobile manufacturing and other heavy industrial processes, rather than jumping to artificial intelligence (AI) and apps. But according to recent Wall Street Journal reports, the Mayo Clinic is the most recent organization to use an assembly-line approach to AI development. It is not, of course, an assembly line as it has historically been known. These days, the line workers are small teams working with a common set of software tools and procedures, with an eye toward building out AI applications faster and cheaper by creating a "more consistent process to produce algorithms," according to James Buntrock, vice-chair of the department of information technology at Mayo Clinic. Mayo launched its AI factory last fall and is now gearing up to move into full production, with plans for 60 projects underway.