Navigating the big pivot from IoT to AI-driven analytics

If you've worked in industry for any length of time, you've experienced wave after wave of digital technologies washing over the plant floor, from robots to tablets. The next decade will see a new technological wave breaking over the landscape, as artificial intelligence expands from a narrow set of tasks to far more sophisticated applications that transform industry. Many companies know that the wave is coming, and are starting to think about how it will impact operations, workforce development, and their ability to compete in the marketplace. According to Gartner, by 2021 artificial intelligence will create nearly $3 trillion in business value. One can point to a number of factors, including AI's progression from simple, pre-programmed routines to advanced machine learning algorithms, as well as the introduction of AI platforms and service offerings that ease the design and deployment of new applications. But when it comes to manufacturing, there's another factor that comes into play: The rise of the industrial Internet of Things.