How artificial intelligence can teach us about humans

Fully understanding consumer behaviour can be very challenging for marketers. In light of recent high-profile cases of personal data misuse, customers have been increasingly sceptical about giving up their personal data, preferring to share content privately through messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Snapchat or Messenger. At the same time, GDPR regulations mean businesses are unable to use vast quantities of data they collect on customers without their express permission. This means that, rather than offering personalisation, marketers have to rely on creating "personas" – types of customers they can target who don't require personally identifiable information. Coupled with this, they are increasingly turning to the latest augmented or artificial intelligence technologies to build a better picture of consumers and how they are likely to behave in their decision making. One company at the forefront of the AI revolution, IBM, has reinvented its offerings over the course of a century.