The Real AI Crisis

Some thought leaders, such as Elon Musk and the late Stephen Hawking, have repeatedly warned about the potential danger of artificial intelligence and expressed fear that AI may annihilate humans someday. Such fear has not been shared by the vast majority of computer scientists and data scientists, who consider the hyped drama of "man vs. machine" a distraction that is grounded in an intriguing but misguided fiction. Meanwhile, a true AI crisis is upon us now, and is having a huge impact on the business world. As much as enterprises are eager to embrace AI to innovate products, transform business, reduce costs, and improve competitive advantages, they find it very difficult to productionize AI and realize its full benefits, due to the time, budget, and skills required. As a result, the rate of AI adoption has significantly lagged the level of interest, particularly for small- and medium-sized enterprises, which are more resource-constrained.