Time for business to embrace artificial intelligence

Kiwi businesses need to get on board with artificial intelligence - despite mass adoption of the technology being years away. AI is expected to increase productivity and skilled workforce, according to a leading national report commissioned by the AI Forum New Zealand, to be released on May 2. New Zealand AI Forum executive director Ben Reid says artificial intelligence could soon become part of our daily working lives in a similar way as the internet or electricity has. Both of those changes were transformational to the way that the economy and businesses operate," Reid said. "If AI adoption follows a similar pattern to those other major technologies, then it will be a similar number of years in terms of business uptake, so between 20 and 40 years for mass adoption of AI throughout all businesses and all society." AI and machine learning will be front and centre at the next PwC Herald Talks event in Auckland and Wellington.