Transforming business through artificial intelligence

IN A 2016 survey commissioned by software giant Microsoft, the company discovered that business leaders in Singapore are showing urgency in embracing the "Fourth Industrial Revolution", defined as the use of technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), advanced data analytics, and mixed reality, all powered by cloud computing. Three quarters of business leaders believe that they need to transform to a digital business to enable future growth. In just a few short years, both artificial intelligence and machine learning have become more efficient and accessible by more people. Jordi Ribas, Microsoft's corporate vice president in charge of AI products, said when people think of AI, they often think of high-tech, visible products like robots or AI-powered vehicles. What many people don't realise, Mr Ribas said, is that AI also is having a tangible impact on most people's lives through products like search or Microsoft's Office 365 productivity suite of apps.