Over 1,000 attendees, 50 speakers and 30 exhibitors; this is a brief summary of what I was lucky enough to take part in during the first AI Europe 2016 conference held in London on the 5 and 6 December. The attendee list boasted the biggest names from the world of artificial intelligence such as Microsoft, Dell, Uber, Samsung and Nvidia, as well as several innovative start-ups, the likes of Blippar and DreamQuark whose innovations are based on machine or deep learning models. Even if we can say with a degree of certainty that further advances in artificial intelligence are yet to come, leading players are in agreement that most AI techniques and technologies are now well-advanced. Therefore, their major preoccupation today is more about the quality of the data sets being used to train and validate their machine and deep learning models. Whether it's Dell or Uber, Microsoft or Blippar, they all have one thing in common: they all agree on the fact that as of now, the quality of the data used in AI for machine learning is of the utmost importance.

When you think of Artificial Intelligence, you can't help but think of another fantasy land where Ex Machina and The Matrix are taking over the world. Your mind travels to another world, a future that is so far away. In reality, the term "Artificial Intelligence" comprises a vast and diverse ecosystem of technologies that represent very powerful opportunities for your business competitiveness! Experts and professionals all agree: Artificial Intelligence is here to stay and will transform every field in a company, and every industry will be profoundly affected. Artificial Intelligence, which had its fair share of setbacks, is now ready to change the world, thanks to the combination of extraordinary technological advances, the rise of Big Data and the new opportunities created by the Internet of Things.