Waabi founder and CEO Raquel Urtasan, a computer scientist and University of Toronto professor, sees a new path to commercializing self-driving technology. Computer scientist Raquel Urtasan, an artificial intelligence expert who led a team of Toronto-based engineers for Uber's self-driving vehicle program, is launching tech startup Waabi with an $83.5 million funding round and a new "AI mindset" approach to commercializing automated driving. The Series A round, among the biggest for any Canadian tech startup, is led by Khosla Ventures and includes investment from Uber, Radical Ventures, 8VC, OMERS Ventures and BDC Capital's Women in Technology Venture Fund. Aurora Innovation, the self-driving tech company that acquired Uber ATG last December, is a minority investor. AI experts including Stanford University's Fei-Fei Li, the University of Toronto's Geoffrey Hinton and Sanja Fidler and the University of California, Berkeley's Pieter Abbeel also participated in the round.

Eventually, all organizations will have to leverage Machine Learning to stay competitive. Just like with the move to web applications, mobile applications, and the cloud, Machine Learning will be the norm, not the exception, to a modern technology stack. While there is certainly a lot of hype surrounding artificial intelligence and machine learning technology, there is also a very promising reality of augmenting conventional software development with software that learns from activities and can respond appropriately, and in ways not feasible with standard coding. However, the process involved in building effective machine learning technology is quite a bit different from regular software development and, as such, requires a different approach and mindset. This mindset requires acknowledging that machine learning development is largely a scientific process instead of a software development process.

The more I've had the opportunity to explore this concept of the martech mindset, the more I've realized how important it is that we shift our thinking to view artificial intelligence (AI) as an evolution rather than as a revolution. Artificial intelligence, once an abstract, futuristic concept, is now a reality, so this needs to occur sooner rather than later. It's no longer a hypothetical; AI is changing the game for brands in tangible, practical applications. Adoption is not the issue, as investments in AR and VR are expected to grow from $11.4 billion in 2017 to $215 billion in 2021, according to IDC. Entire industries are finding innovative ways to solve persistent business challenges and create efficiencies through AI -- take the proliferation of chatbots in marketing, for example.

Technology in the past decade has made huge inroads helping marketers to reach the audience with the right message. Credit in this reagard goes to the tools, which have made great leaps and strides in managing day to day activities. In late 2010, IBM introduced Watson: a supercomputer and the first-of-its-kind AI powered analytical computer system that can understand native language. Since then tech behemoths like Google and Facebook have started to invest in artificial intelligence in a big way. You have probably heard about these companies implementing AI tech to eliminate repetitive tasks in general and deliver superior customer experience in particular.

With AI today, we are on the precipice of something big. Salesforce announced its Einstein AI, IBM and Salesforce announced a landmark AI partnership for business and Forrester predicts that businesses using AI will steal $1.2 trillion per annum from their less informed peers by 2020. These are signals of what's to come in the near future. But the starting point of the AI journeys that we see with most customers, I'd characterize as a crash collision between data and end user experience. And this is where I think a lot of companies get stuck.

AI will impact every facet of business–changing how we work, and the pace of innovation. It has the power to deliver immense business value, and help brands create the personalized experiences that customers demand. However, to realize its full potential requires a shift in how organizations invest their resources, develop their talent, and foster an AI mindset focused on unlocking creativity and collaboration. Join Bluewolf CEO Eric Berridge to learn key strategies for designing your workforce around a mindset and culture needed to compete and win with AI.