What does machine learning (ML) really mean for marketers? Here's three key facts you need to know. Machine learning, a method for transforming data into practical knowledge through the application of computer programs that automate the process of statistical modeling and data mining, has been around for a while. A lot of it is old statistical techniques rebranded to sell new software to run these techniques. For instance, a week or so ago, I got a pitch from a company that noted it was using linear regression.

Artificial intelligence may still sound like a distant future, but don't be fooled. Social media users are already living AI-fueled lives online, and studies show they're eager for marketers to take the technology even further. A recent Weber Shandwick survey found that many more people view AI's advent as a good thing rather than a bad one -- both for society and for themselves. Forty-five percent of respondents foresee a positive societal impact; just seven percent see a negative one. When it comes to their personal lives, 52% expect AI to benefit them; again, only seven percent said it'll make things worse.

Think the road to a B2B sale is straight and narrow? B2B buying experiences seem unpredictable because the number of decision makers involved make the buying behavior seem non-linear, said Christopher Penn, vice president, Shift Communications, speaking at the recent MarTech conference in San Francisco. There's also the fact that B2B buyers are risk averse, thanks to the high stakes involved in many decisions. "If risk is involved, humans get emotional, and that's where predictability goes off the rails," said Penn. "Humans are driven by a mixture of risk and reward--reward drive us forward, and risk drive us back." Everyone has a different risk profile, he continued.

Sci-fi fans and marketers can agree that the robots are rising. But the advances of artificial intelligence (AI) are more a boon than an insurgence for the humans involved. "We also definitely haven't seen a need for less people," says Christy Egbert, customer base marketing manager, Sprint Prepaid Brands, who works with the company's retention marketing team in the highly competitive prepaid space. Rather, there has been a shift in how people are needed to leverage and optimize the opportunities AI can create. The brand started using AI in outbound marketing, and is now looking at inbound.

Artificial intelligence may still sound like a distant future, but don't be fooled. Social media users are already living AI-fueled lives online, and studies show they're eager for marketers to take the technology even further. A recent Weber Shandwick survey found that many more people view AI's advent as a good thing rather than a bad one -- both for society and for themselves. Forty-five percent of respondents foresee a positive societal impact; just seven percent see a negative one. When it comes to their personal lives, 52% expect AI to benefit them; again, only seven percent said it'll make things worse.