Many organizations have started adopting artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) solutions, yet the C-level executives are neither data scientists nor AI experts. AI is not a new concept. However, it is only in the last decade the technology has managed to make advancements worldwide. In the present day, we're able to speak to our mobile devices and it responds, when we're trying to book an Uber we receive multiple options with the price updates, or even when we're streaming service on an online portal, we receive recommendations – we've all been experiencing AI-enabled solutions everywhere. It's just that we tend to ignore them.

Only early adopter corporate executives with a better than average understanding of the AI/ML cognitive processes have whole heartedly embraced AI/ML implementation across the enterprise. The majority of the rest of corporate executives are evaluating AI/ML in baby steps measuring risk vs. return. Following those executives and measuring AI/ML concerns and prospective adoption are top data analyst organizations like Deloitte, McKinsey, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), Forrester and IDC. Surveys have shown that during early stages of AI/ML development, there was a rush to implement across the whole enterprise. Recently, adoption has slowed with executives beginning AI/ML pilots in predictable successful segments of their operations.

Bias in boardrooms is tricky to assess. Many companies don't publish diversity reports, making useful information difficult to come by and hampering efforts to tackle institutional biases. Now artificially intelligent algorithms have been used to dig down into the data, confirming that there is a lack of diversity at the top of the world's corporate ladder. To evaluate the situation, researchers from biotech firm Insilico Medicine compiled pictures of the top executives taken from the websites of nearly 500 of the largest companies in the world. The final dataset comprised over 7200 photographs from companies spanning 38 countries. They trained image recognition algorithms to automatically detect the age, race and sex of the board members, and compared the results to the age, race and gender profile of each firm's country to see if they reflected the general population.

Accenture and IPSoft have launched a new practice called Accenture Amelia Practice (AAP), a new business unit aimed at helping clients adopt artificial intelligence in business. Accenture claims that AAP will help organisations in improving their business outcomes and create new growth opportunities. The company said that it will develop an array of go-to-market strategies, solutions and consulting service offerings for the deployment of virtual agent technology for clients across several industries. In the initial stages, the business unit will cater to clients in banking, insurance and travel industries with its virtual agent technology. Accenture chief technology officer, Paul Daugherty said: "Artificial intelligence is maturing rapidly and offers great potential to reshape the way that organisations conduct business and interact with their customers and employees. "At the same time, executives are overwhelmed by the plethora of technologies and many products that are advertising AI or Cognitive capabilities.