And they're coming for your business -- with the power to build or destroy your ability to compete in the near future. "Those companies not considering investing and innovating will soon be outperformed by the new economy that runs on machine learning" Machine learning is already changing the world. As a key subset of artificial intelligence (AI), it enables computers to act and learn on their own, without being specifically programmed, by utilizing data and experience rather than being explicitly programmed. Self-driving cars, Netflix recommendations, and virtual personal assistants like Siri and Alexa are some of AI's best-known applications. One of the most immediate ways businesses use machine learning to improve their competitiveness is by automating back-office processes, the majority of which are high volume, rules-based functions that could seamlessly operate on a "lights out" basis, freeing up employees' time for achieving more strategic company objectives.