It's hard to get stakeholders to buy into technology they don't understand. In the case of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), very few people actually get it, leaving an explainability gap for data scientists and businesses. Three years ago, the MIT Technology Review published an article about AI titled, "The Dark Secret at the Heart of AI." "No one really knows how the most advanced algorithms do what they do. That could be a problem," Will Knight wrote. "Last year, a strange self-driving car was released onto the quiet roads of Monmouth County, New Jersey… . The car didn't follow a single instruction provided by an engineer or programmer. Instead, it relied entirely on an algorithm that had taught itself to drive by watching a human do it. "Getting a car to drive this way was an impressive feat.

A tech talent shortage is impeding the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) in the enterprise, according to new research from EY. Of 200 senior AI professionals, 56% said a lack of talent in the field is the greatest barrier to AI implementation, EY found. This suggests that tech professionals may need to find ways to grow their skill set to drive the field forward in their companies. Despite the talent shortage, business leaders continue to utilize AI in the enterprise, EY said, with 62% finding the technology beneficial. SEE: IT leader's guide to the future of artificial intelligence (Tech Pro Research) "This year, as businesses strategized how to integrate AI into their operations, they were hampered by a shortage of experts with requisite knowledge of the technology," Chris Mazzei, EY global chief analytics officer, said in the press release.