Building a cognitive business
By: Kenny Hay, Director of Cloud, IBM
ASEAN
By: Kenny Hay, Director of Cloud, IBM
ASEAN
We are
living in a time where there are too many tasks, too many requests, too much
data.
Did
you know an average employee gets interrupted at work 11 times a day, and it
takes an average of 25 minutes to refocus after a distraction? We get alerts
when we don’t need them and we don’t get alerts when we do need them.
you know an average employee gets interrupted at work 11 times a day, and it
takes an average of 25 minutes to refocus after a distraction? We get alerts
when we don’t need them and we don’t get alerts when we do need them.
From a business standpoint, there is also so
much data that exists in the world that it is almost impossible to ingest all
its value. An
estimated 80 percent of a data scientist’s time is spent scrubbing data instead
of analyzing and understanding what it means. But what’s the point of
collecting the data if you can’t draw insights from it?
much data that exists in the world that it is almost impossible to ingest all
its value. An
estimated 80 percent of a data scientist’s time is spent scrubbing data instead
of analyzing and understanding what it means. But what’s the point of
collecting the data if you can’t draw insights from it?
So the question is – will data ever stop
growing? Probably not. But cognitive computing in the cloud that brings
together Data and AI may just be the answer.
growing? Probably not. But cognitive computing in the cloud that brings
together Data and AI may just be the answer.
Think
of cognitive computing as augmented intelligence (AI). Rather than being
explicitly programmed, cognitive computing has the capability to learn at
scale, reason with purpose and interact with humans naturally.
of cognitive computing as augmented intelligence (AI). Rather than being
explicitly programmed, cognitive computing has the capability to learn at
scale, reason with purpose and interact with humans naturally.
It
is not just a feature. It is about man and machine (embodied in Watson) coming
together to help businesses better understand customers, effectively integrate old
and new systems, optimize business operations, save costs and discover new
revenue possibilities.
is not just a feature. It is about man and machine (embodied in Watson) coming
together to help businesses better understand customers, effectively integrate old
and new systems, optimize business operations, save costs and discover new
revenue possibilities.
So
what does that really mean? Take an example close to our hearts – taxes. In the
United States, Watson is helping leading tax preparer, H&R Block whose
mission is to help taxpayers get maximum refund. After ingesting about
600 million data points and 75,000 pages of the U.S. Tax Code, Watson is
now helping families save between US$2,000 to US$3,000 annually. In essence, H&R
Block now has an experienced employee of over 30 years of tax filing experience
who is able to digest all the tax information and historical precedents to help
families save money.
what does that really mean? Take an example close to our hearts – taxes. In the
United States, Watson is helping leading tax preparer, H&R Block whose
mission is to help taxpayers get maximum refund. After ingesting about
600 million data points and 75,000 pages of the U.S. Tax Code, Watson is
now helping families save between US$2,000 to US$3,000 annually. In essence, H&R
Block now has an experienced employee of over 30 years of tax filing experience
who is able to digest all the tax information and historical precedents to help
families save money.
By
2019, the cognitive market is expected
to grow to more than $31 billion, and according to a recent IBM study “The
Cognitive Advantage,” early adopters are already gaining significant
advantage from pursuing cognitive initiatives.
2019, the cognitive market is expected
to grow to more than $31 billion, and according to a recent IBM study “The
Cognitive Advantage,” early adopters are already gaining significant
advantage from pursuing cognitive initiatives.
So if
you’re considering adding AI to your organization, here are a few tips before
you get started:
you’re considering adding AI to your organization, here are a few tips before
you get started:
1. Drive
it from the top
it from the top
Infusing
cognition into your business isn’t a feature you can “turn on and off” or buy
“off the shelf”. To be sustainable, it must be part of your company’s culture
and ethos. It should not be something “given” to the CIO office to implement.
The lines of business owners must own the vision and work in concert with the
CIO to define a roadmap. Successful experiences I have seen usually start with
assembling a small core team of senior executives as the “innovation team” to
spearhead the vision and strategy working closely with lines of business to
scope out use cases to start with and scale from there.
cognition into your business isn’t a feature you can “turn on and off” or buy
“off the shelf”. To be sustainable, it must be part of your company’s culture
and ethos. It should not be something “given” to the CIO office to implement.
The lines of business owners must own the vision and work in concert with the
CIO to define a roadmap. Successful experiences I have seen usually start with
assembling a small core team of senior executives as the “innovation team” to
spearhead the vision and strategy working closely with lines of business to
scope out use cases to start with and scale from there.
2. Be
deliberate where you start your cognitive journey
deliberate where you start your cognitive journey
As the
adage goes, walk before you run. Start with a pilot program. It is an excellent
opportunity to learn about how a cognitive solution will impact and benefit
your organization, and lay the foundation for successful adoption more broadly.
For companies which need help on where to start, I have found design thinking
workshops, which can be as short as one day, to be extremely effective to
pinpoint where to start, if done well.
adage goes, walk before you run. Start with a pilot program. It is an excellent
opportunity to learn about how a cognitive solution will impact and benefit
your organization, and lay the foundation for successful adoption more broadly.
For companies which need help on where to start, I have found design thinking
workshops, which can be as short as one day, to be extremely effective to
pinpoint where to start, if done well.
3. Adopt
early, fail fast, learn fast
early, fail fast, learn fast
There
will never be a perfect time to start the cognitive journey. Developing a
strategy is important but execution speed is equally so. The current digital
revolution is accelerating the pace of change and every day of waiting is time
given to your competitor to catch up or further their lead over you. The
earlier you infuse AI into your business, the greater your competitive advantage.
This cognitive support to human knowledge, understanding and facility can
enable your teams to approach problem-solving more efficiently, identify trends
and potential opportunities more quickly, and discover solutions to reach
consumers more effectively.
will never be a perfect time to start the cognitive journey. Developing a
strategy is important but execution speed is equally so. The current digital
revolution is accelerating the pace of change and every day of waiting is time
given to your competitor to catch up or further their lead over you. The
earlier you infuse AI into your business, the greater your competitive advantage.
This cognitive support to human knowledge, understanding and facility can
enable your teams to approach problem-solving more efficiently, identify trends
and potential opportunities more quickly, and discover solutions to reach
consumers more effectively.
Cognitive
solutions also become smarter and smarter over time. However, don’t be
discouraged if your initial attempt falls short. The important thing to
remember is to try fast and learn fast, and you can be sure you’ll be working
with a more intuitive platform than the day before.
solutions also become smarter and smarter over time. However, don’t be
discouraged if your initial attempt falls short. The important thing to
remember is to try fast and learn fast, and you can be sure you’ll be working
with a more intuitive platform than the day before.
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