Good things come to those who wait, but sometimes you have to ride out rainstorms to get your rainbows. In 2011, Facebook launched its Messenger platform and people gladly hopped in, forming an active community of around 600 million chatty humans by 2015. In April 2016, the social network opened Messenger to chatbots, conversational software programs driven by algorithmic … [Read more...] about From Gloom to Glam: The Evolution Of Facebook Messenger Chatbots
Enterprise Functions
Why Did AI Research Drift From Strong To Weak AI?
The field of artificial intelligence was founded in the 1950s on a platform of ambition and optimism. Early pioneers were confident they would soon create machines displaying "Strong" or “human-like” AI. Rapid developments in computational power during that era contributed to an overall buoyant atmosphere among researchers. Nearly 70 years later, Strong AI continues to lie … [Read more...] about Why Did AI Research Drift From Strong To Weak AI?
Can Artificial Intelligence Make Anyone A Creative Artist?
Can art be distilled into math? Classical architecture and Renaissance art reveal elegant proportions at the core of their design, with some of world’s finest designers like Leonardo da Vinci deliberately incorporating computational elements such as the golden ratio and the Fibonacci series in their creative process. Harnessing recent advances in AI research, creative startups … [Read more...] about Can Artificial Intelligence Make Anyone A Creative Artist?
Despite AI Hype, True General Intelligence Still Out Of Reach
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has left the confines of science fiction to shape the contours of our lives. While Cortana, Siri, Alexa and other “intelligent assistants” help us perform all sorts of tasks, tech startups relentlessly launch other AI-driven products to tackle a growing list of human concerns -- from personal finance (robo advisors) and customer service (chatbots) … [Read more...] about Despite AI Hype, True General Intelligence Still Out Of Reach
Future Factories: How AI Enables Smart Manufacturing
Today’s consumers are pickier than ever. They want customized, personalized, and unique products over standardized ones and prefer local, smaller producers over large-scale global manufacturers. At the same time, they also expect locally-produced products to be as cheap and reliable as those industrially produced. Factories, power plants, and manufacturing centers around the … [Read more...] about Future Factories: How AI Enables Smart Manufacturing
6 Ways Every Man In Tech, Including You, Can Fight Sexism
Women aren’t the only ones appalled by the recent high-profile stories of rampant sexism, harassment, and retaliation at tech companies like Uber and Tesla and investment firms like 500 Startups and Binary Capital. Many men have approached us asking how they can personally help change Silicon Valley’s counter-productive culture and promote diversity and inclusion. Your … [Read more...] about 6 Ways Every Man In Tech, Including You, Can Fight Sexism
The Most Successful Bot Company You’ve Never Heard Of
The world’s fastest supercomputers reside in China, not America. And, while the majority of the planet’s most valuable tech brands still carry Uncle Sam’s imprint, Chinese rivals tread not far behind. Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, Xiaomi, and Huawei are just a few of the massive brands across the Pacific that rival the unicorns in Silicon Valley. In the emerging and … [Read more...] about The Most Successful Bot Company You’ve Never Heard Of
The Pros And Cons Of Hiring A Chief AI Officer
The C-Suite grows merrier by the minute as increasingly more executives join the party at the top. From just a handful of head honchos, many companies now employ a full roster of “chiefs” — including chief data officers, chief customer officers, and chief culture officers — to take on crucial, enterprise-wide functions. The latest title to generate buzz and wiggle into the … [Read more...] about The Pros And Cons Of Hiring A Chief AI Officer
Suck At Data & Analytics? Then You’re Not Ready For AI
Saying you use “AI” at your company may give you bragging rights at your industry meetups and even fool the media, but actually implementing enterprise-wide transformation is much harder than just claiming you have. Before you beg management for an eye-popping AI budget, be aware: not all companies are ready for artificial intelligence. Unlike flash drives and mobile … [Read more...] about Suck At Data & Analytics? Then You’re Not Ready For AI
You Should Know These 20 Technology Leaders Driving China’s AI Revolution
China’s leading technology companies are on fire, heavily investing in artificial intelligence and building true global presences. McKinsey recently reported that academic and research institutions in the country publish more cited research papers than the US, UK, or any other global leader in AI, producing nearly 10,000 papers in 2015 alone. Backed by strong government … [Read more...] about You Should Know These 20 Technology Leaders Driving China’s AI Revolution