Data, especially when leveraged by AI, has the potential to mitigate risk, reduce expenses, and boost revenue. No wonder countless businesses today are working to become more data driven. But how to turn raw data into a business asset rather than a liability remains a challenge across industries.  This week Melody is joined by Prashanth Southekal, the Managing Principal of DBP-Institute, a Data Analytics Consulting and Education company. They discuss how companies can utilize data and analytics to achieve monetizable business results. Prashanth offers a glimpse into the massive amounts of data that companies are managing today and how to wield analytics, data, and intuition to drive informed decision making. He outlines the steps that companies need to take to improve data quality and make their data work for them.

Prashanth Southekal | Transforming Technology and Data Analytics Into a Valuable Business Asset

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In this episode, Melody welcomes Michael Nguyen, VP of Global Data Practice and Partnerships at Innodata, Inc. Michael shares insights into all that AI is (and isn’t), the advances that have been made in ground truth data collection, and what it will take to overcome the biases that are still present in machine learning.  GROUND TRUTH DATA IN MACHINE LEARNING Ground truth data is a collection of data that can’t be manufactured, it has to be captured.  Primarily used by companies who develop products for AI/ML, there are several critical components to consider when building a ground truth data set, including identifying what type of data you actually need. Michael points out data that isn’t usually readily available, such as human interaction data, and how his team overcomes the hurdles to secure it.  THE HUMAN SIDE OF AI Some data are very easy to come by, while some are significantly more difficult to secure.  Any data collection that has to do with humans is more sensitive, and Michael highlights the ways that they address concerns and protect privacy for anyone who is sharing data. Object and environment data collection is pretty straightforward, while speech, simulation, and human data are much more difficult aspects of AI to capture. The only way to mitigate bias with facial recognition is to capture as much data as possible.  THE EVOLUTION AND FUTURE OF AI In the wake of the pandemic, one major focus of AI is turning to healthcare. From robots doing surgery to self-driving cars, AI will continue to improve the quality of life for everyone and take care of things that humans are not best suited to take care of.  
 Michael’s Insights 
 “Basically anything you can think of, AI can be a part of it.” [3:50]  
 “When it comes to human interaction, it’s really hard to create synthetic data because everyone is different.” [11:24]  
 “I don’t think you can eliminate biases in AI, but what you can do is get as much data as possible.” [24:53]  
 [29:18] “AI can help us do a lot of things we can’t do ourselves, especially in healthcare.” 
 Michael’s Bio 
 Michael Nguyen is the VP of Global Data Practice and Partnerships at Innodata, Inc. He is an action driven and technology focused business development professional with over 20 years of experience delivering state of the art products and services to global enterprises. For the past five years, Michael has been focused on ground truth data for artificial intelligence and machine learning.  
 Links Michael Nugyen LinkedIn Innodata

Michael Nguyen | The Inside Scoop on Ground Truth Data for ML

Data is the fuel that is going to carry companies into the future. In this episode, Melody is joined by Florin Tufan, co-founder and CEO of Soleadify, a platform that mimics the human approach to research on companies at massive scale, using a combination of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. Together they discuss the opportunities that are made possible with AI, what decision makers need to know about AI, and how AI can be leveraged to solve real world problems, especially in the wake of the pandemic.  SOLVING PROBLEMS WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Florin admits that his initial impression of AI was largely shaped by Hollywood, and he was somewhat disappointed when he realized that these machines with the power to take over the world were not nearly as intimidating as he once assumed. Once he discovered that AI is an evolving process with change happening at a very fundamental level, he recognized the incredible possibilities available with AI.  At Soleadify, they are now stacking models to accomplish their objectives. 
 INCREASING SELECTIVITY OF STORED DATA  Nearly 90% of data is considered dark data, which is not only a drain on resources but is also a major liability to the companies that are storing it. Is there really such a thing as too much data? And if so, how can we become more selective about the data we choose to store and how we use models to generate insights from that data? Florin points out that the more data the better only applies when we know the context in which the data was created. 
 LEVERAGING AI TO SOLVE REAL-WORLD BUSINESS PROBLEMS At the beginning of the pandemic, Florin and his team decided that, rather than panic about something they didn’t understand, they would focus on something they did understand.  Within a week they built a free resource for finding medical suppliers, which was a major problem at the beginning of the pandemic. Since then, procurement and supply chain has become a major use case at Soleadify.  
 AI MYTH BUSTING  Communicating with non-technical decision makers can be a challenge for any AI technology based company.  Florin reveals what he would do with a magic AI wand - he wishes that  leaders already knew the basic level methodologies as well as more realistic expectations for what is possible with AI. It is harder than most people might expect, but incredible things are possible with AI right now.  
 Florin’s Insights “The more data the better, provided you know the context in which the data was created.” [17:05]  “A lot of this crisis was a data crisis, of course I see data problems everywhere.” [24:35]  “I wish the myth of AI was already busted at a larger scale.” [31:55]  “Everything is right in front of us, and I like to think of data as the fuel.” [44:15]  
 Florin’s Bio Florin Tufan is the CEO and co-founder of Soleadify, a platform helping businesses get accurate and in-depth data on companies of all shapes and sizes with great SMB coverage. Soleadify is a big data startup that leverages advanced scraping and ML technologies to ingest hundreds of billions of webpages every week and perform at scale human-like ML based research to create and maintain a database of 50+ data points on 70M+ companies. 
 Links Florin Tufan LinkedIn Soleadify

Florin Tufan | Big Data on Small Businesses

Genetic programming is a technique of evolving programs that have the potential to overcome existing limitations and take AI to the next level. In this episode, Melody is joined by Howie Altman, co-founder and CEO of Perceiver AI, where their mission is to elevate the science of artificial intelligence. They have developed a novel form of AI-based on the foundation of genetic programming which uses an evolutionary engine to optimize through a process of natural selection. Howie highlights the genetic programming process, the potential that it has to alter the path of AI, and the extensive applications that it can solve today and in the future.   ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND GENETIC PROGRAMMING There is a gap between AI problems and the technologies currently available to solve them. Most current AI technologies are based on neural networks and deep learning, which are incredibly effective but utilize pattern matching as their main problem-solving tool. Additionally, the black box problem, human bias, blind spots, and the need to start from scratch every time all contribute to limitations that have yet to be solved within AI. Howie highlights the benefits and alternative solutions offered by genetic programming, using the evolution of breeding dogs as a real-life example of the same process.   AN OVERVIEW OF THE GENETIC PROGRAMMING PROCESS Starting with the genome, Howie walks listeners through the possibilities that are enabled by genetic programming in a matter of seconds. After running data through Perceiver AI, the result is millions of generations of solution candidates that are tested against a fitness function. Success comes in utilizing more than just error rate, but also measuring information gained from generation to generation, identifying stagnation, and implementing extinction when necessary. This process helps to overcome the major issue of plateauing in a matter of minutes or hours, depending on the complexity of the problem being solved.   UTILIZING INTELLIGENCE ARCHITECTURES At Perceiver AI, they believe that the universe has an infinite number of intelligence architectures, i.e. frameworks by which to reason, judge, understand or problem solve. Perceiver AI aims to come up with the optimal intelligence architecture for any number of scenarios with the data at hand. With sufficient data (and generally, far less data is required than for neural networks/deep learning), problems can be solved with minimal human intervention by identifying all weaker solutions and discarding them while simultaneously evolving along the way. Each step in this evolutionary process of genetic programming takes us closer to achieving the sought after solution.   PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF GENETIC PROGRAMMING From improved crew scheduling and fueling for commercial airlines to minimizing power consumption at telecommunication data centers, there are endless optimization solutions available with genetic programming. Howie highlights carbon credits, fuel savings, CO2 emissions reduction, and waste reduction and offers listeners insights into the variety of real-world possibilities for the future. Howie’s Insights “Whereas neural networks are the digital version of the human brain, … genetic programming is the digital version of evolution.” [13:31] “As long as you can define it mathematically and in code, you can have any goal in AI you want.” [17:22] 
 “What Perceiver [AI] is doing is coming up with the optimal intelligence architecture for the problem at hand.” [28:20] 
 “These are practical, real-world applications, not just research-type things that Perceiver [AI] excels in.” [38:24] 
 “The technology path that we’re on is just going to continue to explode.”...

Howie Altman | Solving Optimization Problems with Genetic Programming

The potential for a significant increase in AI implementation is poised to happen in the near future, and while some industries are ready for adaptation, others might struggle. In this episode, Melody welcomes Azmath Pasha, consummate CTO with over 25 years of technological experience. He is now an advisor to the tech community through board memberships including the Forbes Technology Advisory Board and brings a wealth of experience to today’s episode of the Absolute AI podcast. He highlights the present impact and future potential of AI implementation by industry, the power of digital analytics, how AI could be more diverse, and what it will take to educate and retain the next generation of programmers to support the explosion of AI that is bound to happen. HARNESSING THE POWER OF DIGITAL ANALYTICS Artificial intelligence has been around for almost 50 years and Azmath has been involved in the tech space for over 25 years, and AI specifically for nearly a decade. He has watched the trends as both people and companies have harnessed the power of data collection and infused it with the power of AI. Today and in the future, the leaders and communities who win will be the ones who understand and utilize the power of digital analytics. Considering the future of work and the future of data, digital technology is available to all and an increase in diversity will play a critical role in global adoption. INCREASING DIVERSITY AND SUPPORT Technologies have the power to make the world more fair, peaceful, and just. Azmath shares his vision of providing a greater bridge between technology and society, whether for combating COVID-19 and its aftermath, understanding fashion trends, or incorporating AI into business processes. In order for AI to be adapted by senior-level decision-makers, it must be presented as a tool for better decision-making at every level. 
 AI AS A GROWTH ENABLER Data cannot always be simulated, although some AI developers are working to achieve just that. Synthetic data can be a helpful augmentation of real data, and there are benefits to utilizing synthetic databases and new analytics technologies. On a strategic level, there is a three-pillar approach to using synthetic databases, which Azmath clearly outlines in relation to organizing and structuring data that is already available. 
 AI ADAPTATION BY INDUSTRY Many industries have quickly adopted AI, while others have struggled to implement all that AI has to offer. Azmath highlights some of the industries that have underutilized AI and are poised to experience a major transformation in the next few years, including entertainment and gaming as well as manufacturing with the use of “cobots.” Over the next 20 years, the use of AI is going to continue to expand and affect every industry, prompting a need for increased regulations and ethical use to monitor the gathering and usage of quality data. 
 Azmath’s Insights 
 “AI was just bound to happen. All of the technologies are moving toward machine learning and algorithms are always getting more commoditized.” [1:36] 
 “[Users have to] show AI as a tool for better decision making at every layer.” [10:38] 
 “Harnessing the benefits of new database and analytics technologies, that’s what we need to focus on.” [15:29]  
 Azmath’s Bio 
 Azmath Pasha is a consummate Chief Technology Officer with 25-plus years of experience demonstrating success leading large-scale and high-value digital transformation engagements within the evolving advanced analytics, AI, and cloud-based technology markets. 
 Links Azmath Pasha...

Azmath Pasha | Evolve Your Business Processes With AI

From automating manual processes to utilizing the millions of health data points in predictive analytics, the future of healthcare stands to benefit greatly from the application of AI and machine learning. In this episode of the Absolute AI podcast, Melody welcomes Mark Kujawski, founder, CEO, and Managing Director at Aztech Health. Mark has had a long career working on the front lines of technology transformation with companies like Accenture, Oracle, and Hewlett Packard. As a strategy consultant, he has helped many healthcare organizations improve their delivery capabilities and is now leading his company, Aztech Health, to liberate patient health data. Together, they discuss a facet of AI that affects every one of us — utilizing health data. They examine the role that machine learning can play in making more informed healthcare decisions, the stumbling blocks that have yet to be overcome in making this transition, and what exactly the future of healthcare and AI could look like.

Prashanth Southekal | Transforming Technology and Data Analytics Into a Valuable Business Asset

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