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Barbara Hodge gives us a glimpse into the future of global enterprise. She offers actionable advice on what can be done today to support tomorrow's AI efforts. The power of predictive outcomes grows as our understanding and technology grows. In fact, our choices as humans are increasingly influenced by machines. Despite this, corporations still struggle with how to best cleanse data. More time is spent on data cleansing that is spent on analyzing, evaluating, and deciding combined. Without a clear vision, efforts toward leveraging AI are watered down and unfocused. Barbara offers customer-centric advice on creating an effective AI plan.

Digital transformation and its global impact is the topic at hand for this panel discussion. Dr Hamed Al Hashemi, Director, Strategy & Corporate Performance Division Department of Health – Abu Dhabi; Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, Director General of the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture in Dubai; and Khaled ElShabrawy, Government Solutions Executive with Microsoft UAE discuss how AI can be used as a power for good. They get granular about how AI can assist with sustainable agriculture and poverty, global warming, and healthcare. As Dr. Hamed puts it, "What we want to do is really to make sense of all of this data available so that it help us to address some of the key challenges that we facing within the sector."

Rohit Amberker opens this episode of Pace of Change with a clear disclaimer: he is no expert on this week's topic. However, he does have some experience and insights on the Productivity Paradox. Rohit opens by outlining the definition and history of the Productivity Paradox. Then he moves on to the meat of the topic. Ultimately, the goal of technology is to create customer-centric value from something that doesn't currently exist. As technology's capabilities exponentially expand, the Productivity Paradox gap is shortening. Rohit looks to the past to shape the future by exemplifying Facebook and Amazon and examines the current "gap" in AI and blockchain.

The marketplace for third-party AI vendors is huge, but what is the right solution for your enterprise? Anshuman Das, the director of robotics and testing at Warner Bros., discusses the compay's implementation of some of his favorite tools and the changes they've brought. From the OCR reader Textract to UiPath for RPA, Das lets us in on a little secret about intelligent automation. "RPA is the way to go, and the best part of RPA is it can very well go hand in hand with any digital transformation process. Whether you're going to cloud or you're going into IOT or you're going to any of the areas of digital transformation, it is that catalyst which can achieve your digital transformation journey much faster in a much better way."

It may sound simple, but the first step to implementing AI in your enterprise is to know what it does. In this episode, Vivek Wadhwa, entrepreneur and Adjunct Professor at Carnegie Mellon, unlocks the black box of AI, including what is needed to build a proper AI foundation. Hint: it's more than just data. Wadhwa goes on to bust myths about machine learning and the overinflated claims some vendors make regarding the utilization of ML and AI. By taking an academic, honest—sometimes brutally so—and deep look at corporate AI, Wadhwa helps enterprises avoid the pitfalls of AI's oversell in the corporate market.

Naomi Secor joins us and shares what's next, "I anticipate that we're going to have a lot more conversation around change management and the role it plays- how to prepare our teams and how to communicate. We're going to have a lot more discussion on how we're actually preparing our enterprises to scale. I think we're going to talk a lot more about the ROI of intelligent automation now that we're seeing all these fantastic case studies come into play. We're going to be able to determine how organizations are measuring effectiveness. We'll be able to see how they're actually building automation into their business plans so that they can hold other teams accountable. And we're going to talk about how we're developing the next generation of automation leaders."

Jack Cheng covered a lot of ground in this interview. He described NIO, the company he co-founded, as "an EV provider, a mobility company, but [ultimately a] user enterprise engaged with the use of directory." From swappable batteries to vehicle "living rooms," Cheng takes a visionary approach to everything he does. His views on globalism are just as unique. He discussed with us the dangers of indoctrination and group think. He gave us his optimistic insight on the tension between China and the U.S. He even shared some ideas on how we can bridge the generation gap at a fundamental level.

Tarun Chopra is the president of Clements Worldwide, an insurance provider with a specialization in providing insurance solutions to individuals and companies outside their own country. He has also joined our Startup Zone, which offers resources and guidance for startups. Chopra discussed the significant role startups have played in the evolution of the tech space. Industry disruption from startups has pushed the needle forward, and Chopra doesn't see that ending any time soon. Taking a few tips from the small, nimble framework of a startup, Chopra then offers advice on enterprise change and technological adoptions that are worth looking into.

We spoke to Henrik Hanasand, with Seniorrådgiver, a shared service center for payroll and accountants. Hanasand discussed his enterprise's robotic evolution starting with a proof of concept, consulting, and implementation. Still, finding the right RPA solution involved some trial and error. After relying too heavily on consultants, Hanasand decided to search internally for talent. It worked. Their new approach to a holistic IT solution has given them the flexibility to look at AI more broadly and futureproof their organization. Seniorrådgiver has made a concerted effort to continue the path forward technologically, and it's paying off.