In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, NTT DATA’s Chris Wiggett unpacks the latest trends in business intelligence and AI that South African businesses must be aware of.

Wiggett is the Head of AI and Data Analytics at NTT DATA Middle East and Africa.

He has fourteen years of experience in data analytics and is well-known for his thought leadership in Advanced Analytics.

Wiggett is also obsessed with the future of data science, with a particular passion for the business insights it generates.

In this What’s Next interview, Wiggett unpacks the latest trends in data and business intelligence that are currently shaping the industry.

He highlights that data-driven decision-making has been spoken about for a long time, but with the rise of AI, it is finally being realized in practice and at scale.

Wiggett explains how NTT DATA differentiates itself through its proven processes and extensive experience implementing powerful AI and business intelligence solutions that generate real client value.

He then emphasizes the importance of effective data access controls, ensuring that the right people, teams, and tools have access to all the data they need, while avoiding giving out data access when it is unnecessary.

Wiggett also talks about the importance of implementing guard rails for AI tools, and explains why it is crucial that organizations promote inter-departmental collaboration and coordination to ensure that the full value of data-driven insights and AI is achieved.

He concludes the interview by discussing what he is most excited about in the fields of AI and data analytics in the future.