The evolution of attitudes: how the pandemic redefined approaches to AI
It has almost become a cliché to say that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how we live and work. However, not every business or sector has changed in the same way. There have been some interesting differences in adaptation and development.
An evolving issue
Ana Mosquera is the Senior VP who manages the energy and utilities and telco and media markets in Spain for Capgemini. She likens the effect of the pandemic to evolution.
“We know that species evolve, especially after periods of difficulty. These put pressure on us to use new skills to manage changes in our environment. In this sense, the pandemic has reinforced a change in our habits as consumers, workers, and people, forcing us to resort to new technologies. Now that we have seen how useful they are, I don’t think we will be going back. Teleworking, online sales and remote meetings are here to stay. I also think a new consumer profile has emerged, more digital, more responsible, and definitely more sustainable. They want to interact with different channels in the same way. And that has big implications for companies.”
There is no question that we are at a time where companies recognize that to remain competitive in business, they have to look for the advantage offered by technology. In many cases, this will mean artificial intelligence (AI), to analyze customer data and transactions and extract intelligence to support ongoing evolution. Ana, however, notes that there are varying expectations of AI — and most of them are unrealistic.
“Take a look at the potential of artificial intelligence. I think that in some cases it is underestimated, and in so many others it is overestimated. Some organizations are simply unaware of how they can use machine learning by exploiting data. Others have created expectations that exceed the current capabilities of artificial intelligence. They seem to think it is some kind of black box that is capable of solving any problem from a technological point of view.”
Factors affecting transformation
Ana notes that most companies that are managing to deliver on digital transformation have a long history of innovation. She adds that there is also a question of size.
“In general, companies that have managed to deliver on digital transformation started the process a long time ago. Most of them are also large companies. Innovations like cloud, data, and changes in the habits of consumers have favored both these large companies and those that were born digital. However, the situation is very different in small and medium-sized companies. These are still far from being fully ready to exploit the potential of emerging technologies. Companies handle huge amounts of data, but the level of maturity in its use, its quality and governance and the strategies to monetize the data are key factors for both optimization and growth.”
Ana comments that she sees potential for 5G to change the situation, but that there are still many questions to be answered.
“I think that 5G that will end up democratizing not only artificial intelligence, but many other emerging technologies. However, as responsible organizations, we need to think about the ethics of AI. We all need to make sure that our data models are not biased, do not discriminate, and help us to be more diverse and inclusive. I think this will need cooperation across specialties. We need a holistic understanding of the implications of these technologies for business and society.”
A sense of optimism
Despite these concerns, Ana is optimistic about the future for digital transformation.
“I think the pandemic has moved us towards digitization. We are seeing the creation of a new economy based on data. This is very much a reality now for many of our clients. They have the technologists, the data scientists, and the artificial intelligence experts. Many of them have even made organizational changes and are trying to look more holistically.”
However, she believes that most organizations still have some way to go to be able to deliver fully on the potential of digitization.
“The issue is that most of our clients have not yet managed to create those intermediate levels that combine a more creative business vision with a deep knowledge of the potential of new technologies and especially artificial intelligence. Fundamentally, I would say that they are interested in exploiting the potential of artificial intelligence without having in place the culture of data within the company and that is the first step.”
This interview is part of a recent interview study by SAS on how the pandemic has accelerated digitalization: Catch more conclusions from the study on post pandemic transformation.
