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According to a report from market intelligence pro-
EXACTLY WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?
Before delving into these apocalyptic issues, it is important to define these ideas more clearly. “Big data” is the term used to describe the collection of raw facts and statistics that have been assembled in any given subject
powered “machines” are able to evolve as they are exposed to new data, instead of simply performing the same prepro- grammed instructions repeatedly.
It is this evolutionary property of AI through machine learning that has some experts worried. For instance, an AI-powered computer program recently played 60 games against the world’s top players of go, the most complex board game in existence—and posted a record of 60–0. Another
AI program stunned skilled poker players in January by crushing them in Texas Hold ’Em, in large part because the program learned how to bluff. If AI can boast these achieve- ments now, doomsayers claim, then what will it be able to do in the next decade or two?
ARE THERE “THINGS” ON THE INTERNET?
One thing is certain: AI is already impacting the day-to-day lives of businesses, laboratories, governments, and consum- ers. Computer users can see the fruits of AI almost daily in the various “ad choices” that pop up on websites, the tailored marketing messages they see on Facebook and Twitter, and the “products you might also like” that are displayed during e-commerce transactions. These user-specific links are offered based on an individual’s web activity and online preferences as determined by AI programs that monitor and analyze these countless data points.
vider IDC, global revenues derived from big data and business analytics will balloon from US$130 bil- lion last year to more than US$203 billion in 2020.
area. Not only is big data characterized by its size, but it also refers to data that is exceedingly complex and/or available from an immense number of sources.
In this context, “artificial intelligence” is the tool that is used to tame big data. AI systems are designed not only to sift through and perform simple analytics on large caches of data, but also to find patterns, reach relevant conclusions, and apply these results toward advancing specific goals.
The aspect of artificial intelligence that has led to the most distressing rhetoric is known as “machine learning.” A subset of AI, machine learning is the process by which computer-
30 STRATEGY
“For a meaningful partial-brain interface, I think we’re roughly four or five years away”
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