JUNE 2020CIOAPPLICATIONSEUROPE.COM8IN MYOPINIONig data and artificial intelligence (AI) are topics that have been on the agenda of every business event in recent years. There continue to be several impressive use cases across different verticals, but too often these are bespoke proof of concepts with little return on investment. Despite the hype, the branch of science has yet to really hit the mainstream and fulfil its potential.We are yet to see an embedded process that drives long term results across an organisation.To overcome this and make big data and AI a real success which drives business impact and adoption, the most important factors to consider at each stage are scalability and automation. Starting the journeyTo properly demonstrate a significant business outcome, it is first important to differentiate between bespoke and scalable projects. For an early adopter, any use case is great progress, but it is important to understand that this is just the beginning of the journey and will not drive long-term value alone. The retail industry is a great example of this, with AI and predictive analytics being used to deliver results already. Many retailers are now using chatbots to answer customer queries quickly and efficiently. While successful in the task and a nice-to-have, they are unlikely to really drive profits and impact a retailer's bottom line. With a more holistic and scalable perspective, there are many other touchpoints on the retail journey which could yield additional impact.Scaling up use-casesWith the modern customer more demanding than ever, big data and AI can help retailers deliver a personalised experience. For example, AI can be BLiving up to Expectation: AI,Scalability and AutomationDAVID GONZALEZ, HEAD OF BIG DATA AND ADVANCED ANALYTICS, VODAFONE BUSINESS [LSE: VOD]
< Page 7 | Page 9 >