Embracing AI Transformation

And: C-level AI hot jobs | Deepfake Taylor Swift Story Continues

Author

AI Periscope
January 29, 2024

Exploring below the surface of AI headlines.

Summaries | Insights | Points of Views

In Today’s Edition

Microsoft on AI Transformation

Image source: Microsoft

Summary - Microsoft exec categorizes pragmatic AI innovation: enhance employee experiences, revolutionize customer engagement, streamline business processes, and drive innovation. Key examples include the use of Copilot with client companies like Vodafone, Walmart, Bayer and others. These collaborations illustrate the tangible benefits of AI in diverse sectors, showing how AI is not just a futuristic concept but a present-day tool reshaping the business landscape.

Buoy points:

  • Employee Productivity: Microsoft's AI, especially Copilot for Microsoft 365, is significantly boosting employee efficiency. Companies like KPMG and EY have reported considerable improvements in productivity and time-saving on routine tasks.

  • Customer Engagement: Through generative AI, companies are delivering personalized customer services. Examples include Schneider Electric's Resource Advisor and Atento's use of AI to improve customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.

  • Business Processes: AI is streamlining workflows and enhancing data analysis, as seen in Siemens' industrial copilot and Volvo Group's document processing solution. This leads to significant time and cost savings across various industries.

  • Driving Innovation: AI is being tailored to specific industry needs, such as Team Rubicon's disaster response, TomTom's voice assistant for the automotive industry, and VinBrain's medical support in Vietnam.

POV - Like agile transformation and digital transformation in years past, AI transformation represents a paradigm shift in how businesses operate at scale. We are only in the top half of the first inning, as it were. While these four categories are a good start to how businesses begin to segment AI-driven innovation, there will be many more important segments and nuances in the months and years ahead. What key areas of business have you seen begin to evolve due to AI?

Out with Metaverse, C-level AI in

Image source: Bloomberg

Summary - Tech trends can be fickle at times, and some companies previously on the metaverse train are pivoting to AI. The metaverse, an immersive digital reality, has lost its buzz, and executives focused on it have become endangered species. In contrast, AI leaders are in high demand, with compensation packages averaging over $1 million. Companies like Accenture and GE HealthCare have made recent hires,

Buoy points:

  • C-level AI positions are heating up, with comps north of $1M

  • Some companies have difficulty distinguishing hype from reality

  • Metaverse execs are reinventing themselves as AI leaders, while others leave the space altogether

  • Skill sets of AI leaders are different, requiring deeper expertise

POV - Personally, I never got into the metaverse craze. Maybe it was just too Matrix-y or maybe it was the irrational hype around limitless digital real estate actually being worth something. Whether is just a very bad 3D Zoom meeting nightmare or something else, the tides are shifting and its all in on AI. Do you think AI the next big hype, or does it have legs?

Taylor’s Deepfakes

Image source: Mario Anzuoni | Reuters | Quartz

Summary - Not at all surprising, there is a rise in the prevalence of deepfakes. On the heels of the Biden robocall and George Carlin controversies days earlier, the news of the AI-generated explicit images of Taylor Swift was unescapable last week. You probably know by now that these fake images of Swift were circulating on the internet. On one platform, images were viewed 45 million times and reposted 24,000 before they were taken down. Swift’s loyal fans were outraged, and many, including the White House, condemned the action, rightfully so.

Buoy points:

  • Technology Behind Deepfakes: Deepfakes are created using deep learning algorithms, which can generate realistic fake images, videos, or audio by learning from a dataset of real examples.

  • Misuse and Misinformation: The article cites several instances of deepfake misuse, such as the fake Zelenskyy video and nonconsensual pornography, highlighting their potential for spreading misinformation and harm.

  • Positive Applications: Despite their negative connotations, deepfakes have beneficial uses, like in educational platforms where they can create more engaging and personalized learning experiences.

  • Legislative and Corporate Responses: In response to the challenges posed by deepfakes, U.S. states like California, Texas, and Virginia have passed laws criminalizing deepfake pornography, and tech companies have implemented disclosure requirements for AI-generated political content.

  • Global Regulatory Efforts: The article notes that countries like China and South Korea are also taking steps to regulate deepfakes, indicating a global recognition of the issue.

POV - Improvements in AI voice cloning, images and videos have gone parabolic, and AI software tools are spreading like wildfire. It’s predictable that it would lead to abuse. So, where do we go from here? Big tech companies like Google, Meta and X have already started implementing their own polices. In the U.S., state legislatures are working to criminalize deepfake porn. While this is a natural reaction, this won’t be settled for a long while - it is a bumpy road ahead for sure.