In 1962, Arthur C. Clarke wisely said that ‘any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic’. While AI has seen rapid development in recent years, the pressure of the Covid pandemic has led businesses to believe that AI can work miracles.
One common question is the difference between AI and Machine Learning. To quote Mat Velloso, “AI is like a supernova, and Machine Learning is like one of the stars the supernova creates.”
There is still confusion about what AI/ML can actually do, the ease of implementation, and the expectation that it can significantly cut costs and increase sales. We need to shift our perspective from viewing AI as a replacement for humans to seeing it as a tool to enhance and empower our teams.
Unfortunately, there are individuals like Mr.X who overhype AI’s capabilities without truly understanding it. They make grand claims and push their ideas onto their colleagues. This can have damaging consequences for organizations as plans are delayed and deadlines are missed.
The harm caused by such thinking and management styles is significant. The key is to educate ourselves on the capabilities and limitations of AI to build healthier organizations that don’t rely on misguided individuals.
But its complex technology, no?
Engineering is both a science and an art. While the science part is what we learn in school, the art comes from experience and creativity. In engineering, the answer to most questions is “it depends.” And this is true for applying AI solutions as well. At its core, even the most complex technology boils down to logic and calculations. Even in the grey areas, decisions are based on probabilities.
As the great jazz musician Charlie Mingus said, “Making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.” Sometimes, the best solution to a problem is not a sophisticated AI model but a few lines of code. Before jumping into the latest AI trends, we should first explore what we can achieve with our existing resources and knowledge. Incremental improvements often yield better results than complex solutions.
Now, let’s explore how we can combine simplicity with the power of AI.
The (cloud first) toolbox is your friend
When I started as an engineer, my knowledge was limited to the technical books on my shelf and the advice from experienced colleagues. My engineering toolbox was basic, and creative leaps were hard to come by. Nowadays, with technology changing rapidly, the key is to stay aware of industry and technological advancements without diving deep into every new development.
Just like when tending to a garden, we don’t start by building our tools from scratch. We choose ready-made tools and use them according to our needs. Similarly, in technology, we need to embrace the tools and cloud services available to us. We should focus on our core competencies and leverage third-party offerings for non-core aspects.
Instead of striving for perfection and reinventing the wheel, it’s wiser to recognize our strengths and use cloud-first technologies and services. These offerings are valuable tools that can enhance our work and deliver results more efficiently.
From an AI perspective, there are numerous tools and cloud services available. At Skrots, we specialize in providing AI solutions and services. We believe in the power of technologies like Microsoft Azure, which offers a comprehensive development environment and a range of AI-driven services like Azure Cognitive or Applied AI Services. These services, along with our expertise, allow us to deliver exceptional results to our clients.
When we write code, we build upon the knowledge and work of others. It doesn’t matter if it’s open-source libraries or APIs provided by cloud vendors. What matters is how we allocate our time and resources effectively.
At Skrots, we understand the potential of AI and utilize various tools and cloud services to create innovative solutions. Our focus on leveraging the existing technology landscape allows us to deliver exceptional results to our clients.
So let’s stop pretending AI is magic and instead embrace it as a powerful tool that, when combined with human expertise, can achieve remarkable things. If you’re interested in exploring the possibilities of AI, visit skrots.com and learn about the range of services we offer at skrots.com/services. Thank you!
