Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere, from media coverage to general discussion; it is almost impossible to get away from AI. Its application varies from health care, education, defence services, game development, smart homes, smart medicines, automation industry and many more.  

Many machine-learning models are used in the diagnostic field and medical recommendation. Lots of bio-inspired algorithms are making an impact in the AI research field. Modern warfare now includes AI-enabled weapons and GPS-guided missiles. Self-driving cars are one of the best examples of implementing Artificial Intelligence. Facial recognition is already a commodity many customers, businesses, and government applications use, such as organizing your photos according to people, automatic tagging on social media, etc.  

Apart from the direct use of AI, there are companies which exist which provide AI services to their clientele. Such a company is EdgeVerve which is a subsidiary of Infosys. Being a global leader in AI, Automation, and Analytics, they aid their clients to innovate on business models and drive game-changing efficiency with best-of-breed digital platforms. 

AI in EdgeVerve platforms 

EdgeVerve's platforms drive operational efficiencies and eliminate inefficiencies. Numerous case studies prove this. According to Mr Sateesh Seetharamiah – CEO of Edge Platforms, EdgeVerve, there are three kinds of digital platforms for EdgeVerve. They are:  

• AssistEdge: Focus on driving automation capabilities for large enterprises.  
• XtractEdge: Enable enterprises to digitize and extract value from document 
• TradeEdge: Strategically operates in the supply chain area. 

"Our trade edge platform has delivered significant efficiencies regarding how CPG companies interact with our value chain partners. It provides real-time data to the CPG companies about the movement of products within their supply chain, enabling them to make faster and quicker decisions", said Sateesh speaking about the use cases of EdgeVerve platforms.  

"Whether it is automation, data extraction or in supply chain- AI is embedded in all of them. We leverage every capability that comes under the umbrella of AI", he added. 

AI across enterprises 

Artificial intelligence invariably conjures visions of self-driving vehicles, obliging personal assistants, and intelligent robots. But AI's effect on companies' operations is no less transformational than its impact on such products. Enterprise cognitive computing — the use of AI to enhance business operations — involves embedding algorithms into applications that support organizational processes. 

"As consumers, we use AI daily, whether we know it or not", stated Sateesh analyzing the scope of AI. In businesses, AI enables faster decision-making, thereby escalating the human mind", said Sateesh. 

Sateesh believes that pharmaceuticals and life sciences would be two areas where AI would bring significant transformation. Involvement of AI in the development of a pharmaceutical product from the bench to the bedside can be imagined given that it can aid rational drug design; assist in decision making; determine the right therapy for a patient, including personalized medicines; and manage the clinical data generated and use it for future drug development.  

The banking and telecommunication sectors widely use EdgeVerve platforms to augment their thinking. Even in the retail industry, AI is used for superior decision-making in forecasting or route planning. Sateesh also pointed out the transformative capacity of AI in the field of education. Students will have personal AI tutors to aid them through their educational journey. 

Staying relevant in the AI space 

AI is a disruptive technology. Models, technology and job roles will undoubtedly be amended due to the transformative nature of AI. This is not the first-time new technology has been introduced. 

"It is important to embrace change", says Sateesh.  

AI will become far more pervasive. Users should learn to leverage the technology based on their needs while considering the harmful effects it will bring. For instance, a developer might question their relevance if they could generate a code using AI without any extra effort. However, the engineering capabilities of a developer are necessary for all other stages of model creation. AI is incomplete without human intervention. 

Though AI accelerated the developmental process, it never eliminated the role of a human developer. Sateesh does not believe that AI is a challenge to job roles. Instead, it will elevate the performance of our engineers by augmenting their decision-making capacity. 

"My concern is not about job roles, but about the decisions AI would make", added Sateesh. Using AI in defence can bring drastic implications. AI-powered drones can bring tragic destruction if used in a war zone. And this is a fearsome use case. 

"I would be wearier about mitigating the concerns of wrongly deploying this technology rather than worry about human jobs. Because I am positive that the jobs will evolve around this technology", stated Sateesh. 

Sateesh believes that AI is an exciting space everyone should follow, and we are just starting. However, the benefits of AI technology should be counter-balanced with the risks.