AI to Help Fill Gap to Rekindle Productivity and Growth: BS Teh, Seagate
Seagate is well known for storage products. It has also made a journey into artificial intelligence, and is building a solid IT and data infrastructure.
BS Teh, senior VP of Global Sales and Sales Operations, Seagate, tells us more. Excerpts:
BW CIO: What does the future look like for organisations along in their AI journeys?
BS Teh: AI is moving from hype to reality. It is increasingly cementing its importance as a building block for modern software and applications, finding use in a wide variety of industries or tasks within them. AI adoption is already so robust that a vast majority of organisations have already implemented AI in one form or another within areas such as information technology, supply chain and logistics, as well as research and development.
Organisations stand to realize the productivity and performance gains offered by investments in AI technologies. They will be able to leverage AI to transform their organisations operations, boost productivity, efficiency, performance, innovation, and revenue.
To fully embrace and reap the benefits of AI, a solid IT and data infrastructure must be in place. It must be agile, scalable and secure as well as have sufficient processing power to manage large and varying volumes and types of data efficiently.
As organisations progress from beginners to experimenters to frontrunners in their AI journey, their growing familiarity with AI will help them realize gains in productivity and performance. At a time when India is striving to rekindle productivity and growth, AI promises to help fill the gap. A full and responsible implementation of AI will open new economic opportunities that would not otherwise exist.
BW CIO: What should be the first thing organisations address in their AI journeys
BS Teh: Today, every industry can make use of AI technology with use cases across the entire value chain and operations of most companies. However, even though there are a lot of applications and portfolio-of-initiatives across every industry, it is important for business leaders to understand this technology, find the potential area of application and understand how it can be leveraged as a competitive weapon. This will be the first step before diving into AI-enabled processes and AI-enabled business.
According to our survey Data Pulse: Maximising the Potential of AI, various areas like clear strategy, IT infrastructure, budget, talent, etc. pose challenges within an organization and it is important for the firm to overcome these challenges to maximize the potential of AI in their journey of adoption.
Most importantly, it is essential for organisations to first ensure a solid data infrastructure at the start of their journey in adopting AI. Data is the lifeblood behind AI applications and rising AI adoption will lead to increase in data volumes. A solid data infrastructure will be a strong foundation for and organisation’s AI journey.
However, organisations need to catch up. While 96 percent of the Indian organisations believe there will be an increasing need for data storage solutions with increased AI implementation, 98 percent believe further investments in IT infrastructure are still much needed.
BW CIO: What are the key challenges to AI implementation?
BS Teh: According to our Data Pulse survey, the biggest challenges in using AI in Indian organisations include:
* IT infrastructure
* Budget
* Clear strategy and direction
* Leadership team’s commitment
* Talent.
The IT infrastructure, in particular, is a key challenge. To grow their use of AI, the improvements must be made to the following aspects of an organisation’s infrastructure:
* Data storage
* Software applications
* Computing hardware
* Network equipment.
In this age of data, AI enables organisations to maximize their data and transform the wealth of data they generate and store, into strategic decisions and actions. Organisations require robust IT and data infrastructures, together with a consistent organisational policy on data management, to be able to reap the benefits of AI. Organisations must strengthen their underlying data foundation to maximize the potential of AI and enhance productivity and performance.
Our survey findings also reflect India’s cognizance of AI’s potential. 99 percent of the organisations in India have indicated plans to use more AI in the next 12 months, and 96 percent of respondents believe that AI will have an impact on the industries they are working in within the next five years.
The opportunity for companies now lies in training their employees and attracting AI experts. Our survey findings showed 97 percent of organisations believe they could do more if they had the right AI talent, and more than three-quarters indicated that it’s difficult for them to find the right talent.
AI is definitely on the minds of many business leaders. Analysts emphasize senior management will have to draw a line between the hype and real use cases and drive the impact home by realizing value from this technology.
To fully harness the opportunities presented by AI, India’s policy makers, educational institutions, economists, tech giants, corporations, budding entrepreneurs, and startups need to come together and pursue a balanced approach to AI development.
BW CIO: What are the key areas of AI implementation in India?
BS Teh: The enormous research and development taking place in the AI spectrum has paved the way for robust acceleration in diversified areas. AI implementation across business verticals shows true and rapid potential for expansion.
According to our survey, the top areas in which AI is implemented include:
* IT
* Supply Chain / Logistics
* Finance
* Production Innovation & R&D
* Customer Support.
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