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👨‍💻 Roundup: Latest in Gen AI Advancements by Tech Giants

DTP #34: Gen AI Is Making Companies More Data Oriented

We’ve compiled the latest advancements in Gen AI tech and how prominent organizations are putting them to use below. 

Quick summary: 

  • Vodafone partners with Microsoft for Gen AI 

  • NASA develops Gen AI powered Search 

  • NVIDIA uses Gen AI to power smart robots 

  • Google Cloud partners with Rad AI for Gen AI in radiology 

  • Cognizant and Microsoft partner on Gen AI assistant 

💼 AI in Business 

Survey: Gen AI Is Making Companies More Data Oriented 

Image generated by Midjourney

Generative AI is influencing organizational culture, particularly in terms of establishing a data-oriented focus. Harvard Business Review looks at the results from a survey by Wavestone

  • The survey indicates a significant positive shift in responses related to data and analytics culture, with a notable increase in organizations claiming to have established a data-driven culture. 

  • The percentage of organizations claiming to have "established a data and analytics culture" increased from 21% to 43%, and those that had "created a data-driven organization" doubled from 24% to 48%. 

  • This positive change is attributed to generative AI, which seems to have sparked cultural transformation, despite being in the experimental stage for 60% of surveyed companies. 

  • Media attention and extensive exploration of generative AI, along with the perception of it being a transformational technology, are considered key factors in the cultural impact observed. 

  • The impact of generative AI on culture is seen as substantial and permanent, not merely a result of media hype. 

  • To maximize the cultural impact of generative AI, organizations are advised to conduct broader and carefully managed experiments, implement non-public generative AI systems, and focus on education about the technology. 

  • Production deployment of generative AI is crucial for lasting cultural change, requiring planning, upskilling, process redesign, and integration with existing technology architectures. 

  • Education on generative AI, targeting executives and employees, is emphasized as essential for understanding its applications, differences from other forms of AI, governance, and broader impact on business. 

  • The potential of generative AI to transform organizations necessitates strategic thinking, experimentation, and a focus on new strategies and business models, with the expectation of continued dramatic transformation in data-oriented cultures. 

🤝 Vodafone partners with Microsoft for Gen AI 

Vodafone and Microsoft have entered into a 10-year strategic partnership aimed at transforming Vodafone's customer experience and global data center cloud strategy. 

  • Vodafone to invest $1.5 billion in cloud and customer-focused AI services in collaboration with Microsoft. 

  • Key areas of collaboration include using Microsoft Azure OpenAI for enhanced customer experiences and Microsoft Copilot for employee productivity. 

  • The partnership aims to accelerate digital transformation for business customers and improve customer experiences across Africa and Europe. 

NASA has introduced a Science Discovery Engine (SDE) powered by generative AI to enhance scientists' access to its extensive dataset. With over 88,000 datasets and 715,000 documents spread across 128 data sources, NASA aims to simplify data navigation for its researchers. 

  • The SDE is part of the Open Source Science Initiative (OSSI), focusing on transparent, inclusive, accessible, and reproducible scientific research. 

  • SDE utilizes Sinequa's enterprise search platform, incorporating neural search capabilities and Microsoft's Azure OpenAI Service. 

  • The platform allows scientists to use natural language, offering nearly 9,000 scientific terms and enabling deeper questions and refined searches. 

🤖 NVIDIA uses Gen AI to power smart robots

Ahead of CES, NVIDIA's VP of Robotics and Edge Computing, Deepu Talla, highlighted the collaboration with partners like Boston Dynamics and Collaborative Robotics to integrate GPU-accelerated large language models (LLMs) into robots. 

  • The focus is on using GPU-accelerated large language models to enhance intelligence and adaptability in machines, addressing efficiency and labor shortage challenges. 

  • The role of LLMs in breaking technical barriers was highlighted, with tools like NVIDIA Picasso and Omniverse allowing users to generate realistic 3D assets and create dynamic robot training environments. 

  • Generative AI is transforming robot deployment by making machines more adaptable and responsive to natural language, eliminating the need for purpose-built robots for specific tasks. 

🤝 Google Cloud partners with Rad AI for Gen AI in radiology 

Rad AI has entered into a partnership with Google Cloud to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) tools, particularly Google's MedLM, into its radiology platforms. 

  • Rad AI's platforms, Rad AI Reporting and Rad Omni Impressions, will benefit from the collaboration, incorporating domain-aligned gen AI models from Google. 

  • The partnership aims to increase the size and complexity of Rad AI's gen AI models, improving efficiency and reducing dictation times in radiology. 

  • The partnership follows similar agreements between Google Cloud and healthcare companies Care.AI and Huma in 2023. 

👩‍💻 Cognizant and Microsoft partner on Gen AI assistant 

Cognizant has partnered with Microsoft to launch the Innovation Assistant, a generative AI-powered tool built on Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, as part of its internal innovation program, Bluebolt. 

  • The tool is built on Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service and aims to enhance creativity and innovation among Cognizant employees addressing client challenges. 

  • The Innovation Assistant generates context-based ideas and solutions while ensuring confidentiality and safeguarding sensitive information. 

  • It is an integral part of Cognizant's Bluebolt grassroots innovation movement, providing a framework for employees to contribute to the innovation process. 

💻 Platform Highlight 

Ask-AI: Gen AI assistant for enterprise workflows. Raised $11m. 

Atlas: Raised $6m for 3D Gen AI platform for gaming and virtual worldbuilding. 

Pixis: No code AI platform raised $85m in C1 funding round. 

🌐 AI Weekly News Roundup 

A Pew Research Center survey highlights public concerns about Gen AI, with 52% more worried than excited. Job security tops worries, especially among educated workers. For restructuring professionals, Gen AI mirrors earlier tech changes, enhancing efficiency and productivity but potentially replacing tasks, posing questions about professional skill development and dependence on AI. 

AI is revolutionizing the $1.4 trillion IT services industry, promising 20% to 50% boosts in worker efficiency. While new-gen AI bots disrupt traditional work processes, integrating AI into existing systems and workflows is key. Leaders must leverage AI's value through partner demands, human-AI collaboration, software integration, measurable productivity, and CFO-led innovation for sustained competitive advantage. 

Red teaming is crucial for identifying and managing risks in generative AI. It involves simulated attacks by trusted actors to find flaws. Red teaming for AI models varies, demanding clear red team definitions, standardized testing, and codified findings. This practice, while crucial, faces challenges in implementation, requiring customized approaches based on risk assessment and degradation objectives for different AI models. 

💬 Social Highlight 

What is a Data Science/AI/ML topic you think is being overlooked? - A Reddit thread 

“AI-as-thought-partner" – A tweet  

🤖 Prompt of the week 

Act as a statistician. [Describe context] Design an A/B test for this purpose. Include the concrete steps on which statistical test I should run.

See you next week,

Mukundan

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