Based on a recent conversation between Joseph Sirosh, CTO for AI at Microsoft, and Roger Magoulas, VP of Radar at O'Reilly Media.
Joseph and Roger had an interesting conversation at the recently concluded O'Reilly AI Conference in San Francisco where Joseph delivered a keynote talk on Connected Arms.
Although the conversation began with a discussion around a new low-cost 3D printed prosthetic arm that can "see" and is able to connect to AI services in the cloud to generate customized grips, it quickly pivoted into a discussion about the unlimited set of possibilities that open up when low-cost devices such as this are able to take advantage of cloud connectivity, sophisticated cloud services such as AI, and link to other datasets and other things in the world around them.
True digital transformation is not about running a neural network or just about AI, as Joseph observes. It's about this ability to tap into software running as a service in the cloud, with the connectivity and global access that it brings. That endows unexpected and magical new powers to ordinary everyday things.
Joseph draws the parallel between this gadget and the digital transformation that every company and every piece of software is going through. Everything in the world will eventually be backed by a cloud service, will rely on similar connectivity, the ability to pool data, and the ability to synthesize new behaviors, behaviors that are learned in the cloud and customized for each individual or situation. That, along with the ability to improve continuously, is what sets apart this current wave of digital disruption.
Joseph concludes with the observation that a key differentiator of this platform of today is that, while traditional software did not improve (on its own accord), this new software constantly improves – and that makes all the difference.
You can watch the full interview below:
AI / ML Blog Team