AAIA's AI Beat Newsletter: The week's news, Chapter President Spotlight: Kamran Khan (London, UK)

In today’s newsletter:

• Recent AI news stories that caught our (and Perplexity AI’s!) eye

• Chapter President Spotlight: Kamran Khan, AAIA London, UK, Europe Chapter

• Become an AAIA member

AI in business and the enterprise news:

Here’s what Perplexity AI said were notable news stories over the last week:

• Big Tech doubles down on AI, $200 billion gamble raises concerns on Wall Street (TechSpot, November 2, 2024)

  • “Tech giants are set to spend a staggering $200 billion on AI-related capital expenditures this year, according to Bloomberg's calculations, marking an all-time high for these companies. It is an unprecedented level of investment, ranging from securing scarce high-end chips and constructing expansive data centers to forging deals with energy providers and even reviving a controversial nuclear plant for power.”

  • “Wall Street's response was mixed as the tech giants reported varied financial results this quarter. Amazon and Alphabet saw their shares soar after beating earnings expectations, largely due to strong growth in their cloud-computing divisions. However, Meta and Microsoft experienced stock declines following concerns about spending plans and cloud revenue growth projections.”

• Microsoft Copilot AI use extends deep into corporate America, but companies aren’t 100% sold (CNBC, October 29, 2024)

  • “Virtually no firms are on the fence when it comes to AI adoption, broadly speaking. Roughly two-thirds (63%) of the tech executives surveyed say new investments in AI are accelerating, while another third say they are evaluating AI investments but describe their efforts as cautious.”

  • “According to recent Deloitte research, two-thirds of organizations are increasing gen AI investments based on “strong early value to date.” However, when it comes to scaling that value, a different picture emerges. Many enterprise AI projects remain in what Deloitte refers to as the pilot or proof-of-concept stage, with over two-thirds of organizations saying they have moved 30% or fewer of their gen AI experiments into full production.”

  • “Rowan said it is not a surprise to see Microsoft with a lead in the enterprise AI race as it can become harder for firms to make the investment case, at least in the early days, the farther away it moves from Microsoft 365 Copilot. That tool fits into an existing tech platform already rolled out across the enterprise and embedded in the way we work. But for many other AIs, Rowan said, “there is no really easy button to press like Microsoft 365.””

  • “At this point in the AI adoption curve, it is not logically inconsistent for executives to say they are not sure what the KPIs or ROI will be, but that their firms need to be “on this AI journey,” according to Rowan.”

• What is enterprise AI? A complete guide for businesses (TechTarget, October 29, 2024)

  • “Enterprise AI refers to the artificial intelligence technologies used by companies to transform their operations and gain a competitive advantage. These AI tools include machine learning, natural language processing, robotics and computer vision systems -- sophisticated hardware and software that is difficult to implement and rapidly evolving. Enterprise AI applications also require specialized skills plus large quantities of high-quality data.”

  • “To reap the value of AI in the enterprise, business leaders must understand how AI works, where AI technologies can be aptly applied in their businesses and where they cannot -- a daunting task that starts with the need for effective data management.”

  • “The value of AI to 21st-century businesses has been compared to the strategic value of electricity in the early 20th century when electrification transformed industries like manufacturing and created new ones such as mass communications. "AI is strategic because the scale, scope, complexity and the dynamism in business today is so extreme that humans can no longer manage it without artificial intelligence," Chris Brahm, senior advisory partner at Bain & Company, told TechTarget.”

  • “One of the biggest barriers to effectively using AI in the enterprise is well documented: worker mistrust. Professional services firm KPMG found that 61% of the respondents to its "Trust in Artificial Intelligence: Global Insights 2023" survey were either ambivalent about or unwilling to trust AI. A 2024 Salesforce survey of nearly 6,000 knowledge workers worldwide showed that 56% of AI users found it difficult to get what they wanted from the technology and 54% said they didn't trust the data used to train AI systems, putting increased AI adoption by those users at risk.”

• Google: 7 pieces of AI news we announced in October (Google, November 1, 2024)

  • “We gave Google Maps its biggest AI update ever. For nearly 20 years, Google Maps has transformed the way we navigate and explore. Today, thanks to its biggest AI update ever, Maps is getting even more helpful. Now, you’ll be able to ask Maps more complex queries, like “things to do with friends” to get answers curated with Gemini, quick answers to questions about a place — in addition to helpful review summaries when you don’t have time to read through each one. Plus, to help take the stress out of driving, we added new features to help you with every step of your drive — like the ability to explore along your route before you head out. The latest AI update in Maps means that whether you’re traveling across town or around the world, you can get the most up-to-date information possible, when you need it.”

  • “Search got a major AI update, expanding the types of questions people can ask. AI has already helped us reimagine Google Search, so people can ask questions in new ways — whether typing a query, searching with a camera or even humming a tune. In October, we added even more updates, including helping people to identify songs in Circle to Search, shop for what they see and search with video. For example, when people visit the aquarium they can open Lens in the Google app and hold down the shutter button to record the fish while asking aloud, “why are they swimming together?” — AI will make sense of the video and produce an AI Overview, along with helpful resources from across the web. The world is in constant motion, and Search can now help people understand it, as it is.”

• AI safety advocates tell founders to slow down (TechCrunch, November 5, 2024)

  • ““We are at an inflection point where there are tons of resources being moved into this space,” said Sarah Myers West, co-executive director of the AI Now Institute, onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. “I’m really worried that right now there’s just such a rush to sort of push product out onto the world, without thinking about that legacy question of what is the world that we really want to live in, and in what ways is the technology that’s being produced acting in service of that world or actively harming it.””

  • ““We are building something that has a lot of power and the ability to really, really impact people’s lives,” said Jingna Zhang, founder of artist-forward social platform Cara. “When you talk about something like Character.AI, that emotionally really engages with somebody, it makes sense that I think there should be guardrails around how the product is built.””

AAIA Chapters updates:

We’ll be introducing a Chapter President to you each week.  This week, we feature Kamran Khan, AAIA Chapter President for London, UK, Europe:

Company and position: Global VP, Partner Alliances, CareAR, a Xerox Company

Bio:

Kamran Khan is a global leader with over two decades of experience in digital transformation, AI, and partnerships. He has worked in leadership roles across vendors, customers, and service providers, giving him a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities in applying advanced technologies. In his current role as the Global VP of Partner Alliances at CareAR, Kamran has led the adoption of advanced technology such as augmented reality and AI through unique industry partnerships to enhance customer and employee experiences across various sectors, consistently delivering real-world solutions with measurable outcomes.

As Chapter President of the Applied AI Association, Kamran is committed to fostering cross-industry collaboration that drives the practical application of AI. By connecting professionals and organizations from diverse sectors, he aims to bridge the gap between AI innovation and real-world impact, ensuring that AI technologies are applied responsibly and effectively to solve pressing business challenges.

Why I Am Excited to Be an AAIA Chapter President:
I am honored to take on the role of Chapter President at the Applied AI Association, an organization focused on advancing the practical application of AI across industries. This role provides a unique opportunity to foster meaningful collaboration through community building and innovation, enabling businesses to leverage AI responsibly and effectively.

What I Hope to Accomplish in the Upcoming Year as Chapter President:
My priority for the next year is to establish a strong community that raises awareness of current, real-world applications of AI across industries. By highlighting practical use cases, we can unlock untapped potential and then leverage this cross-industry expertise to foster innovation and drive consensus on key issues such as standards, policy, and safety in AI.

Additional thoughts:
The Applied AI Association’s focus on the applied aspect of AI is critical to driving real impact. I look forward to using my experience across sectors to foster partnerships that ensure AI innovations are not just theoretical, but deliver tangible, lasting value.

Email Kamran Khan at: [email protected]

Our list of AAIA Chapters continues to grow!  If you live in a Chapter city/region and would like to get involved, email your city’s/region’s Chapter President.