Olivier Mégean (BBA 91), co-founder of demain.ai, and Jonathan Moioli (E14), director of AI at NuTerms, predict that artificial intelligence will change every aspect of every company, because it demands a holistic approach.

ESSEC Alumni: What big AI transformations are taking place in businesses today? 

Olivier Mégean: AI is already there in every company, albeit discreetly. It is built into the offerings from major players in the digital industry, and increasingly in professional software packages. AI is an integral part of the digital transformation, and generally fulfils two different roles: automation or the creation of new products and services.

EA: How does AI drive change?

Jonathan Moioli: AI drives change in three ways. Firstly, the automation of processes. This is widely used already, as it is easy to set up. One concrete example is the submission of expenses claims: today, AI can extract all of the information it needs from a receipt in order to process the expenses. Secondly, support for decision-making. This is the domain of machine learning and deep learning, which lets us explore large volumes of data to develop explanatory models for events that have already happened (this is called descriptive analytics). These models can then be used to create models to predict events in the future (predictive analytics) and to make informed decisions based on these predictions (prescriptive analytics). Possible applications include modelling customer behaviour, predictive maintenance, and even personalised recommendations. Thirdly, communication and access to information. Here we are entering the field of Natural Language Processing and Text-to-Speech, which are helping computers to communicate increasingly fluently with humans: personal assistants (Google Duplex, Siri, Alexa, etc.), natural language queries, chatbots, etc.    

EA: What are the main obstacles companies encounter with regard to AI? 

O. Mégean: AI is often introduced into a company through the IT department, rather than through their core business. And it’s the latter that actually use the AI, that defines its operational aspects and sets strategic objectives. This discrepancy causes a great many issues. 

EA: Any examples?

J Moioli: Some companies launch pilot programmes but never manage to take it any further due to a lack of vision or a lack of resources – or even of any desire, because AI really starts to bear its fruits when it is scaled up, whereas initial experiments can be disappointing. Others try to bring all of the tasks AI can do in-house, and exhaust their resources reinventing solutions that are already available on the market at a lower cost. Others still commit the mistake of treating AI as an isolated subject, whereas a comprehensive, holistic approach is required to grasp its different aspects: strategy, data, technology, staffing, and governance. 

EA: What advice do you have to help businesses integrate AI into their business? 

O. Mégean: Firstly, to educate operational staff with the basics of AI. Next, analyse the use cases that are the easiest and quickest to put in place, and identify the technological solutions needed to get there. And lastly, to roll out the solution in a short time-frame, within 3 to 6 months.

J Moioli: You need to start by setting out your vision for AI. This vision must be inspired by your business, and not by the technology available on the market, which is what we see all too often. It is also important that it’s expressed in clear, measurable objectives. Only then will you be able to create a data strategy, identify the tools and skills that will be required, and establish the governance to deliver the project.  

EA: What role do you see AI playing in the businesses of the future? 

O. Mégean: AI will become more commonplace, because it brings such a boost to productivity and operational effectiveness that companies who choose not to use it will just disappear.

J Moioli: There’s a famous quote from Andrew Ng, the great machine learning professor at Stanford: “AI is the new electricity”. I share his vision. AI will profoundly redefine the way that organisations – and human societies more broadly – understand, produce, and distribute value. Some even say that AI is mankind’s last invention, predicting that all future discoveries will be made by AI itself. 

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