Some notes on AI and its applications from a venture capitalist.
Andreessen Horowitz partner Frank Chen is here to tell you that anyone can utilize the technology, not just members of the “priesthood.”
Source: Here’s The Unofficial Silicon Valley Explainer On Artificial Intelligence
Here are a few of Frank Chen’s creations:
This piece by Ken Cottrill from MIT discusses Jeanne Ross’s views on the trends in digital support of enterprises. Clearly they are growing, and it’s also apparent that there is potential for great improvement in enterprises by careful attention to what’s important. There are two nice cases cited.
But I found most interesting was her statement that
“the operations mindset is not a good fit for highly fluid digital services platforms…”
In operations we tend to think that everything is operations, or at least has a close connection, looked at from the right point of view. This statement challenges us to think through how the operations community has been limiting itself by its point of view, and perhaps needs to retool with a closer connection with the new practices of agile, customer-centric and user-motivated change.
We need even more of the design thinking and entrepreneurial attitude in operations.
Source: Turning Digital Disruption Into a Building Block for Change
According to Sean Kilcarr (writing in Fleet Owner), many of the trends in logistics boil down to technological advancements. this article and especially the study from DHL details the types of technology moving to the forefront, and makes the case that they will revolutionize logistics.
I agree with that view. And the good thing about it is that these technical changes allow evolutionary as well as disruptive innovation, and over time will move the entire field to greater efficiency and more effective performance for each customer, perhaps much faster than we think.
Many of the changes are straightforward application of technology using industrial engineering techniques. They will, however, require a highly educated and technologically literate work force. Those folks are coming along; young folks are already much more computer literate than their parents; but our educational system must still push the general populace by giving opportunities to learn coding, math, science, and engineering disciplines, and to have fun doing it through innovation and experimentation rather than boring classes.
Global logistics provider DHL believes worldwide supply chains are beginning to undergo a fundamental transformation as more “artificial intelligence” is deployed to handle both the domestic and international movement of goods
Here is the full 55 page report from DHL, downloadable here also:
Supply Chain Digest Port Technology International Marine Link
Supply Chain and Logistics 