I can't believe it's been over a week since AI LIVE 2023 took place, marking the culmination of our incredible AI Impact Series! Thank you so much to all the members, speakers and partners who came together for a fantastic day of panels, presentations, interviews, roundtable discussions and of course networking. The day was filled with lively and thought provoking discussions covering topics ranging from evaluating the business impact of AI to identifying AI opportunities at your organisation, and exploring the art of the possible. 

Let's take a look now at a few of the key takeaways that came out of such an insightful day. 

1. “If you don't know the business problem, you won't know the value of AI” 

The day kicked off with our speakers exploring how to evaluate AI’s potential business value, as well as where it’s likely to have the most impact. Ultimately, to harness the full potential of AI organisations must first identify clear business problems and objectives. The truth is that AI can be a waste of time and money if you use it to try and solve the wrong problem. 

2. “Building great things that aren't used doesn’t lead to ROI”

Whether it's optimising weather predictions at The Met Office, perfecting a bread baking schedule at Waitrose, or designing an optimal cleaning route at a caravan park, our speakers illustrated a diverse range of use cases at all stages of their AI journeys. While exploring the art of the possible in experimenting and developing AI, some of our speakers candidly discussed their biggest fear - wild success. Is your organisation ready to implement the change and harness the full potential of AI? 

3. "Make data a key focus in your organisation, because without data, you're just a person with an opinion"

Our speakers identified data management and data quality as particular pain points when deploying AI. Throughout the day, the importance of data was continuously emphasised as something that is no longer just a part of IT; data is now an integral part of business. In fact, without a robust data strategy, organisations risk falling behind. If the metadata is organised, it makes unstructured data usable. In fact it was contended that metadata is even more important than data itself.

4. “Transparency and explainability of AI is key”

Unsurprisingly, the ethical usage of AI took centre stage amidst what has been described in catastrophic tones and doomsday narratives in recent media coverage. In reality, AI’s trajectory is far less alarming when approached responsibly. So how should organisations balance the need for regulation, while providing employees with the freedom to innovate? Furthermore, with AI relying on the collection and analysis of data, often including personal information, is every customer aware of how their data is being used? The truth is that regulation is still only catching up with developments. Organisations must embed ethical usage into what they are doing right now, and do so transparently and fairly. 

This was my first Chief Disruptor summit, and I am so proud of what we all achieved. And I can't wait for Chief Disruptor LIVE on 2 November 2023.