Is your data AI ready?

Intelligent data: what it is, and why it matters

I know a lot of people are wary of AI. The idea that software might make better decisions than lawyers, scientists, or doctors takes a bit of getting used to. But AI is already improving the world in wonderful ways. 

AI is processing images to improve scientists’ understanding of wildlife populations. Advanced research shows that AI could do a better job than some doctors of identifying eye problems. And AI is already analysing documents to provide lawyers with relevant case histories.

None of this is science fiction. These are real projects that are reducing costs, improving accuracy, and removing repetitive tasks from highly skilled people, freeing them up to do more valuable and interesting  work. 

Whilst we marvel at the intelligence and friendliness of ChatGPT, many businesses executives are trying to figure out how best to use AI to stay competitive.  The irony is that answer may be surprisingly simple.

1. Learn about AI: what it really is, how it works, and why it matters in your industry.
2. Bring data together: AI works best on large volumes of trustworthy data. That means you need to bring disparate data sources together into one unified and secure data platform. 
3. Get your data in shape. Clean it up. Match different data sources. Remove duplicates. Have an audit trail so you can trust the output. Add meta data. 
4. Rinse and repeat. Put processes in place so new data is added and cleaned ready for analysis. 
5. Make it visual. Microsoft Power BI has AI capabilities that make it much easier to visualise data, and to find data insights. 

AI is a disruptor, there can be little doubt about that. But figuring out how it will disrupt specific industries is more difficult to predict. But businesses who use data to uncover insights, and help their people make better decisions are outperforming those who do not. But everyone has to get started by understanding what the opportunities might be, and prototyping the possibilities.

Microsoft and the Azure intelligent data platform is a leader for Analytics and Business Intelligence platforms. From Power BI, Microsoft Fabric, to Azure SQL Database and CosmosDB, there’s a data platform to meet data needs large and small. 

If you are thinking about your next steps into an AI-powered world, get in touch to see whether our data engineering experience could help.