Role Of Services In Artifical Intelligence


Please don’t interpret the following as IBM’s position – this is just my view . Also, after a long time, I am typing a blog post on my mac instead of on my iPhone 🙂

I am not an official spokesperson for IBM . That said, I am not a spectator from the peanut gallery either. Almost every day for last couple of years, I have been involved in the sales and delivery of projects that include some flavor of Artificial intelligence. I am sticking with AI here instead of “Cognitive” to avoid the distraction of what is AI, ML , Cognitive etc . While I do not have an academic degree in AI, I have hands on design and coding experience in this domain, and I am learning more every opportunity I get.

Couple of weeks ago, I was in Vegas for a week – attending IBM’s World of Watson event. I spoke with tens of clients and prospects, several analysts and a bunch of my colleagues from other parts of the world that I don’t get to interact frequently. One of the common themes in this conversation was the role of services in AI. Variants of this topic also caught my attention on social media as well – mostly from analysts. The big difference between the people I spoke with was that many analysts were dismissive or pessimistic about the role of services, and clients did not seem to care what was product and what was services – they did not seem to care much about the distinction. Either way, this topic picked my interest bigly 🙂

There are many reasons to be pessimistic about the role of services in AI

  1. Things that caught the imagination in past like ERP, data warehousing etc all had big services components and many projects were plagued with cost over runs. Why repeat the mistake with AI ?
  2. Most AI initiatives – from IBM, Google etc – are cloud based. Cloud should not need as much services, right ?
  3. AI in general comes with a cloud of uncertainty about the future of mankind. Almost every person I know has a strong position on Universal Basic Income thanks to this fear. Why accelerate the apocalypse by promoting services on AI?
  4. AI is in its nascent stage. Services is what hides the immaturity of the product and hence deserves a public take down. In any case, it is more cool to be on the side of product and be opposed to services.

If you are running out of patience already on what my take is – I believe services will be integral to the present and future of AI, for a long time . Here is why ( and its long – get a beer or coffee ).

The nirvana state of AI for me is when computers can mimic ( and accelerate) human thoughts instead of just human tasks. We are a long way away from that stage. But what is possible today is already good enough to help individuals and businesses in tangible ways – often with “order of magnitude” benefits. People who criticize AI as immature often do not recognize that many companies use it heavily today, and its a part of many apps on your phone. The future is already here, and its getting more evenly distributed as well 🙂

A lot of people think – and I get asked almost every day – that systems like IBM Watson are big monoliths like traditional ERP systems. While the start was certainly that way , AI today is largely a set of APIs that application developers can mix and match for their unique needs. These are quite well defined APIs and even someone like me who is not a full time developer can figure out how to use it pretty quickly.

One such API is speech to text . You input the audio, and you get text as output – that is pretty much it. There is no end to the useful scenarios this “simple” API can be used in ( closed captioning in TV for example). However, there are very few people relatively who know such an API exists, and even fewer who know how to integrate into existing workflows in their business to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the process. Consultants can help their clients explore how AI can be incorporated into their existing processes. This kind of integration work is perhaps the most tactical use of AI services today.

While tactical uses are awesome, most companies have little interest in things that make incremental changes. I have a client who is in the entertainment business. The leader in their industry is about 4 times bigger than them. They are betting on AI as the way to leapfrog the leader and become the top dog in their industry. A good part of that project is the strategic planning – what bets to make, what trade offs to consider, how to mitigate risks etc. AI Advisory is probably the most exciting part of the future of consulting business. It needs a unique mix of AI knowledge , the intimate knowledge of specific industries, and business process expertise. In other words – product is not the lone differentiator.

I explain this to my clients as “It is not what we make with AI, it is what we make possible with AI. We will help you build the bridge from where you are to where you need to be” . 

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There are some “tangential” scenarios too for AI in the Enterprise IT world. Between ERP and Data warehousing, countless days of my life was spent in getting data cleansed and transformed. For the most part, even with SaaS and big data – we worry a lot about GIGO ( garbage in garbage out). AI will help us take a fresh look at this problem. What we call as “garbage” data might contain many useful nuggets. We might not need to transform it row by row to get meaningful insights – AI can figure out useful patterns. Coupled with the modern big data management systems, this could make a lot of ETL disappear for scenarios where directionally correct insights are more important than precise information. It needs services – the kind that generates actual value and gets rid of a lot of terribly inefficient code. Actually not just code, also the precious human effort wasted in fixing the “garbage” data !

This post is already becoming quite long, so I will stop with making just one more topic – a favorite for both my clients and my analyst friends. Companies around the world have invested heavily in ERP systems ( and satellites for SRM, CRM etc). Those assets have not all been sweated sufficiently quite yet. Some of these vendors have modernized ( mostly about moving to cloud, and making the systems faster ). However, in the promise of “better, faster, cheaper” – the “better” part is largely unfulfilled today. I firmly believe the missing ingredient is purposeful use of AI.

Lets take the mundane case of managing collections – where optimization today means you outsource it and make it someone else’s problem. Cost of collection is not trivial for most clients I have met – but they have mostly just accepted it as a fair cost of doing business. Efficiency is improved by mostly fine tuning the process  part of it – like how many dunning cycles need to be run, but with very little personalization. We recently implemented some elementary AI ( trade off analytics, speech to text , text to speech etc) for a client who is a giant in the world of education ( took less than a month to implement it) and the client saw 20% better collections immediately after that.

Optimizing collections is really a trivial use case (and even that has tremendous ROI)  if we look at the power of AI available today. Exponentially better implementations will be possible (and already in the works) when we combine AI with other emerging stuff like say blockchain .

While I have no doubts that services will play a major role in the field of AI – I will be the first to admit that practitioners have a lot of learning and retooling to do to add value to their clients. The good consultants have always been life long learners – what is perhaps different for them is just the speed at which they need to learn now. Its a fast evolving field and there is just no time to sit back and say “I am an expert” any more.

PS: If working in AI, integrating cognitive capabilities to existing systems, Advising clients on making use of AI etc are things that you are good at, and you promise to keep learning – I am hiring. Ping me at Vijay dot Vijayasankar at US dot IBM dot COM . 

Analytics about people – nothing but land mines all around 


Just so everyone who reads this is clear on my views on “HR” as a term , pls read this https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140312204229-5106401-i-am-a-human-not-a-human-resource . For me – Nothing trumps “respect for individuals” when it comes to people .

I am a big fan of using analytics as a decision support mechanism in the corporate world . However , the importance of context is unusually high when it comes to using analytics to make decisions about people – hiring , career progression , firing or anything else of that nature . If we are not context sensitive , I can almost guarantee you that analytics about people will almost always lead to poor decisions .

People – unlike resources ( the R in HR) or Capital ( the C in HCM ) – are not fungible. 

When we do analytics on cash , inventory etc every unit is the same and we can make good decisions on aggregated information . People are not the same – and at an aggregated level, the data is usually misleading .

Let’s say our Sales is going south and we need to find a list of sales reps to fire . The standard analytics is to find quota attainment of all reps , and take the bottom list and fire them . More experienced managers might give some allowance for forward looking pipeline to see if some of the people need to be given a second chance . If the decision to fire is taken at top management level – everyone in sales looks the same and finance department could just say “you need to let go of 5 telesales reps ” . The spreadsheet does not usually tell you all the different characteristics that make each Rep different ( like say only one of the reps is multilingual and that is super useful in real life)  , whether there are mitigating circumstances ( 4 managers changed for telesales team in one year and each had a different strategy) , etc .

Unlike assets and resources , people care about other people 

If you choose to discount your widgets heavily to do a fire sale , or throw away a few to scrap – the remaining widgets don’t get affected . It’s not the same with people. 

If your friends and colleagues are poorly treated – especially for reasons you have to guess because no one told you – It will affect your performance on the job. Best case it decreases your performance on the job temporarily , and worst case you will walk out of the door and find another job . How you will react is also probably different from how any of your colleagues will react to the same decisions . 

The new VP for sales might cost more than existing Sales leaders . That is market reality and you can’t fight it if you want to hire top talent . Analytics can even prove that the salary is par for course . What it might not tell you is the cost of replacing the existing top gun sales leader who is pissed off when she finds out the new person is making more . Unlike assets – people talk ! 

Analytics can’t be big brother 

Aggregated data is the problem – but analytics can still figure out a lot about individuals by gathering fine grained data about each person, and in many cases without violating laws . This still doesn’t mean it is ethical to “snoop”. If you leave a social media exhaust , you are not really permitting your employer or anyone else to use it against you . World will be a terrible place when employers  (and government ) keeps tabs on you all the time . 

Finance and HR don’t look at “people” the same way 

If you ask the CFO and Chief HR officer of a big company on how many people work there – the chance is high that you will get two different answers . And each will only trust their own number . There are good “technical” reasons for this discrepancy ( like how each function defines FTE )  – but this also causes a lot of bad decision making when HR and finance data is combined to make people decisions 

I could go on with what else causes bad HR decisions , but let me wind up here with a parting thought . In near future , Robots will become part of what HR supports today . All this analytics that don’t work as intended when it comes to people – they will work much better when it comes to machines . So perhaps it was not all wasted effort after all 🙂

Making Business Travel Bearable 



I had a huge fascination for air travel as a kid . My dad traveled frequently ( at least once a month) on work , and I had some rich relatives who flew regularly to America and Europe for family vacations . They would tell me great stories of their travels and bring me back little goodies – like a can of Coke ( which was not available in India at that time ) My resolve became stronger over teenage years that I need a job that let me fly frequently all over the world .

My wish was granted . Fast forward 20 years since I graduated – and millions of miles behind me – all I can say is WHAT THE **** WAS I THINKING ???

By conventional terms for me  – 2016 so far has been a “light travel” year. And today I saw that I had already qualified (yet again) for the highest tier of my Airline frequent flier program for following year , as well as for the hotel chain I use . I am sure more than half my colleagues had those same emails 6 months ago. The last time I felt good about getting such emails was the first time I got it and I can’t even remember which year that was . 

Those who know me can vouch that repetition bores the heck out of me . That is why despite the extreme dislike for travel – I am still in the consulting business . I get the variety of challenges that keep me motivated every day I wake up . If clients for any reason choose not to challenge me – I am sure my employer will pick up the slack and throw a few challenges my way …. you know , just to keep me sharp 🙂

Effective and efficient travel is a life skill for anyone in this business . I keep picking up new skills and make little tweaks as I conquer the sky miles . Here are a few that I think are my basics – with no claims that it will work for you too 🙂

1. Be a minimalist about everything you pack

If you need 3 shirts for the trip and want 5 , stick to 3 . If you run into an emergency – buy a new one or hit the laundry. In 20 years I have had to do that maybe three times . 

A big part of traveling comfortably is to pick a great bag to be your constant companion . Although not fashionable ( and un-executive like according to my mom)  – I use a backpack for my laptop and books , and one stroller for my clothes be it a one day trip or a 5 day trip. Many friends choose multiple bags to suit length of travel. 

Many consultants go the same city every week for several months . When I had that kind of travel,  I used to leave some dailybuse stuff at my regular hotel (or under my desk in a bag) to avoid carrying it . 

I dress for comfort . Unless the client needs me to – I won’t wear a suit and tie . Comfortable shoes that also look decent is probably the best investment I make on shopping front.

2. Try as hard as you can to not checkin luggage 

You cannot buy time . Even when you have nothing better to do – it’s better spent reading a book , or (and?) drinking a beer at the airport bar than standing in line to check in your bag and then waiting to pick it up at the destination . 

3. Ignore the pain and earn top tier loyalty levels at airlines and hotels ( optionally car rentals too)

Pick an airline that works for 80% of your travel and stick to them till your breaking point . I have come dangerously close to getting out of it a few times but I haven’t taken the final step yet . As you travel more – upgrades become your best friend . And the bonus points help a lot . I forgot the last time I paid for a hotel or airline when I took a family vacation . I have stopped renting cars almost fully – mostly because of the nature of my current job . I stick to cabs and uber now and it works splendidly . But in many cities – rental cars still make sense . 

4. Choose a credit card wisely for travel 

Those points help with vacation . Some will also make airline club memberships cheaper . Balance it against annual fees and pick one up and use it regularly . Always keep a backup card too – Murphy is always watching you ! 

5. Enroll in TSA-Pre and Global Entry

Although those lines are getting longer compared to when it got introduced – for the most part it’s easier to get through them than the regular frequent flier lines. I have a few friends who don’t enrol due to privacy concerns – and it makes a great beer conversation after their tired selves join me at the bar after a two hour journey through the regular line . For me this is the best $100 a consultant can spend every 4 years 

6. Minimize the need to travel 

It’s really hard to not travel at all for business – except in a few cases ( say where you have extremely good skills and are in a hot market without a lot of competition ). But all of us can minimize travel by good use of phone , email , social media etc . I often choose to travel even if I can get work done through electronic media – mostly because human-to-human interaction has greater quality . 

7. Build a time saving routine 

Routine keeps us sharp and reduces variance and hence reduces risk. I am on autopilot for several things when I travel . Be it packing , booking , driving , eating or exercising – build a routine and it will help tremendously over time . For example – I know it takes 12 minutes for me from gate to exit at PHX airport . So I book my uber ride to perfectly match when I am stepping out and have zero wait 

8. Strike conversations every chance you get 

I can check email later – but if I can strike a conversation with a stranger , I will do it . These are not long boring talks and if the other person is not interested I move on quickly. But I have learned a lot from these conversations – especially from cab drivers across the world . When I have hypothesis to test on social and political issues – nothing beats airport and hotel bars . Over the years – I have even built the foundation of a few business relationships this way . Funny enough – I have met more fellow IBMers in airports than at any other place 🙂

9. Never eat alone 

I try really hard to not eat alone when I am on the road . After work conversations over food and beverages are the best way to know your customers and colleagues . It has the Magic effect of building solid relationships over time . And it keeps the boredom away 

10. Call home 

I usually call in evenings to catch-up with my wife and daughter . And I call my parents and in-laws from cabs on my way from airports . And I post updates during the day on Facebook so that they know what I am up to . What I don’t do well is to restrict the audience to just my wife , my sister , my mom etc – but that is just my laziness . 

11. Music , reading , writing , exercise ..

I use my phone for listening to music , to read and also to write emails and blogs . I always prefer being agile over being elegant and formal and it mostly works for me . I am not big into working out – so I use airports and offices to walk fast , climb stairs and so on to make up for it . I don’t always succeed . 

What are your tips ?