Insight on Technology

May 2019

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3 Insight on Technology M a y 2 019 M A R Y B E T H M AT Z E K , M A N A G IN G ED I T O R M M AT Z E K @ I N S I G H T O N B U S I N E S S .C O M While touring Green Bay's Wisconsin Plastics Inc., I watched a robot grab a tray of plastic pieces out of a machine and then precisely and repeat- edly drop a small piece of metal in the same exact spot on each piece. When a human employee worked in that area, it not only posed an increased chance of error (people can get tired, while robots don't), but that worker was also at risk for a repetitive motion injur y due to the way he or she would have to move to take the parts from the machine. After Shirley (that's what employees named the robot) arrived, the employees who previously worked in that spot were moved to another part of WPI's facility where more workers were needed. That's just one example of how technology is changing today's manufacturers. Yes, Shirley replaced a human employee, but with the severe worker shortage, WPI was better able to utilize that person elsewhere. The talent deficit is not going to end anytime soon, so businesses need different ideas to get the work done. The service industry is also interested in using technology to help stem its workforce shortage. I remember listening to Oliver Buechse, execu- tive director of Advancing AI Wisconsin, last fall where he discussed how experts predict robots using AI will ser ve as front-line cashiers at fast food restaurants within 10 years. Fast food restaurants struggle to find and keep workers, and using robots would provide a good solution to their problem. Using facial recognition and AI, the robots would take your order and reference, perhaps, a previous order you'd made at the restaurant. Technology — whether it's AI or robots — provides busi- nesses with multiple solutions to their potential problems, from increasing productivity to dealing with the workforce shortage. The next few years will be fascinating to watch as companies incorporate these technologies and solutions into their businesses. A r t i f ic i a l I nte l l ige nce: We he a r about it ever y where, with experts predicting 30 to 50 percent job d i spl acement w it h i n t he ne x t 15 yea rs a s a resu lt of AI . I n fac t , t he re's eve n a website (w i l l robotsta kemy job.com) t hat pred ic t s t he l i ke l i ho o d of a n A I rob ot ta king your job. With a l l the hy pe about AI, you might thin k this is some new ty pe of technolog y. I n fact, it wa s first discussed at a confer- ence bac k i n 1956. AI ga i ned popu la rit y aga i n i n t he 1980s. I n fact, I remember my older brother ta l king about his col lege c la sses a nd sha ring how t his AI tec hnol- og y was going to c ha nge the world. T hen it disappea red aga in, unti l rough ly 1997 whe n I BM's D eep Blue st a r ted m a k i ng h e a d l i n e s . S i n c e t h e n , we h a v e s e e n steadi ly more head lines about AI a nd the amazing things it ca n do. So, what is AI? T hat's a question ever y- one i s a s k i n g t he s e d ay s . T he s i mple a n s we r i s , it 's not ju s t one t h i n g. T he longer a nswer is — AI is a group of activi- ties computers ca n do that mimic huma n t houg ht a nd actions … often fa ster t ha n we can. T he list of activities that fa l l under the AI umbrel la is long and not completely agreed upon, not even by the experts. T his ma kes tracking progress and testing capa- bi lities somewhat of a cha l lenge, even for orga n i zat ion s l i ke St a n ford Un iversit y when it pu l ls together its annua l AI Index. I f exper ts ca n't agree exact ly on what AI is, a nd how to measure its progress, do we Wisconsinites need to care? T he answer Region needs to embrace changing technology K I M I V E R S E N , D I R E C T O R , N E W I T A L L I A N C E There's no escaping AI FOREWORD i s a resou nd i ng yes! Ju st a sk t he leaders at Adva nci ng AI Wisconsi n. T hey'l l tel l you that we are woefu l ly far behind in our u ndersta nd i ng of what AI is, how it w i l l i mpact ou r loca l compa n ies a nd how we need to reski l l our workforce. For e mploye r s lo ok i n g for worke r s who have the right ski l l sets, the NE W I T A l l i a nce H ig her E duc at ion Com m it tee a nd N E W C ompute r S c ie nce Adv i sor y Board are in place to ser ve as a connection between educators and employers to ma ke su re ou r yout h w i l l g radu ate from h ig h sc hool a nd col lege w it h t he digita l sk i l ls nece ss a r y to b e i n for med c it i ze n s a nd enter a n i ncrea si ng ly d igit a l work force regard less of their chosen field. T here a re severa l questions a nd r i sk s re l ated to AI t h at need to be add ressed, but we ca n not a fford to sit id ly by wh i le ot hers a n swer t hese quest ion s. Are you ready for the wave?

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