VIEWPOINT
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN ACTION AI IS BEING USED FOR DISCOVERY AND DEVELOPMENT OF DRUGS, ACCESSIBILITY, PERSONALISED EDUCATION, AND FOR CREATING A MORE EFFICIENT AND RESILIENT HEALTH SERVICE, SAYS THIERRY NICAULT, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA, AND CENTRAL EUROPE, SALESFORCE.
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CXO INSIGHT ME
AUGUST 2020
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I is being used for discovery and development of drugs, accessibility, personalised education, and for creating a more efficient and resilient health service, says Thierry Nicault, Executive Vice President, Middle East, Africa, and Central Europe, Salesforce. Today, Artificial Intelligence (AI) still feels pretty new, yet in the years ahead, like electricity, it will become part of the fabric of everyday life in the Middle East. It’s already changing our lives for the better, and in many ways you might not expect. If you have a computer, smartphone, or other smart device, you’re using AI. It’s reminding us to follow up on emails, helping us make reservations at restaurants, and making shopping easier on the go. As the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has evolved over recent months, the application of AI technologies is proving essential in transforming how we live our lives, do business, and how we tackle the virus head-on. At Salesforce, we have always believed in the power to use AI for good, and that encouragement for innovators to develop this new technology must be matched with citizens’ confidence in how it is applied. We’re used to embedding AI functionality directly into apps used by businesses everyday, saving them time and money, and helping them make smarter decisions. With voice technology, in particular, Salesforce’s development of “two-way bots” means that AI systems of the future won’t just learn the knowledge we teach them, they will also gain the capability to analyse a user’s sentiment and engage in full conversations. We envision a world in which AI will be democratized for everyone in society, a natural part of human interaction. By baking trust into every step of the AI journey we can ensure it’s safe, inclusive for all, and works for us instead of against us. At Salesforce we’re already doing this, employing