When it comes to artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), we don’t have to look any further than our own entertainment and media to see what our society thinks about these systems taking control. Many science fiction films paint a bleak picture of what happens when AI gets a little too much power. Whether it’s due to their immense capability to outthink and overperform, or just the fact that we don’t have to go any further than our own social media feeds to see AIs run amok and pick up the worst behaviors, our fears of these powerful technologies going rogue are not exactly unfounded.
That’s not to say it’s all bad; we’ve seen that with a proper understanding of what’s in our data, paired with a proper management strategy, AI and ML can not only enhance information but also elevate its true potential.
When we take a step back and look at data holistically, it’s no surprise that an untrained AI could have an absolute field day with all the information at its disposal. Veritas published the Data Genomics Report to help uncover and understand what makes modern data both dangerous and valuable. Inside every petabyte of enterprise data (which is larger than 15,000 smartphones in average storage capacity) there are over 3 billion individual files. Each file contains the potential to house some key piece of data that is critically valuable to its greater organization. These files are also valuable to anyone who would take advantage of and misuse the data for their own needs.
Over the course of the last three years there were more than 2 billion individuals affected by data breaches—each breach targeting organizations, their customers and ultimately, customers’ private data.
Given the inherent danger of exposing such a large amount of data to theft, it’s not a huge surprise that these organizations are turning to new technologies like AI and ML to combat the situation.
Properly maintained and managed, data leads to a more productive and optimal path for AI and ML to succeed. The grooming process starts with:
- PROTECTION, because having the ability to recover and respond to threats and losses is critical to building a stronger informational structure.
- CLASSIFICATION follows, ensuring that all data is known, understood and accounted for. Classification paves the way for…
- ACTION, because once data is protected and classified, then data can manage data, which allows policies, processes and artificial intelligences to do something meaningful with a dataset. Additionally, with GDPR, the ability to delete and modify data that is out of regulatory compliance is also incredibly important and something we all must address.
The excitement around a level of performance and learning beyond human capabilities is tantalizing. When we apply the previously mentioned grooming processes, we can let data manage data—opening the doors to let AI and ML flourish. Whether they are taking on tasks like uncovering personally identifiable information (PII) tucked away in the recesses of a once-lost database or working with a neural network to find hidden insights in a massive image repository, AI and ML have nearly limitless opportunities to produce value from data. We can help you remove fear and uncertainty from the AI and ML equation. Using Veritas as a foundation for protecting and classifying your data, you can start improving your business processes today.
This article was originally published in The Wall Street Journal TECH on March 19, 2019 by Custom Studios—a unit of The Wall Street Journal advertising department. The Wall Street Journal news organization was not involved in the creation of this content.
