February 25, 2020 • 29 mins
With the advent of 5G technology and unlimited sensors, we will have access to unprecedented amounts of data, which poses the question: how can we best leverage that data creatively to encourage the financial success of millions? Advancements in machine learning and artificial intelligence automating processes for small businesses will allow them to not only make ends meet but also to thrive. That's the goal of a true restless one and big thinker--Ashok Srivastava, Chief Data Officer at Intuit. Ashok joined host Jonathan Strickland to talk about how his team combines the powers of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analyzation to eliminate unneeded tasks and help customers prosper. Make sure to check out other episodes in this series featuring: Firdaus Bhathena, Chief Digital Officer of CVS Health and Rob Carter, Chief Information Officer of FedEx.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the Restless Ones. I'm Jonathan Strickland. I've spent
the last twelve years covering technology and learning how it works,
demystifying everything from massive parallel processing to advanced robotics and
everything in between. As we stand at the beginning of
a new era of unprecedented connectivity with the rollout of
(00:21):
five G technology, I'm partnering with T Mobile for Business
to sit down with some of the visionary leaders in
tech across all industries, from companies like Universal Music Group
and fed X and many more that play an integral
part of our economy to get a better understanding of
how tech and connectivity will change business forever. These leaders
(00:42):
are the pioneers who don't follow trends. They define them.
This show is their story. They are the restless Ones.
So with the advent of five G, you with that
amazing network capability, with the advent of new sensor technology
(01:05):
that's again going to be in the billions around the world,
there's no doubt that the data that's coming in is
going to be extraordinary in size. REDDA statistic that says
that we're going to have ten times the amount of
data produced that was produced in imagine that level of
(01:26):
data and information coming in now. My question is do
we have the computation power, do we have the people,
do we have the know how, and do we have
the algorithms to actually analyze that data and make sense
out of it to help move society forward. I got
(01:48):
to sit down with a Shock Servastava, the Chief Data
Officer for into It. As c DO, Servastava's responsibilities include
using emerging technologies to better serve into it and It's customers.
He is a big thinker who sees the opportunities presented
by cutting edge technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning,
(02:09):
both within the financial industry and beyond. Moreover, he sees
how the next wave of connectivity will enable these technologies
to transform the world in truly profound ways, from helping
business owners make critical financial decisions about dynamic situations at
a moment's notice, to leveraging technology in an effort to
monitor and combat climate change. Serravastava envisions a world empowered
(02:34):
by technology, data, and five G connectivity. He explained how
advanced technologies will help US monitor and foster financial well being,
just as CVS Healths Chief Digital Officer for US, Bethana
described how these technologies will impact our physical health. In
our previous episode, I asked a show to share some
(02:54):
of the insight he has developed as a leader in
tech a choke. I want to thank you so much
for joining me today. It's a real pleasure to get
a chance to speak with you. Well, first of all, Jonathan,
thank you so much for inviting me to do this podcast.
It's very exciting for me a show. What areas of
(03:15):
tech particularly excite you? So I work in the field
of artificial intelligence, so that's what really keeps me going
and excited. So artificial intelligence and machine learning are terms
that I love, but there are also terms that I
feel tend to get very fuzzy the way people talk
about them. Artificial intelligence to me is one of those
things that can mean so many different things to so
(03:37):
many different people. So I'm curious, could you perhaps give
us what what your personal definitions are for those terms. Yeah. Absolutely,
Artificial intelligence is the science that's the study of making
machines that can exhibit some of the capabilities that humans have,
giving it that ability to understand and maybe even take
(03:58):
an action. Those are some of the things that I
find exciting in artificial intelligence. And machine learning is an
important component of it because you and I as we
grew up, we learned from examples. We watched other people,
we read things, heard music, we went to the zoo,
We learned things about the world around us by seeing examples. Well,
(04:19):
machine learning is the mathematical way that we can give
machines the ability to learn from examples. And so these
two things go hand in hand, and they're extremely exciting
because what we're seeing today is a huge revolution in
the field which is starting to power a lot of
the things that we take for granted. A show points
(04:39):
out a really fundamental idea here the humans do outperform
machines in areas of learning, but his goals are to
bridge that gap. I wanted to find out how can
he leverage both machine learning and artificial intelligence Today as
c do of into it, the goals that we have
are to number one, deliver the best value and the
(05:01):
best experiences to our customers to help them power prosperity
around the world. And as we're doing that, we're thinking
about how artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data can come
together in order to power those experiences. And we're doing
it across the product portfolio. We think about things in
Turbo tax or in MINT or in quick books, and
(05:23):
using the knowledge that we have, using the data and
the artificial intelligence and machine learning to really give better
experiences to our end customers. I don't know if you
have looked at the I R. S Code, the tax code,
but it's literally eighty thousand pages. Now, when I think
about reading eighty thousand pages of code, I can't even
(05:45):
imagine where to begin or where to end. But we
have to have an understanding of literally every line of
that tax code. We've built capabilities to actually ingest what
meaning read that documentation and produce computer code that interprets
the US tax code. So that's just one example. This
(06:05):
is one of the most phenomenal and frankly one of
the deepest examples of the use of knowledge engineering, natural
language processing, and machine learning that I've come across, because
now we have actually a graph of information in our
machines that can help us understand and interpret the U
S tax code so that we can give the best
(06:26):
experience to our customers. There are many other examples where
we have helped people make a determination whether they should
use standard versus itemized tax deductions. It's a big deal
because if you go down the itemized route, it can
take you a lot of time to fill out your taxes.
In some cases, we're able to differentiate between the two,
saving people millions of hours of time across the United States.
(06:49):
So these are examples of where AI is operating, and
I'll point out that the consumer doesn't know that AI
is operating and there it's not like it ashes on
the screen. It's just happening in the background, which is
a great experience for people because they just want to
get their work done. We're seeing these sort of applications
across multiple industries. Right where this is a phenomenal example
(07:14):
because you've just taken something that is truly complex for
human beings. I was just talking about how humans are
really good at, you know, figuring out broad categories from
a few examples. This is the opposite, right where you've
got a massive amount of information, and we know that
human beings are not great at dealing with large amounts
(07:34):
of information. Once you get past a certain amount, our
capacity to handle it starts to drop off dramatically, and
for something as pivotal as as taxes, that's not a
good thing. So in what other ways have you seen this,
this sort of rise in the complexity and sophistication of
machine learning and artificial intelligence. Uh, kind of grow in
(07:56):
other industries. How is it starting to change our world?
So many years ago, I used to work for NASA
and I saw some of the most exciting applications of
AI and machine learning there. So, if you think about
the commercial airline industry in the United States and around
the world, we have millions of airplanes that are flying,
(08:16):
millions of flights that are in operation on a daily basis. Now,
as that data comes in off of those aircraft, the
question is do we have the ability to analyze that
in real time and make some determinations about safety, about
the aircraft's health and so forth. And once you have
that data, you can't just look at it in tabular form.
(08:38):
Nobody can do that. But what you can do is
synthesize it through machines, through machine learning, and then actually
developed models that can help people make better predictions and
understanding what's happening. Yeah, and I love that you're main
shaying real time that's a very important component to what
I'm interested in as well, and that you know we're
(09:00):
you've entered into this era where people call it big data.
At this point, we're talking bigger data because we're gathering
data from so many different sources, whether it's people uh
interacting with technology directly, whether it's sensors that are embedded
in various systems, and we're seeing more and more sophisticated
back end systems to h to analyze and make use
(09:22):
of that data. At the same time, now we're starting
to enter into a new level of connectivity where we're
able to get ubiquitous, fast, high throughput, low latency connectivity. Uh.
I would imagine that this is going to open up
an entire new world of opportunities for various implementations of
(09:43):
technologies that could be truly transformative. I'm wondering, have you
given much thought to what the potential is in a
world where we have uh, you know, unprecedented broadband connectivity
that is truly persistent and ubiquitous absolute. Really, this is
a world that's going to be so incredibly exciting and
(10:05):
will lead to such profound changes. Let me tell you why.
I say that. So, once you have that level of bandwidths,
that much network connectivity worldwide, and we started deploying sensors
not just a few hundred or a few thousand, and
talking about billions of sensors around the world, We're going
to have information and data about what's happening on every
(10:28):
corner of the planet. And as that information comes in
through these high speed networks with low latency, as we
build the right algorithms, as we have the right computer infrastructure,
we should start to be able to extract patterns about
what's happening on our planet on a real time basis.
But I really feel that with these advances in network technology,
(10:51):
with the advances that we're seeing in computing, and frankly
with the advances that we're seeing in AI and machine learning,
we're going to be living in a world where we
have information at our fingertips that's really actionable, that helps
us understand what to do next as things change around us.
Do you anticipate this, this level of advancement in connectivity,
(11:13):
as well as in machine learning and artificial intelligence, playing
an even larger role in what you're doing here? Absolutely,
as we're moving forward and into it, what I see
happening is greater volumes of data and much more importantly
important customer problems that we have to solve. We really
need to help people do better in their financial lives worldwide.
(11:37):
And I believe that through the use of AI and
machine learning and the data that we're getting, we're going
to help people make better financial decisions. The fact is
that a lot of people find themselves in situations where
they're not quite sure what the right financial strategy should be.
Imagine a world in which AI, machine learning, and data
come together to help a person make better decisions so
(12:01):
that they can have a more prosperous life, they can
have a more happy life. This is what really brings
me to work every day. This is what excites me
because I see a future in which we can bring
all of these things together in order to help people
live a better life. In a world where we're seeing
the rollout of five G networks, how do you anticipate
the progression of that particular technology. Are we on the
(12:23):
verge of an explosive growth in ambient computing? I think so.
In ambient computing, I think what we're going to start
to see, and we're seeing it already, little bits and
pieces of it coming together, where devices have capabilities that
we can interact with through voice, through other mechanisms, and
as we move forward, I think we're going to find
(12:45):
that we're connected in so many ways. Our clothing is
going to be connected. The lights around us, the cameras
around us, the walls around us, are going to have
computing capabilities, and it's going to enable applications that we
can't even think of today. And I think that the future,
those people who are thinking about technology in the future
(13:05):
should be thinking about the use cases, the problems that
we can solve for real people around the world by
having this kind of capability and information. It's going to
be an extraordinary time. And I think ambient computing and
the pushing the ability to do computation to the edge
of the network. What I mean by that is not
just in big central machines that grind a lot of data,
(13:27):
but on the phone, on the sensor. Doing computation there
could help us get a better understanding of what's happening
around us. We'll return to my conversation with a show
Servastiva of into it in just a moment. You know
who you are, A boundary pusher, a big thinker in
the relentless pursuit of the next big innovation for your business.
(13:50):
T Mobile for Business knows that the future demands true
workforce mobility, and in the new era of five G
being able to assess the needs of your company in
real time could trend form everyday functions. The five G
revolution has begun and the future of businesses like yours
will be powered by advancements in five gene networks built
to reach more people in more places without slowing you down.
(14:13):
T Mobile for Business can help you realize the full
potential of your business as five G unfolds business is changing.
Learn more at T mobile for Business dot com. So
we're looking at a world where we've got the end devices,
whether it's a sensor, whether it's a full system of
(14:34):
sensors capable of doing at least some of the computational processing.
We've got perhaps one or more centralized systems as well
that can communicate with those edge systems. We've got the connectivity,
We've got the infrastructure that's allowing for that communication. You know,
we've seen some incredible advances and machine learning and artificial intelligence.
(14:57):
Now we're seeing incredible advances and broadband can activity. Where's
the next choke point that we need to be thinking
about now so that we can address it when it's
when it's coming right up on us. So with the
advent of five G, with that amazing network capability, with
the advent of new sensor technology that's again going to
(15:19):
be in the billions around the world. There's no doubt
that the data that's coming in is going to be
extraordinary in size. So REDDA statistic that says that we're
going to have ten times the amount of data produced
that was produced in Imagine that level of data and
(15:39):
information coming in. So that's a huge driver. Now my
question is do we have the computation power, do we
have the people, do we have the know how, and
do we have the algorithms to actually analyze that data
and make sense out of it to help move society forward?
And I'd say that's actually the bottleneck that we need
(16:02):
to be pushing ourselves in terms of our creativity in
order to solve the world's most pressing problems help society
around us do better. Yeah, so part of this is
literally finding the right people and developing the right skills
to handle this massive tidal wave, the tsunami of data
(16:24):
that's coming. Why are the sort of problems that you
get excited about tackling, the sort of things that when
you see that challenge, you think this is gonna be
a good day. What excites me the most are working
on problems where I can see a direct line to
helping a person, and it doesn't matter if that person
(16:45):
is flying on an airplane when I was at NASA
or here when we're thinking about the financial world, When
I think about the best uses of AI, machine learning
in these other fields, it is incredibly important that we
continue to push the boundaries of our creativity and I
feel very fortunate to be in a job where I
(17:06):
can think about that on a daily basis. Well, how
do you anticipate the Internet of Things enhancing the financial
software products industry? I've thought about that a lot. So
imagine that you're running a small business. Let's say in Houston, Texas.
You're running a small business and you have a customer
(17:27):
base and they come in they visit your store. Let's
say that you're selling uh at a bakery. Sure, so
they come in, they visit your store, they buy some bread,
they leave. You want to understand what's happening in this store.
How are people actually interacting with it? Well, you might
put in a few sensors, maybe see what they're interacting
(17:49):
with on their on your in your store, how they
make the purchases when they come in. That kind of information.
As a single store owner and operator, you might have
that just in your mind, but when it comes into
your system and the machine can actually look at that
information and start to discover patterns and say, did you
(18:09):
know that certain kinds of bread, Let's say all of
bread one of my favorites. Let's say that that is
actually sold more in the afternoon. Maybe that changes the
way you actually produce the bread. Maybe that changes the
way you interact with your suppliers. All of that kind
of information could be had by a single small business owner. Now,
when you start to think about a whole bunch of
(18:31):
these small business owners, let's say that there are hundreds
of thousands of these small business owners around the country,
each of them running a bakery. What starts to happen
is that you can compare yourself and your performance and
how your small business is operating compared to now a
lot of companies around the country, and that gives you
insight into how to improve your efficiencies. These things are
(18:54):
made possible through the use of advanced software machine learning,
but also through the use of of the right sensor
technology and also the network infrastructure to transmit that information.
I love this. I love this idea of and I
love that you've taken the example of looking at a
particular instance and then extrapolating to the larger picture, because
(19:17):
you start to think about the potential application for these
small businesses across an entire country, and you could see
macro level effects. We're currently in an era where I
think a lot of us are interacting with technologies that
give us a lot of feedback, some of which is
actionable and some of which isn't, and so it falls
to the individual to determine which is which and then
(19:41):
what to do about it. Uh So, having people thinking
about that ahead of time, where you can deliver not
just data, but meaningful data, things that can actually be
acted upon in order to make a real difference. Uh That,
to me is the most powerful story, you know. I
think you're pointing to one of the key challenges in
(20:01):
dealing with massive amounts of data, and the fact is
that it's possible to start pulling out information that's wrong,
coming to conclusions that are actually not correct, and it's
also possible to start thinking that noise is actually signal
so we have to have that right balance of understanding
and maintaining our ability as humans to think critically about
(20:24):
what we're looking at. Just because a machine said so,
it doesn't make it true, and just because a human
said so, it doesn't make it true. It has to
be that we're actually thinking about what we're seeing in
rationalizing against everything that we know about the world around us.
After my conversation with a Choke, after I got back
to Atlanta, I came up with a few more questions
I really wanted to ask him, and he was kind
(20:47):
enough to agree to hop on the phone and give
me some answers. A show. How is into it making
use of increased connectivity to help its customers and partners today.
We are creating capabilities today that allow customers to connect
directly with experts. So imagine that you're using one of
(21:08):
our products like Turbo tax are like quick books, and
you have the ability to connect with a human expert,
and that the expert happens to be informed by artificial
intelligence and machine learning solutions. It only helps them give
you better answers quicker. These are some of the ways
that the connectivity and particularly high speed connectivity and five
(21:33):
G are revolutionary. That's exciting to me, and I really
feel that this is enabled by a couple of things.
One high speed connectivity five G is a revolutionary capability.
To artificial intelligence and machine learning. These capabilities are really
going to help that level of experience for our customers.
(21:56):
In this case, we're talking about a future where a
human is augmented with technology, which is one of the
things I find really exciting because there's there's a sort
of a lingering fear I think that technology stands to
replace humans, but in reality, we're really seeing systems that
(22:20):
are meant to take what humans do and just make
us even more effective at doing that. Do you agree
with that assessment? Oh, very much. So. I really feel
that the next phase of artificial intelligence and machine learning
is really to augment human capability and human intelligence so
that we can work better, we can work more efficiently,
(22:43):
and we can also then enjoy our free time more.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning is really going to help
us as humans just to do our jobs better and
live better lives. So in the future where we have
more of these advanced systems in the back end, artificial
intelligence and machine learning systems, when we have this robust
(23:04):
network of connectivity and with five G, making sure that
we can have that connectivity wherever, not just where cables go,
but wherever we happen to be. I think we're going
to see new markets emerge that previously we hadn't even
anticipated because the possibility wasn't there before. We want to
help our customers grow and develop and make great financial decisions,
(23:29):
and one of the key capabilities that they need is
the ability to connect to the internet with high speed,
with high bandwidth, and also highly reliable. And that's what's
so exciting about five G. I think it's going to
help a lot of people gain access and gain the
access that they need in order to run their businesses,
(23:50):
to make good financial decisions, to help their customers, and
the self employed, a group people who are working for themselves,
maybe working in the gigging eonomy, are completely enabled by connectivity,
and imagine a world in which they have high speed
connectivity through five G. Their lives can be completely transformed
(24:12):
because now they have the right information in order to
make whatever choices they need to. They can connect with
their customers, they can connect with their partners and suppliers
while they're on their go and that is going to
really help them move up and move into new areas
and potentially, as you said, create entire new industries. And
(24:34):
we're only seeing the beginning of this right now. I
think that in the next five to ten years, we're
going to see more and more people adopt this way
of working and live lives that we can only imagine
right now. After this quick break, will be back with
more of my conversation with Into It c d O
a Shoke Servastiva. The future is closer than you think,
(24:59):
and it all starts in the palm of your hand.
You've heard the news five G is here, but what
does that really mean? How will it impact you? In
this I Heart series This Time Tomorrow, presented by T
Mobile for Business, join hosts os Volition and Cara Price
as they walk us through a mobile revolution that will
start to change the future of business and the way
(25:21):
we interact with the world around us. From environmental science
to law enforcement, entertainment, healthcare, and travel, innovation is coming.
Join them as they explore how this revolution could impact
your life and give you new ways to connect and engage.
This Time Tomorrow is now available on the I Heart
Radio app or wherever you listen to podcasts. Now we're
(25:45):
going to my favorite segment where I ask you five
quick fire questions. There's not really any thinking involved in this,
it's just from the gut. So question number one, what
one piece of technology could you personally never give up
my iPhone? No, boy, that's a that's a really common
(26:06):
answer and one that I can completely identify with. All Right,
autonomous car or robotic assistant with advanced AI. Robotic assistant
with advanced AI. Wow, you're the first person to answer that.
All right, So virtual reality or augmented reality? Augmented reality?
Not even a pause, they're all right. What example of
(26:29):
science fiction technology would you most want to see come true?
That teleporter on Star Trek, Yes, fantastic. I fly around
too much and I just love to push a button
and to be in another part of the world. Now,
we we'd have to get into a full discussion about
whether or not it would actually be you that came
out the other end of the teleporter, or rather just
a recreation of you. But that's for another podcasting. Yeah,
(26:52):
if it's not to change my opinion, that's fair. That's fair.
We'll put a we'll put it through multiple tests before
we put any humans in there. Okay, final question. You
get a quantum computer with one fifty cubits, that's pretty
phenomenal tomorrow, what do you do with it? I would
(27:15):
use it to explore the large scale structure of the universe.
How did the universe form and whether it formed in
the way we think. That's a great answer, A Shoke,
thank you so much for your time. This has been
a genuine pleasure and I greatly appreciate it. Jonathan, this
has been a fabulous event. Thank you so much for
(27:38):
having me. A Shoke's view of the near future is
really exciting. Technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning are
already transforming many industries. We're going to see those transformations
happen faster and with more far reaching effects. As we
learn more from big data, we'll put that learning to
(27:59):
practical use. Companies will cut operational costs as they become
more efficient and develop new ways to meet and exceed
the expectations of customers, clients, and partners. And with the
promise of future five G connectivity, there's untold possibilities for
how we can leverage that sort of capability. Systems, sensors,
(28:21):
and devices will communicate in real time sharing information and
findings at speeds that are difficult to imagine. Information gathering
won't be a bottleneck in that future, giving decision makers
the time they need to make the best choices for
their stakeholders, and at the same time, visionaries will make
use of those capabilities to bring incredible positive change to
(28:45):
people who are in need of it most. In our
next episode, we'll talk with Dan Morales, the chief information
officer for Universal Music Group, to find out how the
five G rollout will impact the entertainment industry. See you then.
This has been The Restless Ones, a production of T
Mobile for Business and I Heart Radio. No matter what
(29:15):
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Business is committed to helping innovative decision makers like you
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(29:37):
as well as the dedicated, award winning service your business
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Learn more at T Mobile for Business dot com.
Welcome to the Restless Ones. I'm Jonathan Strickland. I've spent
the last twelve years covering technology and learning how it works,
demystifying everything from massive parallel processing to advanced robotics and
everything in between. As we stand at the beginning of
a new era of unprecedented connectivity with the rollout of
(00:21):
five G technology, I'm partnering with T Mobile for Business
to sit down with some of the visionary leaders in
tech across all industries, from companies like Universal Music Group
and fed X and many more that play an integral
part of our economy to get a better understanding of
how tech and connectivity will change business forever. These leaders
(00:42):
are the pioneers who don't follow trends. They define them.
This show is their story. They are the restless Ones.
So with the advent of five G, you with that
amazing network capability, with the advent of new sensor technology
(01:05):
that's again going to be in the billions around the world,
there's no doubt that the data that's coming in is
going to be extraordinary in size. REDDA statistic that says
that we're going to have ten times the amount of
data produced that was produced in imagine that level of
(01:26):
data and information coming in now. My question is do
we have the computation power, do we have the people,
do we have the know how, and do we have
the algorithms to actually analyze that data and make sense
out of it to help move society forward. I got
(01:48):
to sit down with a Shock Servastava, the Chief Data
Officer for into It. As c DO, Servastava's responsibilities include
using emerging technologies to better serve into it and It's customers.
He is a big thinker who sees the opportunities presented
by cutting edge technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning,
(02:09):
both within the financial industry and beyond. Moreover, he sees
how the next wave of connectivity will enable these technologies
to transform the world in truly profound ways, from helping
business owners make critical financial decisions about dynamic situations at
a moment's notice, to leveraging technology in an effort to
monitor and combat climate change. Serravastava envisions a world empowered
(02:34):
by technology, data, and five G connectivity. He explained how
advanced technologies will help US monitor and foster financial well being,
just as CVS Healths Chief Digital Officer for US, Bethana
described how these technologies will impact our physical health. In
our previous episode, I asked a show to share some
(02:54):
of the insight he has developed as a leader in
tech a choke. I want to thank you so much
for joining me today. It's a real pleasure to get
a chance to speak with you. Well, first of all, Jonathan,
thank you so much for inviting me to do this podcast.
It's very exciting for me a show. What areas of
(03:15):
tech particularly excite you? So I work in the field
of artificial intelligence, so that's what really keeps me going
and excited. So artificial intelligence and machine learning are terms
that I love, but there are also terms that I
feel tend to get very fuzzy the way people talk
about them. Artificial intelligence to me is one of those
things that can mean so many different things to so
(03:37):
many different people. So I'm curious, could you perhaps give
us what what your personal definitions are for those terms. Yeah. Absolutely,
Artificial intelligence is the science that's the study of making
machines that can exhibit some of the capabilities that humans have,
giving it that ability to understand and maybe even take
(03:58):
an action. Those are some of the things that I
find exciting in artificial intelligence. And machine learning is an
important component of it because you and I as we
grew up, we learned from examples. We watched other people,
we read things, heard music, we went to the zoo,
We learned things about the world around us by seeing examples. Well,
(04:19):
machine learning is the mathematical way that we can give
machines the ability to learn from examples. And so these
two things go hand in hand, and they're extremely exciting
because what we're seeing today is a huge revolution in
the field which is starting to power a lot of
the things that we take for granted. A show points
(04:39):
out a really fundamental idea here the humans do outperform
machines in areas of learning, but his goals are to
bridge that gap. I wanted to find out how can
he leverage both machine learning and artificial intelligence Today as
c do of into it, the goals that we have
are to number one, deliver the best value and the
(05:01):
best experiences to our customers to help them power prosperity
around the world. And as we're doing that, we're thinking
about how artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data can come
together in order to power those experiences. And we're doing
it across the product portfolio. We think about things in
Turbo tax or in MINT or in quick books, and
(05:23):
using the knowledge that we have, using the data and
the artificial intelligence and machine learning to really give better
experiences to our end customers. I don't know if you
have looked at the I R. S Code, the tax code,
but it's literally eighty thousand pages. Now, when I think
about reading eighty thousand pages of code, I can't even
(05:45):
imagine where to begin or where to end. But we
have to have an understanding of literally every line of
that tax code. We've built capabilities to actually ingest what
meaning read that documentation and produce computer code that interprets
the US tax code. So that's just one example. This
(06:05):
is one of the most phenomenal and frankly one of
the deepest examples of the use of knowledge engineering, natural
language processing, and machine learning that I've come across, because
now we have actually a graph of information in our
machines that can help us understand and interpret the U
S tax code so that we can give the best
(06:26):
experience to our customers. There are many other examples where
we have helped people make a determination whether they should
use standard versus itemized tax deductions. It's a big deal
because if you go down the itemized route, it can
take you a lot of time to fill out your taxes.
In some cases, we're able to differentiate between the two,
saving people millions of hours of time across the United States.
(06:49):
So these are examples of where AI is operating, and
I'll point out that the consumer doesn't know that AI
is operating and there it's not like it ashes on
the screen. It's just happening in the background, which is
a great experience for people because they just want to
get their work done. We're seeing these sort of applications
across multiple industries. Right where this is a phenomenal example
(07:14):
because you've just taken something that is truly complex for
human beings. I was just talking about how humans are
really good at, you know, figuring out broad categories from
a few examples. This is the opposite, right where you've
got a massive amount of information, and we know that
human beings are not great at dealing with large amounts
(07:34):
of information. Once you get past a certain amount, our
capacity to handle it starts to drop off dramatically, and
for something as pivotal as as taxes, that's not a
good thing. So in what other ways have you seen this,
this sort of rise in the complexity and sophistication of
machine learning and artificial intelligence. Uh, kind of grow in
(07:56):
other industries. How is it starting to change our world?
So many years ago, I used to work for NASA
and I saw some of the most exciting applications of
AI and machine learning there. So, if you think about
the commercial airline industry in the United States and around
the world, we have millions of airplanes that are flying,
(08:16):
millions of flights that are in operation on a daily basis. Now,
as that data comes in off of those aircraft, the
question is do we have the ability to analyze that
in real time and make some determinations about safety, about
the aircraft's health and so forth. And once you have
that data, you can't just look at it in tabular form.
(08:38):
Nobody can do that. But what you can do is
synthesize it through machines, through machine learning, and then actually
developed models that can help people make better predictions and
understanding what's happening. Yeah, and I love that you're main
shaying real time that's a very important component to what
I'm interested in as well, and that you know we're
(09:00):
you've entered into this era where people call it big data.
At this point, we're talking bigger data because we're gathering
data from so many different sources, whether it's people uh
interacting with technology directly, whether it's sensors that are embedded
in various systems, and we're seeing more and more sophisticated
back end systems to h to analyze and make use
(09:22):
of that data. At the same time, now we're starting
to enter into a new level of connectivity where we're
able to get ubiquitous, fast, high throughput, low latency connectivity. Uh.
I would imagine that this is going to open up
an entire new world of opportunities for various implementations of
(09:43):
technologies that could be truly transformative. I'm wondering, have you
given much thought to what the potential is in a
world where we have uh, you know, unprecedented broadband connectivity
that is truly persistent and ubiquitous absolute. Really, this is
a world that's going to be so incredibly exciting and
(10:05):
will lead to such profound changes. Let me tell you why.
I say that. So, once you have that level of bandwidths,
that much network connectivity worldwide, and we started deploying sensors
not just a few hundred or a few thousand, and
talking about billions of sensors around the world, We're going
to have information and data about what's happening on every
(10:28):
corner of the planet. And as that information comes in
through these high speed networks with low latency, as we
build the right algorithms, as we have the right computer infrastructure,
we should start to be able to extract patterns about
what's happening on our planet on a real time basis.
But I really feel that with these advances in network technology,
(10:51):
with the advances that we're seeing in computing, and frankly
with the advances that we're seeing in AI and machine learning,
we're going to be living in a world where we
have information at our fingertips that's really actionable, that helps
us understand what to do next as things change around us.
Do you anticipate this, this level of advancement in connectivity,
(11:13):
as well as in machine learning and artificial intelligence, playing
an even larger role in what you're doing here? Absolutely,
as we're moving forward and into it, what I see
happening is greater volumes of data and much more importantly
important customer problems that we have to solve. We really
need to help people do better in their financial lives worldwide.
(11:37):
And I believe that through the use of AI and
machine learning and the data that we're getting, we're going
to help people make better financial decisions. The fact is
that a lot of people find themselves in situations where
they're not quite sure what the right financial strategy should be.
Imagine a world in which AI, machine learning, and data
come together to help a person make better decisions so
(12:01):
that they can have a more prosperous life, they can
have a more happy life. This is what really brings
me to work every day. This is what excites me
because I see a future in which we can bring
all of these things together in order to help people
live a better life. In a world where we're seeing
the rollout of five G networks, how do you anticipate
the progression of that particular technology. Are we on the
(12:23):
verge of an explosive growth in ambient computing? I think so.
In ambient computing, I think what we're going to start
to see, and we're seeing it already, little bits and
pieces of it coming together, where devices have capabilities that
we can interact with through voice, through other mechanisms, and
as we move forward, I think we're going to find
(12:45):
that we're connected in so many ways. Our clothing is
going to be connected. The lights around us, the cameras
around us, the walls around us, are going to have
computing capabilities, and it's going to enable applications that we
can't even think of today. And I think that the future,
those people who are thinking about technology in the future
(13:05):
should be thinking about the use cases, the problems that
we can solve for real people around the world by
having this kind of capability and information. It's going to
be an extraordinary time. And I think ambient computing and
the pushing the ability to do computation to the edge
of the network. What I mean by that is not
just in big central machines that grind a lot of data,
(13:27):
but on the phone, on the sensor. Doing computation there
could help us get a better understanding of what's happening
around us. We'll return to my conversation with a show
Servastiva of into it in just a moment. You know
who you are, A boundary pusher, a big thinker in
the relentless pursuit of the next big innovation for your business.
(13:50):
T Mobile for Business knows that the future demands true
workforce mobility, and in the new era of five G
being able to assess the needs of your company in
real time could trend form everyday functions. The five G
revolution has begun and the future of businesses like yours
will be powered by advancements in five gene networks built
to reach more people in more places without slowing you down.
(14:13):
T Mobile for Business can help you realize the full
potential of your business as five G unfolds business is changing.
Learn more at T mobile for Business dot com. So
we're looking at a world where we've got the end devices,
whether it's a sensor, whether it's a full system of
(14:34):
sensors capable of doing at least some of the computational processing.
We've got perhaps one or more centralized systems as well
that can communicate with those edge systems. We've got the connectivity,
We've got the infrastructure that's allowing for that communication. You know,
we've seen some incredible advances and machine learning and artificial intelligence.
(14:57):
Now we're seeing incredible advances and broadband can activity. Where's
the next choke point that we need to be thinking
about now so that we can address it when it's
when it's coming right up on us. So with the
advent of five G, with that amazing network capability, with
the advent of new sensor technology that's again going to
(15:19):
be in the billions around the world. There's no doubt
that the data that's coming in is going to be
extraordinary in size. So REDDA statistic that says that we're
going to have ten times the amount of data produced
that was produced in Imagine that level of data and
(15:39):
information coming in. So that's a huge driver. Now my
question is do we have the computation power, do we
have the people, do we have the know how, and
do we have the algorithms to actually analyze that data
and make sense out of it to help move society forward?
And I'd say that's actually the bottleneck that we need
(16:02):
to be pushing ourselves in terms of our creativity in
order to solve the world's most pressing problems help society
around us do better. Yeah, so part of this is
literally finding the right people and developing the right skills
to handle this massive tidal wave, the tsunami of data
(16:24):
that's coming. Why are the sort of problems that you
get excited about tackling, the sort of things that when
you see that challenge, you think this is gonna be
a good day. What excites me the most are working
on problems where I can see a direct line to
helping a person, and it doesn't matter if that person
(16:45):
is flying on an airplane when I was at NASA
or here when we're thinking about the financial world, When
I think about the best uses of AI, machine learning
in these other fields, it is incredibly important that we
continue to push the boundaries of our creativity and I
feel very fortunate to be in a job where I
(17:06):
can think about that on a daily basis. Well, how
do you anticipate the Internet of Things enhancing the financial
software products industry? I've thought about that a lot. So
imagine that you're running a small business. Let's say in Houston, Texas.
You're running a small business and you have a customer
(17:27):
base and they come in they visit your store. Let's
say that you're selling uh at a bakery. Sure, so
they come in, they visit your store, they buy some bread,
they leave. You want to understand what's happening in this store.
How are people actually interacting with it? Well, you might
put in a few sensors, maybe see what they're interacting
(17:49):
with on their on your in your store, how they
make the purchases when they come in. That kind of information.
As a single store owner and operator, you might have
that just in your mind, but when it comes into
your system and the machine can actually look at that
information and start to discover patterns and say, did you
(18:09):
know that certain kinds of bread, Let's say all of
bread one of my favorites. Let's say that that is
actually sold more in the afternoon. Maybe that changes the
way you actually produce the bread. Maybe that changes the
way you interact with your suppliers. All of that kind
of information could be had by a single small business owner. Now,
when you start to think about a whole bunch of
(18:31):
these small business owners, let's say that there are hundreds
of thousands of these small business owners around the country,
each of them running a bakery. What starts to happen
is that you can compare yourself and your performance and
how your small business is operating compared to now a
lot of companies around the country, and that gives you
insight into how to improve your efficiencies. These things are
(18:54):
made possible through the use of advanced software machine learning,
but also through the use of of the right sensor
technology and also the network infrastructure to transmit that information.
I love this. I love this idea of and I
love that you've taken the example of looking at a
particular instance and then extrapolating to the larger picture, because
(19:17):
you start to think about the potential application for these
small businesses across an entire country, and you could see
macro level effects. We're currently in an era where I
think a lot of us are interacting with technologies that
give us a lot of feedback, some of which is
actionable and some of which isn't, and so it falls
to the individual to determine which is which and then
(19:41):
what to do about it. Uh So, having people thinking
about that ahead of time, where you can deliver not
just data, but meaningful data, things that can actually be
acted upon in order to make a real difference. Uh That,
to me is the most powerful story, you know. I
think you're pointing to one of the key challenges in
(20:01):
dealing with massive amounts of data, and the fact is
that it's possible to start pulling out information that's wrong,
coming to conclusions that are actually not correct, and it's
also possible to start thinking that noise is actually signal
so we have to have that right balance of understanding
and maintaining our ability as humans to think critically about
(20:24):
what we're looking at. Just because a machine said so,
it doesn't make it true, and just because a human
said so, it doesn't make it true. It has to
be that we're actually thinking about what we're seeing in
rationalizing against everything that we know about the world around us.
After my conversation with a Choke, after I got back
to Atlanta, I came up with a few more questions
I really wanted to ask him, and he was kind
(20:47):
enough to agree to hop on the phone and give
me some answers. A show. How is into it making
use of increased connectivity to help its customers and partners today.
We are creating capabilities today that allow customers to connect
directly with experts. So imagine that you're using one of
(21:08):
our products like Turbo tax are like quick books, and
you have the ability to connect with a human expert,
and that the expert happens to be informed by artificial
intelligence and machine learning solutions. It only helps them give
you better answers quicker. These are some of the ways
that the connectivity and particularly high speed connectivity and five
(21:33):
G are revolutionary. That's exciting to me, and I really
feel that this is enabled by a couple of things.
One high speed connectivity five G is a revolutionary capability.
To artificial intelligence and machine learning. These capabilities are really
going to help that level of experience for our customers.
(21:56):
In this case, we're talking about a future where a
human is augmented with technology, which is one of the
things I find really exciting because there's there's a sort
of a lingering fear I think that technology stands to
replace humans, but in reality, we're really seeing systems that
(22:20):
are meant to take what humans do and just make
us even more effective at doing that. Do you agree
with that assessment? Oh, very much. So. I really feel
that the next phase of artificial intelligence and machine learning
is really to augment human capability and human intelligence so
that we can work better, we can work more efficiently,
(22:43):
and we can also then enjoy our free time more.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning is really going to help
us as humans just to do our jobs better and
live better lives. So in the future where we have
more of these advanced systems in the back end, artificial
intelligence and machine learning systems, when we have this robust
(23:04):
network of connectivity and with five G, making sure that
we can have that connectivity wherever, not just where cables go,
but wherever we happen to be. I think we're going
to see new markets emerge that previously we hadn't even
anticipated because the possibility wasn't there before. We want to
help our customers grow and develop and make great financial decisions,
(23:29):
and one of the key capabilities that they need is
the ability to connect to the internet with high speed,
with high bandwidth, and also highly reliable. And that's what's
so exciting about five G. I think it's going to
help a lot of people gain access and gain the
access that they need in order to run their businesses,
(23:50):
to make good financial decisions, to help their customers, and
the self employed, a group people who are working for themselves,
maybe working in the gigging eonomy, are completely enabled by connectivity,
and imagine a world in which they have high speed
connectivity through five G. Their lives can be completely transformed
(24:12):
because now they have the right information in order to
make whatever choices they need to. They can connect with
their customers, they can connect with their partners and suppliers
while they're on their go and that is going to
really help them move up and move into new areas
and potentially, as you said, create entire new industries. And
(24:34):
we're only seeing the beginning of this right now. I
think that in the next five to ten years, we're
going to see more and more people adopt this way
of working and live lives that we can only imagine
right now. After this quick break, will be back with
more of my conversation with Into It c d O
a Shoke Servastiva. The future is closer than you think,
(24:59):
and it all starts in the palm of your hand.
You've heard the news five G is here, but what
does that really mean? How will it impact you? In
this I Heart series This Time Tomorrow, presented by T
Mobile for Business, join hosts os Volition and Cara Price
as they walk us through a mobile revolution that will
start to change the future of business and the way
(25:21):
we interact with the world around us. From environmental science
to law enforcement, entertainment, healthcare, and travel, innovation is coming.
Join them as they explore how this revolution could impact
your life and give you new ways to connect and engage.
This Time Tomorrow is now available on the I Heart
Radio app or wherever you listen to podcasts. Now we're
(25:45):
going to my favorite segment where I ask you five
quick fire questions. There's not really any thinking involved in this,
it's just from the gut. So question number one, what
one piece of technology could you personally never give up
my iPhone? No, boy, that's a that's a really common
(26:06):
answer and one that I can completely identify with. All Right,
autonomous car or robotic assistant with advanced AI. Robotic assistant
with advanced AI. Wow, you're the first person to answer that.
All right, So virtual reality or augmented reality? Augmented reality?
Not even a pause, they're all right. What example of
(26:29):
science fiction technology would you most want to see come true?
That teleporter on Star Trek, Yes, fantastic. I fly around
too much and I just love to push a button
and to be in another part of the world. Now,
we we'd have to get into a full discussion about
whether or not it would actually be you that came
out the other end of the teleporter, or rather just
a recreation of you. But that's for another podcasting. Yeah,
(26:52):
if it's not to change my opinion, that's fair. That's fair.
We'll put a we'll put it through multiple tests before
we put any humans in there. Okay, final question. You
get a quantum computer with one fifty cubits, that's pretty
phenomenal tomorrow, what do you do with it? I would
(27:15):
use it to explore the large scale structure of the universe.
How did the universe form and whether it formed in
the way we think. That's a great answer, A Shoke,
thank you so much for your time. This has been
a genuine pleasure and I greatly appreciate it. Jonathan, this
has been a fabulous event. Thank you so much for
(27:38):
having me. A Shoke's view of the near future is
really exciting. Technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning are
already transforming many industries. We're going to see those transformations
happen faster and with more far reaching effects. As we
learn more from big data, we'll put that learning to
(27:59):
practical use. Companies will cut operational costs as they become
more efficient and develop new ways to meet and exceed
the expectations of customers, clients, and partners. And with the
promise of future five G connectivity, there's untold possibilities for
how we can leverage that sort of capability. Systems, sensors,
(28:21):
and devices will communicate in real time sharing information and
findings at speeds that are difficult to imagine. Information gathering
won't be a bottleneck in that future, giving decision makers
the time they need to make the best choices for
their stakeholders, and at the same time, visionaries will make
use of those capabilities to bring incredible positive change to
(28:45):
people who are in need of it most. In our
next episode, we'll talk with Dan Morales, the chief information
officer for Universal Music Group, to find out how the
five G rollout will impact the entertainment industry. See you then.
This has been The Restless Ones, a production of T
Mobile for Business and I Heart Radio. No matter what
(29:15):
you're after, T Mobile for Business is here with a
network born mobile and built from the ground up for
the next wave of innovation, from mobile broadband to IoT
to workforce mobility and everything in between. T Mobile for
Business is committed to helping innovative decision makers like you
move your business forward with the products and services you need,
(29:37):
as well as the dedicated, award winning service your business
expects from America's most loved wireless company. Business is changing.
Learn more at T Mobile for Business dot com.
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