At Google, AI is the new algorithm

            For the last 19 years the buzzword associated with Google has been “algorithm”. For Google the ever evolving algorithm has been a crucial building block and competitive edge for every product ranging from search to maps; the algorithm has been essential in progressing Google’s mission to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. The next endeavor in improving Google’s offerings is to inject Artificial Intelligence (AI) and powerful Machine Learning into every tech product offering. That’s the only way the next 19 years will continue to progress Google’s mission.

            Google believes AI to be more than just another Silicon Valley buzzword. AI built upon Machine Learning and Big Data is capable of making` intelligent decisions faster and beyond what is humanly possible. For Google’s consumer customers, this translates to more reliable search results, streetview guidance that recognize business and street signs, and intelligent photo sorting, just to scratch the surface. Tasks that would have been menial and repetitive become digestible and more reliable with the injection of AI across Google’s plethora of tech offerings. AI is a venture so pervasive that CEO Sundar Pichai highlighted its importance at Google’s I/O conference in May 2017, stating that AI would be injected in every product from search to YouTube.

            Google considers AI to be so instrumental it is doubling down the effort by offering AI solutions tailored for businesses through the Cloud AI Platform. Businesses can utilize AI tools to streamline recruiting challenges, curate video content, delineate the content of a photo, and even dynamically translate from one language to another. AI excels at processing large networks of data and streamlining it, removing the repetitive and freeing up vital resources.

            Many companies consider their employees to be one of their most valuable assets. It is important to consider AI as just one more tool in the workforce and not as a replacement for human input and interaction. AI aims to improve the workforce, not eliminate it, much like the introduction of the word processor and the electronic spreadsheet. Creating a partnership between the workforce and AI tools is paramount to ensuring progression towards organizing the world’s information, navigating spam and fake news and facilitating a platform that makes the world’s information more accessible and reliable.

AI does not replace the algorithm and it does not nullify the workforce. Much like the transformations that was seen with smartphone adoption, AI looks to improve the way humans interact with technology. From search algorithm to smartphone photography, AI is one more essential tool that consumers and businesses are adopting and investing in to keep their lives, their business and their employees engaged and relevant. Google’s next 19 years surely starts with an AI first mindset.