3 Takeaways from IoT, ML, AI session at Ericsson D-Fifteen

Daniel Elizalde hosted Soledad Alborno, Jessica Groopman, and Teresa Tung last night at Ericsson D-Fifteen in Santa Clara, CA. The experts and practitioners on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, this all-women (yay!) panel discussed “Unlocking the Value: ML and IoT.” The exchange, as expected, was very informative and thought-provoking. The panel covered a range of topics. Here are the three things that stood out for me.

Three Key Takeaways

1) Business Outcome: Technologists find it easy to dive into the technical specs and the fascinating world of sensors and devices. However, for the overall success of IoT initiatives, it is important to have a clearly defined, agreed-upon “business outcome.” Teresa called this a “product mindset,” stating that one must have a business problem to solve after data collection. Efforts to use technology without a clear business objective usually do not deliver optimal results. 

2) IoT is an Ecosystem Play: Daniel says customers demand an integrated solution. However, there is inherent complexity in manufacturing, deploying, implementing, collecting, and processing required for a single player. Some have tried, nonetheless, but have not been very successful. Customers need a tighter integration model and a healthy ecosystem to achieve value. Jessica stated that IoT needs multiple players to collaborate. Other heterogeneous technologies, such as Blockchain, require teamwork for an excellent end-to-end solution. “It takes a village,” she said, to the panel’s agreement.

3) Data Security: Sensor integration into everyday products leads to massive data collection. Companies making simple household devices such as garage door openers can suddenly capture and store this data. “Having a Data Strategy from the get-go is critical,” said Soledad. “Collect only the data that you need,” said Jessica, “and avoid the mentality of collecting everything.”

End-user Responsibilities

We are observing an increasing number of devices becoming operational. The consumers are responsible for protecting and inquiring about data. Users should ask about the type of data captured. They should also ask about its storage location and method. Additionally, be aware of the people with access to it.

Thank you, Daniel and the panel, for an excellent exchange.

PS: The D-Fifteen name is a tribute to Ericsson founder Lars-Magnus Ericsson. It also honors his wife, Hilda, and their partner, Carl Johan Andersson. They created the company’s first products in a kitchen workshop at Drottninggatan 15 in Stockholm. Read more.