Chapter 1. Analytical Thinking and the
AI-Driven Enterprise
It is April 2020, and the world is in the middle of a very serious global pandemic caused by novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and the ensuing disease (COVID-19), with confirmed cases in the millions and deaths in the hundreds of thousands. Had you searched online for AI coronavirus, you could’ve found some very prestigious media and academic outlets highlighting the role that artificial intelligence (AI) can play in the battle against the pandemic (Figure 1-1).
What makes many uncomfortable with headlines like these is that they dress AI in a superhero suit that has become rather common, overstretching the limits of what can be achieved with AI today.
Figure 1-1. AI and the coronavirus
What Is AI?
If I had to divide the people of the world according to their understanding of the term “AI,” I’d say there are four types of people.
On one end of the spectrum are those who’ve never heard the term. Since AI has become part of the popular folklore and is now a common theme in movies, TV shows, books, magazines, talk shows, and the like, I’d guess that this group is rather small.
Most people belong to a second group that believes that AI is closer to what practitioners call Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) or human-like intelligence. In their view, AI are humanoid-like machines that are able to complete the same tasks and ...
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