CIO & LEADER-Issue-10-January 2018 (1)

Around The Tech
BY THE BOOK
We recommend you to read Pedro
Domingos’ The Master Algorithm,
which gives us a peek inside the learning
machines that power Google, Amazon,
and your smartphone. The author
paints a picture through machine
learning's five major schools of thought,
showing how they turn ideas from neuroscience,
evolution, psychology, physics,
and statistics into algorithms ready
to serve you. Domingos, a Professor
at University of Washington, is also a
researcher in machine learning, creates
a blueprint of The Master Algorithm,
and discusses what it means for the
future of business, science, and society.
The quest for universal learning is one
of the most significant, fascinating, and
revolutionary intellectual developments
of all time. A ground-breaking
book, The Master Algorithm is the
essential guide for anyone wanting to
understand not just how the data revolution
will happen, but how to be at its
forefront.
makingheadlines
When people arrived in Las Vegas to attend CES in January this year, one of the
first things they noticed was Google’s massive promotional campaign for its
Google Assistant service. There were ads splattered on the sides of buildings,
painted on trains, and displayed on the screens of hotel room TVs. The effort
wasn't to make artificial intelligence a huge theme at this year’s show–mainly in
the form of digital assistants. Google, on the other hand, is also using its network
of Android devices and integrate its digital assistant service into millions of cars
from companies such as Ford, GM, Volkswagen and Volvo. Likewise, Amazon
left no stone unturned to showcase Alexa as the new wave in digital assistants.
Alexa's history preceded itself since it was the star of last year's CES. At CES
2018, Amazon's Alexa service has diversified into cookers from Whirlpool and
GE as well as Bluetooth-enabled portable devices such as smartwatches, headphones
and smartglasses.
Only 17% of senior roles are held by women in India.
The global survey by Grant Thornton – Women in business:
New perspectives on risk and reward, of 5,500
businesses in 36 economies further adds that 41%
of the Indian businesses surveyed have no women in
leadership roles, 7 points higher than the last year.
India continues to rank third lowest in the proportion
of business leadership roles held by women for the
third year consecutively.
At the global stage, Grant Thornton’s data shows
developing regions continue to lead the charge on
diversity with developed economies lagging behind.
Eastern Europe performs best, with 38% of senior roles
held by women in 2017 and just 9% of businesses
with no women in senior management. Meanwhile the
MINT economies (Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey)
saw the most improvement, with the proportion of
senior roles held by women rising from 24% in 2016 to
28% in 2017.
gender
bender
January 2018 | CIO&LEADER
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