Deloitte’s Emmanuel Adeleke discusses his role in helping businesses view AI through a “strategic lens”, developments around AI regulation and advice for those considering a career in data analytics .
With so much focus on AI and the potential benefits it can bring, it can be easy for businesses to feel overwhelmed by the options available.
From AI systems focused on improving workplace efficiency to customer-focused chatbots, it can be easy for a company to want to go all-in on this technology – which several major tech companies appear to be doing. .
But it’s important to consider how AI can be properly integrated into a business, according to Emmanuel Adeleke, Deloitte partner in consulting, AI and data services.
Adeleke says he helps companies think about AI and data through a “very strategic lens” and also helps them find “really valuable use cases that will actually enable some degree of return.”
“Whether it’s about efficiency or something that’s much more personalization-driven when it comes to your customer, which has more of a business focus, and then, more importantly, where are the skills and talent needed to properly harness that capacity and then derive value from it,” Adeleke said.
AI Regulation
While it is important for businesses to consider the right ways to integrate AI, Adeleke said it is also important to consider how this technology is regulated, particularly the differences between certain regions.
For example, he noted how AI law is being developed in the EU and called it “quite comprehensive”, thanks to the influence of GDPR in the region.
“It’s a very risk-based approach to regulation in my opinion,” Adeleke said. “But if you also look at a number of other geographies, some would be a little more innovation-focused, others slightly in between.
“But what is evident is that every region of the world is considering or seeking to adapt or implement some degree of regulation on this.”
Adeleke said this poses an interesting question for the future of some clients, particularly companies with a global presence. These companies will want to provide “consistent customer experiences,” but may need to take different approaches in certain regions to comply with different regulations.
“So it’s going to be an interesting journey that a lot of our customers will be taking over the next few years as well,” he said.
A career in data
Adeleke said his journey into AI and data science began at University College Cork as he focused more on business and technology, but that interest evolved into areas such as technology transformation and IT strategy.
But over the past eight or nine years, Adeleke said he has become more focused on data, because concepts like AI and machine learning are not possible without data.
“For me, this interest in data and the ability to generate insights, generate value and essentially tell a story and make real decisions with data is something that has always piqued my interest from a very young age age,” Adeleke said.
The main advice he gives to those considering a career in data – or a potential career change – is to not feel like your options are limited based on your previous experience.
“We have people who I would have worked with in the past who come from diverse backgrounds,” Adeleke said. “Just because you haven’t done computer science or you haven’t done programming type degrees, undergraduate degrees or whatever doesn’t mean you can’t upskill and re-educate yourself.
“I think the ability to bring a bit of creativity into what we do is probably also what makes it a bit of a unique career path.”
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