Applied AI Techniques

Will Ross

Business Development, M& A

IBM Watson Group

In a world of open data and consumer platforms it is easy to forget the significant quantities of high-value data still held by entities who view or require those assets to be proprietary.  A myriad of parties from corporations to government entities are keen to explore new advances in AI but do not recognize the challenges that will befall them as they try to protect the data assets that are their lifeblood.  ‘Applied AI’ is the study of the novel techniques required to translate AI innovations into agents of value creation for this silent majority.  We’ll explore the limitations of today’s most commonly applied AI techniques and discuss a variety of ways institutions are accommodating these shortfalls.  We’ll also spend some time on exciting new results in the nascent field of few shot learning to inspire further hope for the future and show that there is core innovation in AI still to be accomplished.

Bio:

Will Ross currently leads the business and corporate development organization for IBM’s Watson AI & Data businesses. In this capacity, he is responsible for maintaining relationships across the capital life-cycle and ultimately advancing IBM’s technical portfolio through acquisitions, partnerships and other alternative structures. Prior to this role Will helped to launch IBM’s Watson Health business working across various strategy initiatives. His origins at IBM are in product as one of the Watson’s earliest employees and he has been thankful to ride the wave ever since. In his spare time, Will also works with CUNY, NYU, and a variety of other institutions to advance New York City’s leadership in applied AI across both academia and the enterprise. He received his own education in Philosophy and Environmental Technology from Tufts University.