In the modern data-driven landscape, the ability to extract actionable insights from vast volumes of data is crucial for organizations aiming to maintain a competitive edge. This was the focal point of a riveting session at the Data Engineering Summit 2024, led by Parmjeet Virdi, Director of Data Analytics at Publicis Sapient, and Aashima Kumar, Senior Manager of Data Analytics at Publicis Sapient. Their talk, titled “Unleashing Intelligence: Leveraging AI to Derive Insights at Scale,” delved into the transformative potential of GenAI, Machine Learning models, and advanced Data Analytics techniques.
The Role of AI in Enhancing Human Intelligence
Parmjeet Virdi began the session by emphasizing that AI is not meant to replace humans but to supplement human intelligence. He cited a Harvard Business Review use case where an AI system identified strategic insights from a competitor’s report that a human analyst had overlooked. This example highlighted how AI can amplify human capabilities, uncovering hidden connections and enabling organizations to develop counter-strategies proactively.
The Evolution of Data and Technology
The session highlighted the significant technological disruptions that have occurred over the years, starting with the advent of the internet, followed by mobile technology, IoT, and now AI. Each wave of technological advancement has increased customer expectations, necessitating the need for more sophisticated data engineering practices to meet these demands.
Publicis Sapient has reimagined its business model to align with these technological advancements, focusing on strategy, product engineering, and customer experience, all driven by data and AI. This integrated approach ensures that insights derived from data are not only timely but also actionable, driving meaningful business outcomes.
Unlocking Intelligence from Data
The ability to extract intelligence from data is essential for various business functions. Virdi outlined three key areas where insights can be leveraged:
- Process Optimization: By analyzing past decisions and outcomes, organizations can streamline their processes. For instance, AI can automate PII labeling and identity matching, reducing the need for manual intervention and improving data quality.
- Customer Insights: Understanding customer behavior is more complex than ever, given the diverse data types involved. AI can analyze images, text, and other data forms to provide a holistic view of the customer, enabling real-time personalization and enhanced customer experiences.
- Operational Efficiency: AI can optimize internal processes by predicting timelines and effort required for project tasks. This helps in better planning and resource allocation, ultimately improving operational efficiency.
Foundational Engineering Practices
Achieving these insights requires robust engineering practices. Virdi emphasized the importance of having the right foundation to generate insights from data. This involves ensuring data quality, implementing effective ETL processes, and using advanced analytics to interpret the data.
Publicis Sapient has invested significantly in building such foundational systems, developing platforms that facilitate the rapid deployment of AI and ML use cases. One such platform is Bodhi, an enterprise-level AI/ML platform designed to expedite the development and productionization of AI solutions.
Bodhi Platform: A Closer Look
The Bodhi platform, recognized at AWS AI Conclave and Horizon 3, is built to cater to various industries and solutions. It comprises core features necessary for the end-to-end AI/ML journey, from data ingestion to model training, monitoring, and productionizing.
Key Solutions of Bodhi
- Bodhi Recommend: This solution uses graph-based AI to provide customer insights, running both batch and real-time analyses. It helps businesses understand customer preferences and deliver personalized experiences.
- Bodhi Curate: This tool focuses on data processes, improving data quality through schema profiling, identity matching, and PII labeling.
- Ask Bodhi: Leveraging generative AI and large language models (LLMs), this cognitive search system allows users to query data in natural language, providing relevant information in context.
- Bodhi Vision: Using computer vision algorithms, this solution processes rich media content, extracting valuable insights from images and videos.
Real-World Applications
Automotive Industry
Aashima Kumar shared an example of how Publicis Sapient helped a global automotive client optimize their product planning and enhance customer experience. By analyzing data from a car configurator tool, they identified customer preferences and provided insights that enabled the client to produce more profitable car combinations. This approach not only increased revenue but also improved the average order value on their digital platforms.
Hospitality Industry
In another example, Publicis Sapient transformed Marriott’s traditional search system into an AI-driven, generative AI-powered search and conversational AI tool. This allowed customers to input their preferences in natural language and receive personalized recommendations, significantly enhancing the booking experience.
Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)
The RHS, a 200-year-old charitable society in the UK, transitioned from a traditional expert-driven customer support system to an AI-driven chatbot. Using the Bodhi accelerator, Publicis Sapient helped RHS automate customer responses, providing real-time, expert-level advice on plant care. This not only improved customer satisfaction but also allowed RHS to scale their services efficiently.
The Future of AI and Data Insights
Parmjeet Virdi concluded the session by emphasizing the importance of defining the problem, refining the models, and continuously evolving the system to achieve the desired success metrics. He stressed that while AI and advanced analytics offer tremendous potential, their true value lies in their ability to complement human intelligence and drive actionable insights.
In the ever-evolving data landscape, organizations must leverage AI to unlock the full potential of their data, driving innovation and maintaining a competitive edge. The insights shared by Virdi and Kumar at the Data Engineering Summit 2024 highlighted how AI can transform business operations, enhance customer experiences, and optimize internal processes, paving the way for a data-centric future.
Key Takeaways
- AI Complements Human Intelligence: AI is not a replacement but a powerful tool to amplify human capabilities, enabling more informed decision-making.
- Technological Evolution: The rapid advancements in technology necessitate robust data engineering practices to meet increasing customer expectations.
- Data Insights: Extracting actionable insights from data is essential for optimizing processes, enhancing customer experiences, and improving operational efficiency.
- Foundational Practices: Robust engineering practices and platforms like Bodhi are crucial for developing and deploying AI solutions effectively.
- Real-World Impact: AI-driven solutions have demonstrated significant benefits across various industries, from automotive to hospitality and horticulture.
- Future of AI: Continuous refinement and evolution of AI models are necessary to achieve desired outcomes and maintain a competitive edge.
In summary, the session by Parmjeet Virdi and Aashima Kumar at the Data Engineering Summit 2024 showcased the transformative potential of AI and advanced analytics in driving business success. By leveraging these technologies, organizations can unearth hidden patterns, trends, and insights, enabling proactive strategies and fostering a data-centric culture where intelligence is democratized and accessible throughout the organization.
