An Executives Guide to Cognitive Computing Part 1

What you need to know about Cognitive Computing Part 1

In the coming weeks I will lay out an explanation and recommendation on what and how Cognitive Computing can be used.  As always I look forward to comments and thoughts raised.

Technology continues to develop and improve in how we interact with systems and people.  Over the past decade there has been radical developments in how computers make sense of:

·      Text

·      Voice

·      Pictures

Given these capabilities; what will this mean for your agency or program?  The possibilities are endless when one considers the value of integrating text, voice and pictures into the decision making process.   The purpose of the discussion is to investigate the “art of the possible” and to provide an overview of Cognitive Computing. We will conclude with a focus on approaches and recommended next steps.

This new shift in technology provides the ability to automate knowledge and decision making in a more meaningful way.  The challenge of policy change needs to occur to reap the benefits of this new technology.  Cognitive Computing will face some challenges over the next few years.  It will evolve over time as it used by public sector organizations.

Public Sector organizations around the world have too much information to analyze. Traditional Information Technology (IT) systems cannot cope with variety or volume.  Each department or program needs access to more sources of information. The more “dimensions” of information accessed (e.g. geo-spatial, social media, weather data) the better the outcome.

In today’s world employees and programs are asking harder questions through traditional means. As an example; one government agency is trying to analyze the dynamics of the underground economy.  A state government is attempting to understand why municipalities dissolve or succeed.  It is important to apply critical thinking principles via cognitive computing.   There is a need to eliminate the “noise” that exists in today’s information driven society.  Organizations can now use machine learning and hypothesis testing to apply critical thinking against larger sources of all types of information.

Recommendations of this discussion will focus on ensuring a clear objective. And, that the domain of knowledge is complete and defined.  This ensures that the cognitive systems will work successfully to solve complex business problems.

Thoughts ?