Hello Nicole. Welcome to the AiThority interview series.Please tell us about your journey so far. As an experienced technology professional. How did you get started with AltaML?
Our journey has been a continuous learning curve. My early career wasn't in technology, so I was called a “techie.” “Experienced Technology Expert” It still makes me laugh!
But I try to use that to my advantage and help my partners and clients understand the opportunities presented by AI in a language they understand. We wish we had a crystal ball to predict our success or failure, but the reality is that we can never know exactly how a business venture will unfold. But what we recognized early on was that we had the potential to go into the AI space and disrupt the industry, and making that bet on ourselves was a game-changer. This has been proven. Throughout this journey, we've embraced adaptability, listened to our customers, taken calculated risks, and continued to innovate with the support of our team, but the journey isn't over yet. We continually research, come up with ideas, and strive to be leaders in this field. This pursuit is ongoing. Change happens when you feel like you've caught up. This constant evolution makes every day interesting.
Please tell me more about AltaML. What is your core service?
We operate our business on two sides: service and venture studio. On the services side, we leverage our expertise to build custom AI solutions for enterprise and public sector customers. These relationships and exposure to issues help create opportunities on the other side of the business. Studio allows you to identify desirable market opportunities and build a portfolio of industry-specific ventures building AI products.
Our goal is to give organizations access to the latest information. AI technology and education to support ethical implementation at all levels of the organization. We operate across a variety of sectors, disrupting traditional industries such as agriculture, healthcare, financial services, energy and resources. We have a deep understanding of your organization's challenges and can help you co-develop customized solutions. We are very proud that once our solutions pass feasibility, 70% of them move towards operationalization, which is far above industry standards.
Almost half of Americans use a digital assistant. What do you think about AI-powered tools like chatbots and virtual assistants?
As AI usage inevitably increases, it is important to provide people with the tools for informed education and adoption.
As an industry leader, our commitment goes beyond technological advancement. Recognizing the significant impact these tools have on our daily lives, we prioritize alignment with our values of transparency, privacy, and security.
Our focus isn't just on pushing the boundaries. It's the responsible thing to do. These tools play an important role in social progress and have great potential. While these are very helpful, they also highlight the need for human involvement during development and deployment. End users need to understand how these systems store and manage critical data.
What does the AI adoption journey look like with AltaML for enterprise software?
While AI is transformative and many are exploring its potential, it's important to know that operationalizing AI can be difficult. We've been doing this for six years, and the metric we monitor most closely is the percentage of use cases that pass initial feasibility testing and are moving toward operationalization.
Here are some of the lessons we learned along the way.
- Start with real business problems, not just the novelty of AI
- Compare use cases to strategically prioritize your AI initiatives
- Start small to build momentum and cultural change
- Involve data science early to assess feasibility and inform strategy
- Integrate AI into your overall enterprise strategy, not just IT.
- Address concerns about turnover by engaging with end users early and focusing on change management
Don't be afraid to kill things early.
We recommend that companies compare and prioritize their use cases rather than evaluating them one by one. Engage with end users early in the development process, foster end-user engagement, and become change agents for your organization. Plan for change management. It may take two to three times longer than building the technology, but it is necessary for successful implementation.
The NLP market is expected to grow nearly 14 times in 2025 compared to 2017, increasing from approximately USD 3 billion in 2017 to more than USD 43 billion in 2025. What are your comments?
The prediction that the NLP market will grow to more than $43 billion by 2025 is a strong indication of the impact it will have on numerous industries. The field is evolving beyond just natural language to become truly multimodal, including visual and speech understanding. This is more than just growth. This is a transformation driven primarily by advances in language models at scale. These models reshape the way we understand and interact with information, representing a paradigm shift in technology and enabling multiple new use cases that were previously unattainable.
We are at the forefront of this change. We actively partner with leading hyperscalers to deliver innovative solutions that leverage the power of advanced generative AI to address real-world challenges.
As we push the boundaries of what is possible with AI, we are equally committed to responsible innovation. This technology comes with significant challenges and risks. It's important to us to ensure that these powerful tools enhance human potential and operate transparently and ethically. This commitment influences every project we undertake and is the foundation of our partnerships with industry leaders. We're not just building technology. We are shaping the future of how technology is created and consumed, with responsibility at the core.
With the growing importance of responsible AI, how does AltaML address ethical considerations and mitigating bias in the development and deployment of AI solutions?
First of all, responsible AI is non-negotiable for us. As a company, we are committed to ethical considerations and reducing bias in the development and deployment of AI with a strong commitment to responsible practices. We implement robust controls, adhere to established policies, and prioritize education and awareness.
Embracing responsible AI fosters a culture of shared responsibility, strengthens our reputation and attracts top talent. Canada has the potential to lead in responsible AI, but this will require collaboration between academia, government and industry, as well as effective regulation that balances innovation with protection from harm.
Our projects begin and end with ethical practices. This removes bias, reduces risk, and keeps it manageable within your team.
What AI efforts are you currently focused on to revolutionize healthcare delivery?
among us Talent Accelerator Program, GovLab — an innovation hub for public sector organizations. We recently welcomed a new tenant focused on improving the health outcomes of Albertans. Although this partnership is still in its early stages, it has the potential to revolutionize healthcare delivery. We are looking at a variety of use cases, including workforce planning for healthcare workers. For example, we worked with the Precision Analytics team at Cancer Care in Alberta to develop a model that predicts expected workload and informed resource allocation within Cancer Care with the expected outcome of reduced patient wait times. I'll announce it.
How can AltaML's AI-powered solutions help manufacturers chart a path to data-driven excellence and succeed in a competitive and evolving global marketplace?
We have been a committed partner since the beginning, working closely together to co-develop AI solutions tailored to the specific needs of our clients.
We iterate fearlessly to ensure optimal production yields and foster successful solutions in a fast-paced global marketplace. This support extends every step of the way, driving increased efficiency, improved decision-making, increased productivity, and ultimately increased profitability for clients, partners, tenants, and the entire ecosystem.
What are the biggest challenges and opportunities you see in leveraging machine learning to solve real-world problems?
As someone deeply invested in technology, I believe there are both challenges and opportunities when it comes to using machine learning to tackle real-world problems. One of the biggest challenges we face is ensuring that we use AI ethically and responsibly, taking into account issues such as bias and privacy. Additionally, the technology landscape is constantly changing, so you need to stay innovative and agile to keep up.
However, within these challenges lies great potential.
Machine learning has the power to transform entire industries by automating tasks, streamlining processes, and gaining insights from data like never before. This enables us to create personalized solutions that make a real difference in people's lives and increase overall efficiency and effectiveness. By tackling challenges head-on and seizing opportunities, we can unlock the true potential of machine learning and positively impact society. It's about embracing possibilities without being held back by fear of risk.
As AI adoption continues to accelerate across industries, how does AltaML envision the future of AI-powered innovation and what role does your company play in shaping that future? mosquito?
While we have been immersed in this realm, great changes have already occurred. Although it is difficult to predict the long-term future, we are committed to remaining actively involved, guiding decision-making, advocating for responsible production, and striving to develop the technical workforce of the future.
Leadership opportunities abound globally, and Canada must boldly assert itself and demonstrate to the world what we are capable of. Despite our strengths in innovation, research and talent, there is a sense that we are falling behind. My hope for the future lies in regulations that support rather than hinder innovation, thereby advancing Canada's AI advantage.
Collaboration and partnership are key in the field of AI. How does AltaML foster strategic alliances and ecosystem relationships to enhance its AI services and expand its market reach?
We are committed to the power of collaboration and partnership to avoid silos and accelerate progress in the field of AI.
By building purposeful relationships with industry leaders, academic institutions, and government agencies, we strengthen our AI services and expand our market reach. We combine our strengths, share knowledge and create innovative solutions that have a real impact. Through these partnerships, we not only strengthen our own capabilities, but also reach more people and drive meaningful progress in the adoption and application of AI across sectors.
Ultimately, it's about coming together to build a better future with AI.
Thank you, Nicole! It was a lot of fun. We look forward to seeing you again on AiThority.com soon.
