CIO
opinion
CIO
OPINION
experience. Machine learning allows
organisations to personalise advertisements,
call centre interactions and even products
and services for individual customers, and to
predict what they want next.
Set and measure metrics
CIOs understand the value that machine
learning offers but the other members of the
senior executive team and board may not.
CIOs must therefore set expectations, develop
metrics of success before beginning the
implementation process and prepare a solid
business case to present to the leadership
team when requesting the necessary funding.
Metrics will need to change as you adopt
machine learning capabilities and reap the
benefits of intelligent automation.
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Understand the effect on
corporate culture
How employees’ roles will change as the
organisation introduces machine learning
requires CIOs to adjust their hiring and
training processes.
This should not be too difficult, as it requires
the same skill sets needed for the cloud era,
such as data science, engineering, maths and
critical thinking.
This transformation will likely be
uncomfortable for some employees, so be
sure to communicate the value machine
learning will bring to their day-to-day work.
The machines are not taking over the
enterprise; they will alleviate employees of
tedious manual processes and free them
up to focus on more strategic projects. It’s
also important to understand that CIOs are
not immune to that uncomfortable feeling.
Their roles must evolve as well from being
responsible for keeping the lights on when it
comes to operational matters to an executive
who has a much broader engagement across
the business and, therefore, a new level of
strategic importance.
Realising a return on machine learning
investments requires planning and
disciplined follow-through, all while adjusting
employees to how rapid and on-going
technology changes will affect their day-to-
day work. Following the five steps described
above will ease that transition for Middle
East organisations. n
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