Trust is at the epicentre for pervasive AI adoption

After decades of talk, research and experimentation, artificial intelligence (AI) is taking off in the mainstream commercial market. However, we have only scratched the surface of this technology’s potential impact.  

AI’s power is embedding itself in everyday life – but further adoption and business impacts still hinge on trust. For example, in manufacturing and distribution, AI-powered machines are becoming commonplace across production and play key roles in handling goods in distribution centres. But it’s a big leap of faith to go from trusting robots to weld a car door or pull out something from a warehouse shelf to putting our lives in the hands of AI that manoeuvres driverless cars. 

It’s the same in healthcare. With a doctor’s oversight, AI-driven robots perform surgeries with amazing accuracy. But what happens when AI is the force behind genome sequencing, connected wellness and personalized treatment regimens? Will people trust a machine to take what could be a life-or-death medical decision? 

As trust is earned, we’ll see bolder and more transformative uses of AI. Adoption will likely be more intuitive and smoother for two big reasons. 

Covid-19: changing attitudes and behaviours

The first reason is Covid-19, which forced billions of people – even those who were not technology savvy – into a digital-first existence. People saw first-hand how digital technology, including AI, enabled them to work remotely, shop without going to a physical store, and find new ways to entertain and educate themselves at home. The speed of this adoption was breath-taking, indicating people’s capacity for rapid and significant change. 

At the same time, digital has underpinned countries’ efforts to understand and respond to the virus. Analytics and AI helped – and are still helping – medical researchers and health departments crunch massive volumes of data to understand, in real time, how the virus was mutating and predict the impact. Analytics and AI capabilities were also key to rapidly develop and roll out vaccines and track the drugs’ ongoing adoption and efficacy in real time. This experience is a great foundation for companies looking to accelerate and expand their use of AI. 

Cloud: helping to lead the charge 

The second driver fuelling quicker and easier adoption of transformative AI is cloud, which is the unifying digital fabric enabling companies to achieve sustainable and purpose-driven value. Cloud has democratized access to and deployment of powerful, leading-edge AI and machine learning (ML) tools that companies formerly developed on their own. Google Cloud, for example, offers ready-to-use AI and ML capabilities that companies can quickly, intuitively, and inexpensively tap into to transform their business. TCS and Google Cloud help companies extend the value of cloud so they can innovate and realize the cloud’s true business potential. 

A U.S. bank, for example, used Google Cloud to transform its data and analytics platform. Today, the organization runs analytics, AI and ML models on its data for future predictions. An Australian grocery chain also turned to Google Cloud to shift from a gut-feel-driven merchandising approach to a proactive, data-driven decision-making process. The result: an expected $150 million boost in sales over five years.  

These are just two examples of AI’s transformative power, but they provide a glimpse of what the future holds for the benefit of companies and their customers everywhere. 

Nidhi Srivastava

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Nidhi Srivastava is Vice President and Global Head, Google Cloud Business at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).