This practical guide to artificial intelligence and its impact on industry dispels common myths and calls for cross-sector, collaborative leadership for the responsible design and embedding of AI in the daily work of businesses and oversight by boards.
Artificial intelligence has arrived, and it’s coming to a business near you. The disruptive impact of AI on the global economy—from health care to energy, financial services to agriculture, and defense to media—is enormous. Technology literacy is a must for traditional businesses, their boards, policy makers, and governance professionals.
This is the first book to explain where AI comes from, why it has emerged as one of the most powerful forces in mergers and acquisitions and research and development, and what companies need to do to implement it successfully. It equips business leaders with a practical roadmap for competing and even thriving in the face of the coming AI revolution. The authors analyze competitive trends, provide industry and governance examples, and explain interactions between AI and other digital technologies, such as blockchain, cybersecurity, and the Internet of Things. At the same time, AI experts will learn how their research and products can increase the competitiveness of their businesses, and corporate boards will come away with a thorough knowledge of the AI governance, ethics, and risk questions to ask.
Features
- Provides a strategic framework for corporate boards and executive leadership teams to remain competitive in the age of AI
- Offers practical and clear advice on AI and machine learning, introducing technical concepts and translating research trends into practical applications while simultaneously incorporating critical governance, ethics, sustainability, and risk considerations
- Provides traditional businesses and their boards with practical questions to ask their teams, suppliers, and technology partners and offers guidance on market trends and players to which to pay attention
Anastassia Lauterbach, PhD, is an international technology strategist, advisor, and entrepreneur. She is CEO and founder of 1AU-Ventures and trains boards in cyber security and cognitive/AI-related technologies and their links to corporate governance. She is board chair of Censhare, Senior Advisor at McKinsey Digital and Analytics Practice, and has served as a director of Dun & Bradstreet since 2013. She was senior executive at Qualcomm Europe, Deutsche Telekom, and T-Mobile International. She is on the Advisory Council Next Generation Board Leaders at Nasdaq and is Venture Partner at Analytics Ventures.
Andrea Bonime-Blanc, JD, PhD, is governance, ethics, and risk strategist and founder and CEO of GEC Risk Advisory, serving companies, NGOs, and governments. Previously an executive at Bertelsmann, Verint, and PSEG, she is start-up accelerator mentor at Plug & Play Tech Center, Director at Epic Theatre Ensemble, Ethics Advisor to the Puerto Rico Financial Oversight Board, and Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She teaches at several universities, is NACD governance faculty, and author of The Reputation Risk Handbook and Gloom to Boom: How Leaders Transform Risk into Resilience and Value.
Reviews
“The business world is going through an unprecedented level of change that is both fast and fundamental. Change always brings confusion. To this brave new AI–driven world, Anastassia Lauterbach and Andrea Bonime-Blanc bring much-needed clarity and structure with a laser-like precision. It is this precision that strategists need to design the next generation of successful processes and business models.”—Clara Durodié, Founder and CEO, Cognitive Finance Group, London, UK
“Like it or not, artificial intelligence is here to stay. This book is timely and provides readers with the knowledge needed to understand the concepts behind AI—and also with the critical tools needed to use it successfully in their own companies.”—Dr. Jürgen Meffert, McKinsey & Company, Inc., Germany
“For anyone wishing to embark on their own deep learning, this book offers a sober and comprehensive look at the frontier of AI, and a roadmap for navigating its impact. Recommended reading whether you’re into supervised or unsupervised learning.”—Scott Hartley, New York City-based Venture Capitalist and Author of The Fuzzy and the Techie: Why the Liberal Arts Will Rule the Digital World
“The printing press, the Internet, and now AI. This book is a remarkable organization and analysis of this vast, dynamic, and absolutely critical issue, replete with keen observations and practical advice spanning basic research, board strategy, and cyber security. Organizations that hope to thrive even in the relatively near future will find this book to be an invaluable tool as they plan and implement their strategy."—Larry Clinton, President and CEO, Internet Security Alliance, Washington, DC
“This work is an extremely impressive compendium of the history of artificial intelligence, the nuance of various methods, and the implications of evolutions in the technology to various applications in modern business. The breadth of research and depth of understanding conveyed are valuable to students, practitioners, and consumers alike.”—Anthony J. Scriffignano, PhD, SVP/Chief Data Scientist, Dun & Bradstreet, USA
“Anastassia Lauterbach and Andrea Bonime-Blanc have masterfully captured the opportunities presentd by AI in the business world. More iportantly they have provided a unique glimpse into the future by identifying governance and compliance considerations that boards and executive management will need to tackle in a responsible manner. This rare insight can and should help shape the strategic direction of AI implementation and is a must-read for companies planning to leverage AI.”—Bryan Weisbard, Head of Security Analysis, Investigations, and Busines Continuity, Twitter, Inc., San Francisco
“Everyone has the right to be scared, or even critical, of artificial intelligence. But this book allows the reader to get these attitudes under control. Its authors take you on a journey through the AI world. They show how AI is already a part of our lives and will be even more so in the future. The book presents practical recommendations for how to prepare yourself and your business for this technological revolution. It leaves the reader convinced that AI will change the way we do business and will become an integral part of our future. Therefore the question is not if, but how we can prepare ourselves and our businesses to be integrated players in this new world. To get started the authors offer us a roadmap to become AI natives.”—Annette Heuser, Executive Director, Beisheim Stiftung, Germany
“This book is simply excellent! I really enjoyed it. If you are a beginner, this book takes you through the basics of machine learning and artificial intelligence and does a great job de-mystifying much of the jargon that is thrown around all too casually. If you are not a novice, you will still get a great deal out of this book as the authors clearly articulate the social, ethical, and governance issues that we are all going to be faced with. I highly recommend this book— it is one of the must-read books of our time.”—Anand Chandrasekher, Senior Vice President, Qualcomm Inc., and President, Qualcomm Datacenter Technologies, Inc., Germany
“AI has now reached a level of maturity to impact each of our businesses and personal lives. Understanding AI is now a business imperative for every executive and director. Read this book to separate all the hype from facts and learn practical ways to improve your business performance. Board members need to understand the content of this book to adequately execute their governance and fiduciary responsibilities.”—Martin M. Coyne II, board director and senior advisor to CEOs, USA
“Artificial intelligence is poised to completely upend the way we do virtually everything. The consequences—including unintended consequences—are massive and the stakes for getting it right are high. Understanding this phenomenon is critical for every business leader. Lauterbach and Bonime-Blanc have done the seemingly impossible—made a complex and wide-ranging subject digestible, understandable, and actionable. I've already applied the learnings from this book to my work and personal life. This is a must read for every board member and leaders across institutions and industries. I can't recommend it highly enough.”
—Erin Essenmacher, Chief Programming Officer, National Association of Corporate Directors, Washington, DC
“AI impacts are expanding at an increasing pace into all facets of business and society. The authors have put together rigorous research, insightful points of view, and a prescriptive structure for leaders to create their own AI path. This ambitious work gives the reader a broad overview of AI which would be a time-consuming and costly endeavor to do on one’s own.”
—Tom Easthope, Director, ERM, Microsoft, Seattle
“This has become my favorite go-to book for artificial intelligence that I have started to share with my business network. AI is an area of hyper growth and fluidity; is extremely difficult to provide clarity, focus, and organization to interested readers. Anastassia Lauterbach and Andrea Bonime-Blanc have just done that by making this book not only relevant to first-time AI readers but also a great source of reference for everyday needs.”—Andreas Roell, Managing Partner, Analytics Ventures, Germany
“If you want to learn all about AI—the conceptual, the practical, the applications, all in the context of governance—then you must read this book. Written with great clarity for everyone from board members and CEOs to start-up entrepreneurs and students.”—Hans Decker, CEO and Vice Chair, Siemens USA (retired), USA
“Lauterbach and Bonime-Blanc’s book The Artificial Intelligence Imperative is a must read for management and boards of all companies. For corporate directors who may not be savvy in this space, it’s a good tutorial but more importantly, I like that it outlines the questions directors should be asking and provides a successful governance approach to AI. You want to be an effective board? Then understand how artificial intelligence can keep companies competitive.”—T. K. Kerstetter, Host of Inside America's Boardrooms, CEO of Boardroom Resources, and cofounder and editor-at-large of Corporate Board Member
