By: Rosemary Johnston- Friday, September 26, 2014
Big data is the term on everyone’s lips. What is it and what does it do?
“Self-driving cars were just the start. What’s the future of big data-driven technology and design? In a thrilling science talk, Kenneth Cukier looks at what’s next for machine learning — and human knowledge.”
What made me sit up and notice was all this talk about computers getting smarter than us comes from big data. They have been teaching computers to review slides of human biopsies to evaluate them for cancer. The computer became so smart it came up with 3 factors that weren’t previously recognised by the humans who had taught the machine!
What will this mean for society? The rate of change in careers will be huge. Humans will be needed for the emotional context, the evaluation of options as the foundation for decisions, and to manage exceptions. However large amounts of routine work will be performed by machines. For example 20 years ago there were darkened rooms in pathology labs where experts evaluated pap smears and tissue samples for abnormalities and cancer. There is now an automated solution, a computer can do the same work in less time and only the exceptions need to be reviewed.
There is a new app for Mortgage Lending that may replace the need for back office support, new software platforms that do the same for property investment advice, and off shore priced accounting and audit services that will replace the nuts and bolts pieces that have been the core of those practices.
Where is this going? Imagine Super Advisors! Listen to this and imagine what is in store!