At the seminar [Digital Transformation – From Connecting Lives to Transforming Industries,] organised by SMU and The Business Times on August 18, speakers said the use and monetisation of personal data are important drivers of the ongoing digital revolution, and fintech and blockchain are two technologies underpinning this trend. But many of these new technologies are still in their infancy said Vice Provost (Research) and Professor of Information Systems (Practice) Steven Miller, who spoke about technological disruption. He said current versions of machines and artificial intelligence have limitations, which prevent them from being "truly intelligent". "Humans have the ability to understand and infer context, purpose and intent – even if they start without any information. Machines, on the other hand, have a very limited ability to do this." He added that the way forward thus lies in how humans and machines interact with one another; mobile digital learning platforms such as Gnowbe, showcased during the seminar, were examples of this.
[Featured Photo: SMU's vice-provost for research Steven Miller says the way forward lies in how humans interact with machines. Machines and artificial intelligence today have limitations. PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG]