Israel National Technological Innovation Report 2018

Israel National technological innovation report | 95 Concepts from the world of technology such as social networks, mobile applications, business analytics and big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and machine learning, wearable computing, cognitive computing, advanced robotics, internet of things, virtual and augmented reality, 3D printing and more have revolutionized our way of life and the way that organizations do business. Managers of all organizations are now required to address new challenges arising from the advent of digital technology. These technologies have led to the emergence of new business models such as sharing economy, crowdsourcing, ecommerce, data selling and others. At one of the recent Davos conferences, this bundle of changes was labelled the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a game changer that subverts commercial branches and blurs the boundaries between them – a phenomenon that can be dubbed the digital transformation. The digital transformation poses an explicit threat to organizations, yet it also presents a remarkable opportunity. As such, addressing this transformation requires that organizations adopt a culture of business flexibility, continual awareness of changes in the business environment, an ability to make decisions based on an understanding of the inherent value of data, the promotion and encouragement of innovation, and a willingness to take risks. This is a profound business and organizational transformation, which consequently necessitates that the organization oversees it. These factors have all become a critical condition for the modern-day manager operating in a dynamic, global, digital environment. The digital transformation poses an explicit threat to organizations, yet it also presents a remarkable opportunity. As such, addressing this transformation requires that organizations adopt a culture of business flexibility, continual awareness of changes in the business environment, an ability to make decisions based on an understanding of the inherent value of data, the promotion and encouragement of innovation, and a willingness to take risks. The following review will cover a few of the new technologies that offer a dramatic potential for change – a change that has only just begun: Artificial Intelligence - the transition to Broad AI In recent years, humankind has been demonstrating an increasing interest in AI, and not for naught. The ability to leverage the data we possess, to extract new insight from this data in real time, and to communicate this through the use of human language is a game changer in practically every aspect of our lives. The study of AI began in the mid-fifties, but has picked up steam in recent years. There are several reasons for this. First, the amount of data has grown with the introduction of social media and IoT (internet of things) to our lives. The ability to translate unstructured data (images or video) into insight unveils new, infinite opportunities. Secondly, significant progress has been demonstrated in the research of AI based on the amount of data for learning and developing technological tools such as machine learning and deep learning. Another reason that has propelled the technology forward is the increasing involvement of the business sector. Processes have become more efficient and automated, requiring less resources and leveraging organizations’ capabilities and the customer experience to new ground. It is therefore also easier to raise funds for R&D for additional groundbreaking technological tools. Research indicates that we can now achieve better results in very specific tasks in the field of AI. Autonomous vehicles, face and emotion recognition, and even the personal adaptation of medication – these tasks are called Narrow AI. However, even the smartest autonomous vehicle cannot talk to us about the weather, unless its developers have programmed the vehicle with the capabilities required to undertake this specific task. The vehicle clearly cannot learn how to play a new card game after a brief explanation of the rules – something that any small child can do with ease. Researchers’ long-term goal is to achieve General AI :a machine that ‘contains’ enough information, basic knowledge, and a very solid handle of language, allowing it to learn any new topic and to communicate We are on the cusp of a new reality that will impact every aspect of our lives. Technological constraints are no longer an obstacle. In the world of computers and networks, almost anything is possible