NewsroomPost: Artificial Intelligence

Affine inc. to showcase its revolutionary Retail AI solutions at the NRF 2024 Convention

11 Jan, 2024, 11:16 ET | source

Affine Inc, a leading provider of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) solutions, is geared up to participate at NRF 2024: Retail’s Big Show convention in New York, to be held from January 14th-16th 2024. The Expo is a premier global event attended by distinguished professionals and leaders of the retail sector. Affine will showcase its custom retail offerings and Generative AI product suite to the participants at the NRF event.

Custom retail AI offerings from Affine help solve complex and relevant problems faced across departments such as supply chain, merchandising, sales, store ops – and more. Some of their flagship customer AI solutions for the retail industry include a demand forecasting engine, an ML-powered customer data platform, and clearance pricing optimization, to name a few. Additionally, Affine will demonstrate its Generative AI product suite, covering areas such as a personalization engine for specialty retail, LLM (Large Language Models)-powered contract management system, and customer reviews summarization for the e-commerce industry. Their team of experts will provide in-depth demonstrations, showcasing the unique benefits of their retail technology and Generative AI offerings.

Vineet Kumar, Co-Founder, CEO US

Mr. Vineet Kumar, CEO, Affine Inc., a prominent leader in the field of AI and decision science, expressed enthusiasm about the company’s participation at NRF: “We are thrilled to participate at the NRF 2024 retail convention and showcase our retail AI and ML capabilities. We believe that our cutting-edge offerings will help our clients stay ahead of the competition in a rapidly evolving retail industry.”    

Mr. Ashish Maheshwari, CRO, Affine Inc., who will also be present at the NRF convention, echoed similar sentiments, claiming, “Both our custom solutions and generative AI offerings will enable retailers to streamline operations, enhance the customer experience—and achieve remarkable business outcomes.”

Affine Inc. will present its revolutionary solutions at Booth #1847 from 14th to 16th January 2024 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York.

About Affine Inc:

Affine is a leading AI & ML Solutions company, enabling global enterprises to affect their transformation and innovation by leveraging the unique trifecta of AI, Data-Engineering, and Cloud. Affine’s offerings cover end-to-end capabilities, spanning modern data engineering to core AI and scalable cloud deployment across North America, Europe, and Asia. It combines the hyper-convergence of AI, Data-Engineering, and Cloud with its deep industry knowledge, particularly in Retail, CPG, Technology, Manufacturing, and Gaming segments. Affine has been a leader in providing AI & ML solutions to Fortune 500 – retail, CPG, and e-commerce companies for over 13 years.

Affine’s Singapore Office Launch to Support Rapid AI & Data Science Growth in The APAC Region

Published on: Aug. 20, 2019, 10:00 PM | source

Affine Analytics, Leading Artificial Intelligence & Data Sciences Solution provider, has opened its new office in Singapore. This move is in line with its ambitious expansion plans into the Asia Pacific region in 2019 and beyond.

Affine is the brain-child of three data-mavericks, Manas Agrawal, Vineet Kumar and Abhishek Anand, who are all reputed specialists of their fields with more than 30 years of combined experience and unique strengths in management and solutioning of AI & Advanced Analytics based services. Affine, at the cutting-edge of technology-based development, has emerged as a leader in harnessing the power of cloud-based services, Big Data and Artificial Intelligence.

Manas Agrawal, Affine Co-founder & CEO said:

“We are celebrating a milestone moment on the opening of our new office in Singapore region. This is an exciting time for us, as we continue to expand our operations in the Asia-Pacific markets to attain significant growth and help our customers scale quickly, easily and effectively.”

Affine foresees a tremendous potential for growth & consumption in some niche areas such as Machine Learning, Deep Learning, IoT, Computer Vision, etc., especially with organizations now wanting to acquire & implement data-driven solutions for informed decision making and to stay proactive.

Catering to the ever-increasing technology-based needs of this market, they offer Data Sciences & Artificial Intelligence as a strategic tool and provide the necessary expertise & experience, acquired and honed over the years.

With the launch in Singapore & their increasing footprint globally, they plan to create competitive advantage for clients by incorporating innovation and data technology upgrades into their existing systems.

Ankit Khandelwal, Affine’s Lead for South East Asia Region said:

“Our prospective clients would be Asian arms of global corporates, regional businesses with global aspirations as well as Government linked companies. We also intend to partner with some of the leading technology players in the region to quickly scale up and reach out to maximum number of clients who could benefit from our set of offerings.”

Affine is a strategic analytics partner to medium and large-sized organizations (majorly Fortune 500 & Global 1000) around the globe that creates cutting-edge creative solutions for their business challenges.

Human Capital

They have strategically built up their human capital with over 300 Data Scientists, Business Analysts & Consultants, Statisticians, Researchers and Data Engineers across India, Singapore and the United States, bringing together an enviable expertise & knowledge of Programming, Statistical & Querying languages, technological orientation along with a strong pedigree of business understanding and fervent problem-solving acumen.

About Affine

Affine, a leading AI & ML Solutions company, is at the forefront of enabling global enterprises to drive transformation and innovation. With their unique trifecta of AI, Data-Engineering, and Cloud capabilities, Affine empowers businesses to harness the power of cutting-edge technology.

The recent addition of the Generative AI product suite further demonstrates Affine’s commitment to staying ahead of the curve and offering comprehensive solutions to their clients. This suite joins their existing end-to-end capabilities, which span from modern data engineering to core AI and scalable cloud deployment.

Covering regions across North America, Europe, and Asia, Affine ensures their transformative solutions are accessible to enterprises worldwide. Their hyper-convergence of AI, Data-Engineering, and Cloud, combined with deep industry knowledge, sets them apart in sectors such as Retail, CPG, Technology, Manufacturing, and Gaming.

Affine’s extensive experience spans over 13 years, during which they have established themselves as a trusted leader in providing AI & ML solutions to Fortune 500 companies, particularly in retail, CPG, and e-commerce sectors. Their expertise and track record make them an invaluable partner for organizations seeking to leverage the power of AI and ML to drive success.

With Affine, global enterprises can confidently embark on their transformation journey. The company’s commitment to continuous innovation, end-to-end capabilities, and deep industry knowledge positions it as a reliable and influential force in the realm of AI and ML solutions.

Join forces with Affine’s expertise to unleash the transformative potential of AI and ML in your business today. Experience the power of the unique trifecta—AI, Data-Engineering, and Cloud—and witness the positive impact it can have on your enterprise’s growth and innovation.

 

The Fisher Center for Business Analytics at UC Berkeley and Affine reinforce their commitment to AI-driven transformation for the gaming, media & entertainment industries

January 28, 2022 | BERKELEY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)

The Fisher Center for Business Analytics at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley in partnership with Affine announced that they are co-hosting a virtual symposium “How AI is transforming gaming, media & entertainment,” scheduled for February 24, 2022. Notable leaders like

  • Rafael Brown, studio head and co-founder of Entertainment XR with over 25 years of experience in the video game industry
  • Colum Slevin, Senior Director, Electronic Arts, with 23-year gaming pedigree with previous experiences in LucasFilm, Telltale Games, Oculus and Facebook
  • Nitin Mittal, President of Zee Entertainment, with over 2 decades of track record in data, analytics and cloud solutions

will come together to discuss how Artificial intelligence (AI) can help empower media organizations with insights into consumer behavior.

For gaming, entertainment and media consumers, there has never been a better time. World’s biggest gaming and media brands are vying for their attention and time, posing serious challenges for media organizations as they struggle to understand content consumption patterns among their viewers and strive to keep up. AI provides much-needed intel as these organizations move towards the world of the metaverse and look to produce exciting content. In the last decade, most media organizations have already undergone significant digital transformation and are preparing themselves for metaverse, which will make the virtual world real for users.

 

Defining the technology-led future of media and entertainment

Speaking on the announcement of this event, Gauthier Vasseur, FCBA Executive Director, said, “As the Media & Entertainment sector moves towards digitization, there are many questions faced by content creators, gaming, and media organizations. They want to understand the role of data and analytics as they dabble with AI. Ethics and privacy are set to become part of the future foundations of the metaverse. Media and technology sectors must work hand in hand to ensure a rapid yet sustainable transformation. We look forward to hosting some of the most significant voices in technology and media at our event, to begin these discussions in the early stages of Digital Transformation in the Metaverse age.”

“AI will write the future of consumer engagement in the media & entertainment sector. Metaverse poses an exciting potential for entertainment and gaming. We believe that the event will provide ample opportunity for media and technology organizations to find synergies and start defining the future of Gaming, Media and Entertainment for the coming decade,” said Manas Agarwal, Founder & CEO of Affine.

Saurabh Tandon, board member and president for the Americas at Affine, said, “With the onset of the Metaverse and all-pervasive AI, the media and entertainment industry is set for a complete transformation, from gaming in the metaverse to deep data and insight-led content production. For these changes to be sustainable for business, media and technology organizations must join hands and chart out a future roadmap.”

Register to be part of a thought-provoking discussion: https://fcba.berkeley.edu/fcba-affine-summit2022/

 

About Fisher Center for Business Analytics:

The Fisher Center advances the creation of business value from data science to support innovative leaders. It conducts research, coordinates diffusion and adoption of analytics in all aspects of business and management. The Fisher Center is home to the Alliance for Inclusive Artificial Intelligence, launched in 2019.

Business-driven analytics, supported by open-minded teams and powered by advanced and rigorous approaches, has become a competitive advantage for individuals and organizations. The Center believes in challenging the status quo, building inclusive intelligence, and taking never-ending learning journeys.

 

About Affine:

Affine is a leading professional services & solutions firm, enabling global enterprises to affect their transformation & innovation, leveraging AI, DE & cloud. Affine covers end-to-end capabilities spanning modern data-engineering to core AI and scalable cloud deployment across North America, Europe and Asia.

Affine combines the hyper-convergence of AI, data engineering & cloud with deep industry knowledge, in manufacturing, gaming, CPG and technology. Affine demonstrates thought leadership in all relevant knowledge vectors by investing in research through its highly acknowledged centers of excellence and strong academia relationships with reputable institutions.

Metaverse and AI: Bridging virtual and real world

Posted On: 31 March 2022 | (Source) | By : Vineet Kumar. Co-Founder and Chief Solutions Architect, Affine.

The Metaverse itself is a powerful concept. Imagine how impactful it can be when you add the problem-solving capability of AI into the equation. The Metaverse will bring forward an interactive environment that will enable enterprises to create a virtual reality environment with interactive life-like elements. As a technology, AI’s relevance to the growth and profitability of companies is evident. For example, a McKinsey survey estimates that at least 22% of companies conveyed a 5% increase of EBIT attributed to AI.

A New World of Options 

By combining the capabilities of AI and the Metaverse, we can think of numerous probabilities. For instance, many expensive real-world experiments can be carried out cost-effectively while adhering to strict timelines in the Metaverse to generate more data. This valuable data can be used to feed and train AI algorithms for accurate business decision-making. Similarly, any possible recommendations from AI solutions can be implemented with minimum risk in a Metaverse to understand the impact before implementing it in the real world. AI can also help with hyper-personalizing businesses in the Metaverse.

Let’s drill down a few potential use cases across industries and how they can transform the future landscape of day-to-day life:

Manufacturing

In a Metaverse environment, there are interesting use cases. For example, simulations that are considered too hard to conduct in real factory settings can be executed seamlessly in a Digital Twin factory. Similarly, production line robots or warehouse robots can be trained and retrained in a Metaverse environment till they are perfect in handling a process such as a production schedule which is difficult to replicate in a physical factory.

Training the robots can happen within the Digital Twin, and the manufacturer can then import the trained models into the physical robots. A product manufacturer can also test the sensor machinery in a digital counterpart of the factory under extreme conditions such as very high RPM for long periods with intermittent breaks and observe the failing points of the equipment. The manufacturer can then use the observations from these test runs to fine-tune predictive maintenance models and reduce unscheduled downtime. These are just some of the possibilities that can be explored by combining AI and the Metaverse in the manufacturing space.

Retail 

In a Metaverse retail environment, AI can determine which products to present (dynamic user-level personalization), how to present those products (dynamic store layout, planograms, number of product facings), and what prices or promotions to respective products (user-level price recommendation engine), to drive user experience and conversion. The insights gained from the Metaverse environment can be used to transfer the learning and customer insights back into real-world stores. At the same time, AI engines for physical stores can learn from augmented data derived from customer preferences displayed in metaverse stores. Metaverse environments can also be used to build a Digital Twin of a retail store. The Digital Twin can be used to not only check the response of customers towards the store layout but also to understand customer traffic movements to plan store associate placement and predict shelf stock-outs in real-time.

Healthcare 

A Metaverse environment can be used to check the performance of a multi-specialty hospital when exposed to different parameters and conditions. From guiding the right doctor or caregiver to the right patient and allowing frontline workers to direct their energies efficiently, the combination of AI and Metaverse can do wonders.

Smart Cities

Any new development in a proposed smart city can be simulated in the Digital Twin of the city to measure short-term and long-term impact on different ecosystems (utilities, traffic, waste management, etc.). The buildings or structures can be checked for structural integrity. Disasters can also be simulated without risk to evaluate their impact. These simulations can be used as data points to train AI algorithms that can be used to improve the city with respect to varying parameters.

Traffic Simulation

One of the most common challenges for modern cities is running a highly efficient traffic system. Traffic conditions can be simulated in the Metaverse, and AI can optimize traffic techniques and gauge how best the traffic can be re-routed to minimize congestion.

Maturation of the Metaverse is imminent. By combining AI and the Metaverse, organizations can achieve transformational business impact from both the real world and the new virtual world. These are some of my thoughts on how AI and the Metaverse can help solve problems in real-world scenarios. The collective potential of AI and Metaverse in the Manufacturing sector, Retail, Healthcare, and Smart city is far-reaching.

Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing 5.0 

February 19, 2022 | (Source)

Growing significance of AI in augmenting human capabilities in manufacturing operations. Manas Agrawal writes a guest column.

For decades, manufacturing businesses have been involved in digitizing their processes and connecting their plants to improve visibility. While this has helped in improving productivity, it has not helped manufacturers keep up the pace with the fast-changing landscape.

In many manufacturing companies, machine and plant operators still rely on using manual adjust settings and parameters to ensure improved operational efficiencies. If this does not change quickly, manufacturers will be surrounded by challenges to effectively compete in a global scenario that has completely metamorphosed since the pandemic.

As the world tries to limp back to normalcy, manufacturers will look at making their operations more resilient by adopting technologies that can help them automate their processes and analyse vast volumes of information from the plant shop floor to detect any issue in production processes. Thanks to AI, these processes will be refined on a continuous basis as AI learns and unlearns to improve overall efficiency.

A McKinsey report states that in advanced manufacturing processes, AI can improve forecasting accuracy by a factor of 10 to 20 percent. McKinsey says that this can translate into a potential 5% reduction in inventory costs and a revenue increase of 2-3%.

AI is also being used by manufacturers to proactively reduce downtime through predictive maintenance. Manufacturers can also utilise AI to forecast demand and help make judicious inventory management decisions, thus preventing overstocking and understocking. AI can help manufacturers better optimize their supply chains through accurate inventory tracking, production, and management.

Research firm, Gartner, says that the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the need for supply chain organizations to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced analytics to dig through the vast amounts of data they generate to understand what is happening in their business. The research firm says that by 2024, 50% of supply chain organizations will invest in applications that support Artificial Intelligence and advanced analytics capabilities. AI can also be used for predicting the most efficient delivery route by combining different variables such as weather, traffic reports and vehicle or driver performance.

AI’s role in Manufacturing 5.0

While AI’s role in Industry 4.0 is already well known, in the future, AI will be used to augment the capability of humans. For example, there may be certain manufacturing operations that require the domain expertise of humans who can then input the probable causes of failure into AI models, and further improve efficiencies. While Industry 4.0 was mostly about automation, Industry 5.0 is about using the combined power of humans and machines to work together for favourable outcomes.

Industry 5.0 will use the creative and intuitive power of humans to create better and more efficient products. For example, a tractor manufacturer can co-create a customized tractor by allowing the customer to customize the product and directing the manufacturer to produce the tractor.

This deep collaboration allows manufacturers to create customized and highly personalized tractors. This can be extended to every possible product – from cars to washing machines, laptops, or even mobile phones. A case in point is Ferrari which allows its customers to configure every last detail of their car to be tailored according to their personal preferences.

While human intervention is required for their creative and cognitive abilities, AI can suggest an aesthetic design or the right model that helps the customer to co-create the product easily.

AI-powered collaborative Cobots are also an example of Manufacturing 5.0. Universal Robots, a manufacturer of AI-powered robots has deployed more than 50,000 collaborative robots in different production environments around the world.

Blue Star, one of India’s most popular brands, uses the company’s Cobots to handle its complex task of copper tube expansion. Using AI, the centre of each copper tube is calculated, and the coordinates are then passed on to the cobot to guide it to a correct position. The cobot has managed to eliminate stress as the operator no longer has to track and measure the coordinates of each tube. This is just one example of the power of collaborative robots, and the huge potential of Manufacturing 5.0.

There are an infinite number of possibilities that can be explored, as Cobots can be reprogrammed for different applications, as the need arises. These Cobots can also be operated by frontline workers and more complex activities can be done by human beings.

In conclusion, AI’s role in Manufacturing 5.0 will be huge, as it will enable a powerful combination of using the consistency, speed, and scalability powers of robots with the skill and creative ability of humans.

(Manas Agrawal is the CEO and Co-founder of Affine)

AI firm Affine sets up a lab of manufacturing excellence in Jamshedpur

Updated On: Feb 06, 2022 (source)

The new lab to act as a center of global innovation for Industry 4.0 excellence in manufacturing

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Engineering consulting and solutions analytics firm Affine has set up a lab of manufacturing excellence in Jamshedpur. Affine says that the new lab will act as a centre of global innovation for Industry 4.0 excellence in manufacturing. The lab will focus on areas such as computer vision for quality and data analysis of real-time machine data for better visibility and efficiency, it added.

Affine said that it had chosen Jamshedpur to set up the lab as the city was a manufacturing hub for steel, commercial vehicles, cement, power, construction equipment, industrial equipment, vehicle engines, and tin-plate produced by SMEs. ‘Jamshedpur is practically the cradle of Industry 4.0 in India, with many powerhouse companies such as Tata Motors looking to leverage the technology,’ said the company.

Manas Agrawal, Co-founder & CEO, told BusinessLine , “We see there is growing aspiration in mid-size companies because those are the companies that could spend on analytics and also get benefits from that.” India has a very good play in democratising Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI is becoming available to most companies above a certain size to benefit from the AI revolution, he added. Affine, which says it works with several Fortune 500 companies, did not disclose the investment made in setting up the lab.

Compared to last year, more than 50 per cent of the companies are spending or intend to spend double of last year on Business Intelligence, according to Agarwal. “There has also been a lot of traction on the cloud and Industry 4.0 overall, from a pure dollar perspective, there has to be at the bare minimum a 50% increase and it could actually go higher,” he said.

Stating that many customers are setting up their own centres of excellence and analytics teams, Affine also advises companies to think through their roadmap. “The demand for chief analytics officer, chief digital officers positions has gone through the roof. This is a good indication that Indian industry captains are setting up and taking notes that miniscule digital investment is not enough for competition at a global level,” Agarwal added.

The Fisher Center for Business Analytics at UC Berkeley and Affine reinforce their commitment to AI-driven transformation for the gaming, media & entertainment industries

Published on January 27, 2022 (Source)

Mumbai: For gaming, entertainment and media consumers, there has never been a better time. Some of the world’s biggest gaming and media brands are vying for their attention and time. This also poses serious challenges for media organizations as they struggle to understand content consumption patterns among their viewers and strive to keep up. Artificial intelligence (AI) can help meet this need and empower media organizations with deep insights into consumer behavior. AI can provide the much-needed intel as these organizations move forward into the world of the metaverse and look to produce exciting content for their audiences. In the last decade, most media organizations have already undergone significant digital transformation and are preparing themselves for metaverse, which will make the virtual world real for users.

To explore these changes, The Fisher Center for Business Analytics at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley in partnership with Affine announced that they are co-hosting a virtual symposium on “How AI is transforming Gaming, Media & Entertainment,” scheduled for February 24, 2022. Affine is a leading data science and AI solution provider in the gaming, media, and entertainment space. The event will feature notable leaders from the gaming, media and entertainment (M&E) sectors coming together to discuss the industry’s future with respect to advancements in AI and other technologies.

UC Berkeley has historically been the leader in AI-related research output, having demonstrated the highest success rate in AI innovation and renowned for hosting visionary events in the space. The Fisher Center for Business Analyticsadvances the creation of business value from data science and pursues its vision through research, education, and accelerating the diffusion and adoption of analytics in all aspects of business and management. It’s an ideal home for industry veterans, pioneers, and research scholars from Big Tech companies discuss and decipher the gaming, M&E industry from a global viewpoint.

Defining the technology-led future of media and entertainment

Speaking on the announcement of this event, Gauthier Vasseur, FCBA executive director, said, “As the M&E sector moves toward digitization, there are many questions faced by content creators, gaming, and media organizations. They want to understand the role of data and analytics as they dabble with AI, often for the first time. At the same time, ethics and privacy are set to become part of the future foundations of the metaverse. It is important that the media and technology sectors work hand in hand to ensure not just a rapid transformation but also a sustainable one. We look forward to hosting some of the most significant voices in technology and media at our event to begin these discussions in the early stages of digital transformation in the metaverse age.”

“AI will write the future of consumer engagement in the M&E sector,” said Manas Agarwal, founder & CEO of Affine. “At the same time, metaverse poses an exciting potential for entertainment and gaming. It is important that media organizations understand the impact of these technologies on viewers and their content consumption patterns. We believe that the event will provide ample opportunity for media and technology organizations to find synergies and start defining the future of gaming, media and entertainment for the coming decade.”

Saurabh Tandon, board member and president for the Americas at Affine said, “With the onset of the Metaverse and all-pervasive AI, the media and entertainment industry is set to undergo a complete transformation. From gaming in the metaverse to deep data and insight-led content production, a lot is set to change. However, for these changes to be safe for viewers and sustainable for business, it is important that media and technology organizations join hands and chart out a roadmap for the future. The symposium, ‘How AI is transforming gaming, media & entertainment’ aims to do just that – define the future roadmap of the gaming, media, and entertainment industries.”

Affine Strengthens India Operations; Announces Key Leadership Appointments

[ 8 June 2021 ] | (Source)

The company has recently appointed Kishore Kumar as Vice President, Head of Customer Success, and Navin Patel as Head, Talent Acquisition. Announcing the expansion plans, Affine reveals that their global presence extends to the U.S. and Singapore as well.

Affine, a pure-play AI & Analytics firm, has announced major expansion plans for its Global operations – entry into the tech-hub, Hyderabad. With this move, Affine intends to nearly double its headcount over the next 12 months – primarily focusing on adding talent in AI, Engineering, and Cloud. Today’s announcement marks a major milestone in the company’s decade-long journey as a catalyst for business transformation for global enterprises across Manufacturing, Gaming & Entertainment, and Hi-Tech among other industries. Affine’s global presence extends to the U.S. and Singapore as well.

Despite the pandemic, Affine has achieved significant growth in 2021, and the location expansion plans are towards fulfilling the demand for top talent to implement the next breakthrough in AI & Analytics.

Through FY22, Affine will be hiring more than 300 professionals in data science, data engineering, and cloud. The work culture at Affine blends innovation and a relentless hunger to create & implement AI-driven solutions to real-world problems.

To continue leading its charge into the next growth phase, Affine also announced key appointments to its leadership team.

Kishore Kumar, as Vice President, Head of Customer Success. An IIM-C graduate with over two decades of experience in advanced analytics and AI, Kishore will be helping Affine’s clients on their digital transformation journey.

Gokulnath Niranjanan will lead the GCC/GBS business unit at Affine. With more than 15 years of experience serving the GCC industry, in roles spanning sales & marketing, strategic planning, consulting, Gokul will pursue the GCC business segment as a strategic growth initiative.

Navin Patel, Head, Talent Acquisition. With more than 18 years of experience in talent acquisition in the analytics & technology industry, Navin will build on the Learn & Innovate culture of Affine to attract new talent in AI, Engineering, Cloud and other emerging analytics technologies.

Manas Agarwal, CEO Affine mentioned “With AI & Cloud lead digital transformation proving a game-changer in the last few years, the demand for the right set of solutions and talent has exploded. Having thrived on the rich talent pool at Namma Bengaluru for the last decade, I’m excited at our arrival to the Hi-Tech city, Hyderabad.

Vineet Kumar, Co-Founder and Chief Solutions Architect, Affine added “We are going through a very exciting phase at Affine. Our key focus has always been to build deep tech and deep solution capabilities for our client, leveraging AI, Analytics Engineering and Cloud. We are scaling our talent pool to address the astonishing demand for our niche capabilities from our clients.”

Orchestrating Business Outcomes With AI Powered Enterprise

The author decodes how to build an AI powered enterprise that drives excellent business results

30 March, 2021 |  Manas Agrawal

There is some bit of AI in everything we do. However, leveraging AI in certain processes is way different from building an AI powered organization. First, the bits and pieces do not add up. Second and most importantly, in AI powered enterprise, AI is a means to deliver business vision. The remit flows from top and every function carries it forward through a streamlined ecosystem.

Many businesses make the mistake of building a siloed version of AI implementation and get frustrated when the outcomes are nowhere close to expectations.

Recently, I was speaking to a global manufacturing enterprise. Their vision was to meet the aggressive business goals with lean, streamlined and optimized ways of working – right from factory floors to supply chains and, marketing and distribution. In short, a complete overhaul driven by a comprehensive AI strategy.

This conversation got me ruminating, what does it take to build an AI powered enterprise? As I decode this jigsaw, the following emerged as the holy grail:

Defining The Business Strategy & Path To AI Driven Transformation

The path to AI driven transformation is not linear. For instance, if you are a manufacturer, factory floor efficiencies, health of equipment, inventory management and, supply chain effectiveness are major drivers to meet business objectives. The AI strategy must weave each function into a cohesive whole of business value chain, instead of piecemeal or patch up approach. For example, predictive maintenance of equipment is tied to production and inventory. A system failure will impact the entire chain. Hence intelligent automation and predictive analytics needs to inform every function for the wheel to run its course. A bot here, a diagnostic algorithm there, would not fix the entire system.

Contextualizing Framework For Customized Solutions

Frameworks and proven methodologies bring strength to AI implementations, but over reliance on templates can be fatal. What works for one enterprise may not fit the bill for the other. While best practices bring down the time and cost of implementation, aligning the frameworks for specific context is crucial. AI algorithms are trained for specific purposes. The objective in each scenario differs and so must the approach to creating the solution architecture and implementation.

Eliminating Data Bias

Data engineering capabilities including data classification, simplification and real time processing are key to AI strategy work. After all, data is the fuel for any AI algorithm.

Quality of data informs the outcome and when there are inherent biases, the results can hardly be neutral. There are innumerable instances of gender prejudices in onboarding female candidates in the manufacturing sector, for instance. That is because our historic data sets are skewed. A conscious and concerted effort to eliminate such bias, setting the right foundations on ethical grounds is critical. This calls for alignment to industry specific regulations and standards.

Shaping Mindsets For AI Adoption

As I mentioned earlier, AI strategy takes its time to bear fruit. Do not expect instant gratification. Successful AI implementations have always been top-down mandate to which each business function must confirm and align. An overarching system that connects different functions through intelligent processes must be adopted by teams, across the organization for measurable impact.

Adequate Provisioning Of Infrastructure For Scale & Elasticity

When an organization moves inventory management to cloud, it assumes easy scalability and agility. Expectations are for each and every application to perform at peak despite a surge or ebb in demand. The solution architecture thus needs to provision the infrastructure adequately to meet the data engineering requirements. And, the system must be alert for course correction as per changing business environment for consistent outcomes.

The Devil Lies In The Detail

It is not the technology that fails. When the expectations are not clearly defined and technology is called in to do a quick fix, the outcomes are less than desirable. The devil lies in the detail. Success of AI strategy depends on its holistic approach.

The fate of a ship is in the hands of the captain, it will take you where you want to. Decide on the destination before you set out on the journey. I can assure you; the experience is nothing less than exhilarating!

Source : Link

Affine Analytics Cited By Gartner As A Specialist Midsize Consultancy For Analytics and Machine Learning Solutions and Services in its Latest Report On Machine Learning

Published On : PRWeb, Thursday, December 19, 2019 (Source)

Affine Analytics, a disruptive new generation analytics partner, providing high-end analytics by combining capabilities in Predictive analytics, Machine learning, and Big data technology has been listed as Specialist Midsize Consultancy vendors in Advance Analytics and Machine Learning in Gartner’s June 2016 “Doing Machine Learning Without Hiring Data Scientists.”

Machine learning is increasingly becoming mainstream. It promises higher accuracy and better ROI, and has started to emerge as one of the more reliable analytical practices in recent times. It provides organizations with an edge over their competition. That said, building the right team is a tricky challenge. The traditional approach of building an in-house team for same is not only cumbersome, but also takes lot of time to scale. Gartner says “In this time of immense machine-learning skills shortage, third-party professionals can accelerate and kick-start the success of data science programs.”

“The advantages of outsourcing analytics cannot be overstated – but it demands a carefully constructed relationship,” says Manas Agrawal, CEO of Affine Analytics.

Association with the right analytics partner can provide an organization the right skills on short notice. Selecting the right partner can contribute towards other benefits as well.

  • The existing staff Up-skill and even further assist in hiring full-time data scientists
  • Learning experience for the in-house team that ensures capability to sustain beyond terms of engagement
  • Reinforcing critical thinking & creativity and not merely focusing on project completion

“Global data analytics outsourcing market to grow at CAGR of 31.68% over the period of 2012-16.” reveals a report by Global Marketing Insights, Report ID: GMI 448. It is believed, this adaptation will be successful by meaningful collaboration between the organizations and their specialist analytics vendor.

Source: Global Marketing Insights, https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/data-analyticsoutsourcing-market, Report ID: GMI448

About Affine Analytics:
Affine analytics has 35+ clients ranging from large sized organizations (majorly Fortune 500) to midsized organizations in USA & India. Affine’s analytical maturity spans across various levels of problem solving. They have expertise in informative, exploratory, causal and predictive analytical techniques in areas of Marketing, CRM, CEM, Financial Planning & Analysis, Risk, Merchandising, Operations and Supply Chain Management.

Copyright © 2024 Affine All Rights Reserved

Manas Agrawal

CEO & Co-Founder

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Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged.