Tech & AI LIVE NY: Ranjan Sinha on Data and AI Innovations

December 19, 2024

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Ranjan Sinha IBM Fellow, Vice President and CTO watsonx IBM Research AI explores data and AI innovation at Tech & AI LIVE New York

At Tech & AI LIVE New York, Ranjan Sinha from IBM showcased groundbreaking advancements in AI and shared practical insights on integrating data strategies to drive innovation

The journey to AI-first enterprises

Ranjan Sinha opened his talk by framing AI as a transformative force reshaping industries globally. Highlighting IBM’s pivotal role, Ranjan explained how AI-powered workflows are set to redefine organisational productivity.

Reflecting on his tenure as CTO for IBM’s Global Chief Data Office, Ranjan shared how establishing governance for trusted data laid the groundwork for enterprise AI.

Now part of IBM Research’s AI Group, he discussed IBM's focus on generative AI technologies, delivered through IBM’s Watson and Red Hat platforms. These innovations, he noted, are critical to fuelling global collaboration and advancing quantum computing capabilities.

“The pandemic accelerated digitisation by a decade within just a year,” Ranjan observed, underlining the urgency for businesses to embrace digital reinvention.

He noted that 60% of leaders now prioritise building scalable digital businesses.

Ranjan Sinha IBM Fellow, Vice President and CTO watsonx BM Research AI

Addressing challenges in data strategy

Despite the opportunities presented by AI, Ranjan emphasises the hurdles enterprises face with data management. Siloed, unstructured and dispersed datasets complicate the integration of AI strategies. Ranjan cited striking statistics:

68% of enterprise data goes unanalysed.
80% of time is spent on data preparation rather than insight generation.
82% of organisations encounter barriers due to poor data quality and silos.

Ranjan reiterated: “There is no AI strategy without a data strategy.”

He introduced a six-step framework to align data initiatives with business objectives, incorporating governance, quality and actionable insights. He further discussed IBM’s modern AI Ladder – a four-step model enabling organisations to collect, organise, analyse and infuse AI effectively into workflows.

Ranjan Sinha IBM Fellow, Vice President and CTO watsonx BM Research AI

Generative AI and enterprise transformation

As generative AI reshapes industries, Ranjan highlighted its influence on enterprise workflows and operational efficiencies.

IBM’s Green Light language models, powering generative AI solutions, were positioned as a leading example of innovation in this space. Open-sourced under Apache 2.0, these models are optimised for safety, transparency and cost-efficiency.

“These models have achieved over three million downloads,” Ranjan revealed, adding that IBM’s offerings also lead in transparency rankings, outperforming several competitors.

He illustrated generative AI’s transformative potential in areas like HR, customer service and application modernisation, citing IBM’s own productivity improvements.

“Over the last 18 months, IBM has delivered US$1.5bn in impact, targeting US$3bn in value creation,” he said.

A future shaped by collaboration

In response to audience questions, Ranjan stressed the importance of simplifying data access and quality for successful AI integration. He also advocates for leveraging AI tools to cleanse data, further unlocking its potential.

In closing, Ranjan urged businesses to embrace a data-driven, AI-first approach.

“This is the time to reimagine collaboration, workflows, and processes,” he affirmed, leaving the audience with actionable strategies to navigate AI’s evolving landscape.

Ranjan Sinha IBM Fellow, Vice President and CTO watsonx BM Research AI