Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 64 | Page 34

FEATURE : MACHINE LEARNING
To make decisions more quickly and accurately , enterprises in the Middle East and Africa ( MEA ) are increasingly turning to Machine Learning , arguably today ’ s most practical application of Artificial
Intelligence ( AI ). How should CIOs and IT leaders ensure success and ROI from Machine Learning deployments in their organisations ?

Machine Learning is a type of AI that allows software applications to become more accurate at predicting outcomes without being explicitly programmed to do so . Machine Learning algorithms use historical data as input to predict new output values . In addition , Machine Learning systems apply algorithms to data to glean insights into that data without explicit programming : It ’ s about using data to answer questions . As such , enterprises are applying Machine Learning to a wide array of issues , from customer purchasing patterns to predictive maintenance . in projects that utilise the capabilities of AI software and platforms .

“ The AI software applications and AI platforms markets continue to show steady growth in the MEA region and we expect this momentum to continue over the forecast period ,” said Manish Ranjan , Programme Manager , Software and Cloud , IDC Middle East , Africa and Turkey ( META ).
“ The use of AI and Machine Learning is on the rise in a wide variety of business applications from ERP and CRM to analytics , content management and collaboration solutions . Many global vendors have started embedding AI , Machine Learning and cognitive applications to provide ultimate business benefits to their users .”
“ With the growing adoption of various use cases across all industries , organisations are continuing to invest significantly in optimising their business processes , automating their operations and enhancing their products and services offerings in order to maximise the overall customer experience ,” said Ranjan .
Andrea Tucker , Head of Research and Development , e4 , said Machine Learning has grown to have a significant impact on people ’ s daily lives , often without even knowing about it .
According to research and consulting firm International Data Corporation ( IDC ), spending on Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) systems in the Middle East and Africa ( MEA ) is expected to maintain its strong growth trajectory as businesses continue to invest
“ Using Machine Learning , enterprises are now able to better understand and process their data much faster using modern tools with established algorithms . Potential outputs of a successful Machine Learning strategy can be powerful and measurable marketing

Machine Learning deployments garner speed in MEA

34 INTELLIGENTCIO AFRICA www . intelligentcio . com