For the newest instalment in our series of interviews asking leading technology specialists about their achievements in their field, we’ve welcomed Matthew Renze. Matthew is a specialist in artificial intelligence who has given over 100 talks on this very subject and is the author of numerous AI courses on Pluralsight.

For artificial intelligence to be devoted to scaring us to death through iconic movies like 2001 or Terminator is a thing of the past, today it has other, much more interesting and practical purposes. For example, crowning itself by playing a fundamental role in data processing and analysis. Yes, that’s her, the futuristic AI, increasingly faster, more efficient and, now, necessary to manage data centers.

With the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) applications at the workplace, the debate about the future of work, workers, and the workplace has intensified. The polarised nature of debate ranges from job losses versus new-technology job creation through performance efficiency versus performance effectiveness to liberating humans from drudgery versus being controlled by machines. While several other polarities are evident in this debate, the truth always lies somewhere in between.

In the last decade or so AI has gone from a buzzword to table stakes. Data reveals that organizations that have adopted AI into their service management strategy have begun to reap the benefits. It is therefore imperative for businesses to invest in Intelligent Service Management to not just empower their agents but also keep up with rising employee expectations.

In a world where 1.145 trillion MB of data is generated every day, the art of database management has become more important than ever. I use the word “art” because it captures a sense of the wizardry needed to effectively manage data. After all, our world is dominated by mobile devices and hybrid IT environments. Database migrations happen regularly, and data resides both on-premises and in the cloud. All these things have brought a new complexity to database management.

“We need to be an AI-enabled company.” Replace the “AI” with any technology from history and this comment becomes a common refrain across businesses lured by the promises of new technology and fueled by FOMO (a fear of missing out). As enterprise strategists and former CXOs who have lived through many “technology is the solution, now what was the problem?” conversations, we talk extensively about this issue.