The digital boom in the spring of 2020 didn’t just affect visual areas like education or management, as nearly every company had to offer some form of operating online. Companies that have even made an effort to gain a competitive advantage out of position have also integrated artificial intelligence (AI) into the system. In 2020, more people in business realize that digitization is the latest revolution and that the use of new technologies such as artificial intelligence is also a paradigm shift.
More and more companies are trying to take advantage of the opportunities provided by AI, but often there isn’t always a carefully developed strategy behind implementing new technologies. Microsoft is working to help with this, launching a free training program called AI Business School that starts in the spring of 2021. We asked Gabriella Csanak, Director of Marketing and Operations at Microsoft Hungary, where this could be achieved, for whom the primary goal, and what exactly are the skills you’re developing .
What is the mission of AI Business School and why is it needed?
Sansk Gabriella: Microsoft AI Business School showcases strategic applications of artificial intelligence for enterprises through the hands-on experience of senior executives and four modules. We are in contact with many countries and have noticed that in the last two years, but especially in the last 10 months, a lot of companies have invested more aggressively in digitization. Although parts of the company’s business processes are digitized and automated with great vigor, and even reliance on AI-related technologies, we rarely see a well-thought-out and fully coordinated AI strategy that covers the entire company.
What does training consist of and where can it be achieved?
Cs. G: A year and a half ago Microsoft put together a four-part, 40-hour curriculum available in English On the Microsoft Learn learning platform In this, we explain the basics of using AI in business with the help of videos and case studies.
What are the four areas covered by the AI Business School modules?
Cs. G: In Module 1, we show you how to build an AI strategy so that our core business mission does not change, and the only way to get there is easier. There are a number of case studies available for this from several sectors, including healthcare, finance, manufacturing, and education or retail. The second unit is about building a ready-made corporate culture for AI, in addition to introducing new technologies, it is also important that employees and managers not experience change without leaving something that has worked so far, while remaining open. , be ready. For change and creative thinking on their own.
Gabriella Csanak, Microsoft Hungary Operations and Marketing Director
In the third section, we outline guidelines that will help you use AI responsibly. Artificial intelligence is surrounded by a plethora of legal and ethical issues, and regulation is under development around the world. Lawmakers often turn to technology companies for advice on legislation that will be required for companies to use AI technologies ethically. The fourth unit is related to artificial intelligence technology itself, which aims to give business decision makers a basic understanding of technologies such as deep learning or AutoML (machine learning) so that when they need to sit down to the company’s strategy. Talk to their IT department leaders or suppliers about technologies, navigate this world at home.
What university fields and majors can students benefit from more from artificial intelligence?
Cs. G: We help a large portion of universities to spread knowledge related to artificial intelligence in Hungary and to provide students who study business with the most recent and constantly updated knowledge. Microsoft also has the MI Knowledge Center program which ten universities have joined so far. In the first stage, with the participation of eight universities, we spread the technological knowledge of artificial intelligence, and translated a 14-week curriculum into the Hungarian language. Githubon Available to everyone. We do not only distribute these materials in technology training universities because we believe that AI and new technologies are really part of every profession and it is not just information technology that needs to be addressed. It suffices to consider analyzes of drone data in agriculture or AI for medicine to evaluate the results.
However, the curriculum of AI Business School is tailored to the economics of the future, and for the time being, we have agreed with the Budapest University of Economics (BGE) and Szeged University (SZTE) on this starting in the semester starting in February, the professors will.
What is Microsoft’s background in developing digital and AI skills?
Cs. G: The opportunity for retraining and more training is very important to Microsoft, and there has been a lot of talk about it during the pandemic. To alleviate, among other things, the economic crisis and unemployment, in June 2020 it launched a program to help 25 million people around the world gain the digital skills needed to work remotely. Already nearly ten million people in 230 countries have started this program, but there are also 27,000 people in Hungary who have applied for it. We even have smaller educational programs, the DigiGirlz AI Challenge, for example, was created in collaboration with the Logischool Digital Literacy Foundation to make IT fields more popular for teenage girls. Around 200 people joined the program throughout the year, and we also won the HR Festen Grand Prize for it in the category for programs that support knowledge of future generations.
What tools and software from Microsoft certify that AI is inevitable in 2021?
Cs. G: Today, life mostly takes place in a virtual space, and this space is Microsoft Teams, which is also used by a third of Hungarian high schools. Although the average user doesn’t notice, there are a lot of AI-based features in Teams as well: You can now request an automatic caption in real time in a virtual event, or if you want to revert to a recorded conversation, you can use keywords. Simple to learn a specific topic. But PowerPoint, for example, has also undergone a major change in recent years: slides now require text only, after defining the words and learning about the topic, the program provides us with ready-made design plans, and it takes one click to translate an entire presentation from French to Hungarian, for example. We don’t even realize that all of these features are made possible by AI, even though we live with them every day. Generally speaking, point AI knows and does what one does not. It “scans” large (even unstructured) data sets unexpectedly within moments and draws conclusions and conclusions from them. This usually focuses on 3 areas, it could be:
- Relevant language / text
- Related to the senses: vision, sound, etc.
- Pattern recognition and analyzes
Artificial Intelligence is one of the fastest growing areas, but we are very slow to advance on related ethical and legal issues. What does AI Business School study about these issues?
Cs. G: Since the AI process is also new to many, we cannot expect to be in the picture about its ethical implications. Therefore, we aim to draw attention to some things in the AI Business School curriculum that must be addressed at the legal and ethical level before implementing an AI strategy or digitizing the process. For example, there is a lot of talk about the role of AI in facial recognition, bank customer identification, or data management. The purpose of this unit is to draw attention to it and share Microsoft’s views on it. Although it is not deeply regulated yet, I think we can provide very insight into how these issues are thought of in the US or France, for example – experts in this area speak in the video.
What’s your experience with Microsoft AI training so far?
Cs. G: For now, the goal is for BGE and SZTE to integrate the Business School’s knowledge of artificial intelligence into their curriculum in the semester starting in February. This system already exists in the United States and has been in operation in France for several years Microsoft School of Artificial IntelligenceBusiness training and technology education play a role as well. There is no need to set up a separate school in Hungary for this purpose, so we have been looking more for ways to help by making this knowledge available in the education system.
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