15 GLOBAL INFLUENCERS IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING Posted on : Oct 17 - 2018

It’s easier to get a job if you are an Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Learning (ML) ‘expert’, and investors want to bet on companies which use the words AI or ML in their mission statements. And why should that not be the case? McKinsey estimates AI techniques have the potential to create between $3.5T and $5.8T in value annually across nine business functions in 19 industries. The study equates this value-add to approximately 40% of the overall $9.5T to $15.4T annual impact that could be enabled by all analytical techniques.

In the race for fame, are you coming across too many self-proclaimed influencers in the field of AI and ML lately? Don’t worry, you are not alone in this. The internet is full of noise when it comes to information on AI and ML. I have a hard time choosing what blog posts to read, what twitter feeds to pay attention to and which Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning white paper to download for my next read. I have lost count on the number of article submissions we at Dataconomy Media get on these hot topics.  

The line between the two terms AI and ML is blurring and they are used interchangeably today. It’s hard for one to exist without the other in some cases, though the technical definition of the two is different. Machine Learning is more specific in nature and is a branch or subset of AI. Machine Learning is based on the idea that we can build machines to process data and learn on their own, without our constant supervision. On the other hand, professor John McCarthy defines Artificial Intelligence as the science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs. It is related to the similar task of using computers to understand human intelligence, but AI does not have to confine itself to methods that are biologically observable.

I compiled a list of top influencers in the field of AI and ML which I recommend to keep yourself not just updated or informed about the two fields, but rather also learn about AI or ML. I included academics, researchers, entrepreneurs, investors and authors. There are the few parameters I kept in mind. Firstly, these are the people with a huge social media following and their independent voice is not directly linked to the companies they work in or they founded. There are indeed experts in AI and ML who are not all over social media but that requires a separate list from us.  Secondly, I looked at the consistency of the last three years in their social media presence and tried to be geographically well-spread because each part of the world is contributing to the growth of AI and ML. Order of listing does not represent a rank. View More