Leveraging the power of data in transitional times with AI

It remains a fact that we humans cannot know what we don’t know. But here’s something: machine learning and AI can help us access those unknowns through the power of data. These days we should simply assume that technology can do anything, because it can! And that opens a whole new set of possibilities which up until now we couldn’t consider. Not because we didn’t want to, we simply could not see beyond what we could imagine.

Amin Toufani of Singularity University calls this a ‘crisis of imagination’, and I couldn’t agree more. We live in a new renaissance, and this calls for systems thinkers, pioneers, and - dare I say - engineers and architects who help shape what is still to come. We must rely on our imagination, it is our secret superpower as humans. A superpower that allows us to take data and turn that into meaning, into original new ideas, and ingenious combinations.

Data is being generated at a massive rate. What were once data lakes are now becoming data oceans. So if we’re going to dive into them, it is not enough to be good swimmers. This is where artificial intelligence (AI) comes in. You see, as an innovator and optimist, I see AI as an opportunity. I find it liberating, because it frees us of the cumbersome and routine analytics thus giving us more time to create, be inventive, and look beyond the obvious.

Skills that involve imagination, creativity and ingenuity are key in these transitional times. Because in a transition everything is a hybrid, everything’s new for all of us. And hybrids are the way we learn as we go. Each step of the way we’re creating the best possible solution, based on what is known and inspired by the questions we dared to ask in order to uncover new possibilities. Transitional times ask of us that we be agile-minded, iterative and that we constantly look for ‘validity’ as Roger L. Martin so nicely posits in his The Design of Business. So at each turn, we must make sure we have the most valid answer to any given problem.

That is how our thinking and our doing can evolve to the next step: wonder about the next question. Yes, indeed: to wonder. That is why imagination and creativity are so crucial!

There are tons of examples of how this helps us create new futures. Have you seen the perfect electric car? Of course not, because we are in transition! But embracing new technology opportunities means getting started, fearlessly and with conviction. It means that we as humans, produce and drive electric cars because we believe there must be a way of dealing with the problem of fossil fuels, carbon footprints and the like, and we want to create a solution. Producers accept not knowing it all, clients accept that by the time the electric car they ordered is delivered, there will already be a newer model available with a bigger range. And huge businesses are built on those precepts: look at Apple and its continuous release of products. Each new product does a lot, but certainly not everything! And that’s alright, we accept that this is as much as we can achieve with each successive product. Because perfect is the enemy of good enough, also in technology deployment.

What does this have to do with AI, you ask? AI provides us with an opportunity for a dynamic dialogue. At the heart of AI is machine learning, which provides a feedback loop as to whether things are functioning as they should. It helps to connect the product or service with the context of use via IoT, by allowing the product or service to learn from the usage situation through machine learning. In this way, it becomes adaptive and makes our designs fit for purpose. It is the perfect companion for those of us who want to help create a future we all want to live in, because it helps us learn faster as we experiment through the creation of continuously evolving hybrid solutions. A good example for this is the HydroTwin: a digital, self-learning replica of the physical reality which could be used to accurately predict the behaviour of a water system. The first version of it will provide water managers with accurate insights at an early stage, improving forecasting and allowing greater time for mitigating action to be taken. And there's more to come!

When new technologies are emerging, there are new possibilities for solution-making. But businesses are also facing new kinds of problems. As engineers, at Royal HaskoningDHV, we aim to connect the physical world with digital forms of intelligence. We believe that the power of data can be leveraged by creating intelligent systems that interact and learn with their context, so they make physical systems responsive. Whether this relates to assets (like buildings or infrastructure), processes or systems, it delivers more value to the end user.

AI gives us possibilities we couldn’t have imagined, because it helps us see our designs and processes from new perspectives. Continuously, seamlessly and rapidly (sometimes in real time!). We are embracing AI in the creation of new digital services, the development of digital twins and the continuous quest for new questions to help enhance society together.

How are you embracing AI? We’re on a digital journey, together with our clients and partners. We believe in the power of co-creation! So we’d love to hear from you and engage in a dialogue on how we can leverage the power of data through AI, together.

Read more about our innovative way of working and services and especially about our new innovation: BlueLabel.