"You can call me AI"

For the Paul Simon aficionados who may be reading this, I must admit that I start to hum whenever I see the frequently growing use of the abbreviation AI for Artificial intelligence.

On a more serious note, the connotations of AI for all businesses are significant and it is very timely to take stock of what that means for us in the business continuity industry. But, firstly, a commentary on the AI concept, as I am sure that it means different things to different people.

As a start, Wiki rather ‘helpfully’ tells us that it is ‘Intelligence exhibited by machines’. Hmmm. Let’s put some examples around that:

* Androids/robots with AI will react to their surroundings and ad hoc stimuli to undertake tasks that depend entirely upon and are created by said stimuli. For example, I run if I am being chased by a dog, but not if chased by a butterfly etc.

* AI includes machines that learn from experiences and so modify their behaviours and functional responses/activities. For example, I am programmed to serve tea to guests but I can assess from behaviours that this person is more likely to prefer coffee or may also be hungry so I’ll serve food too.

* Also, of course, there is the Terminator concept of machines taking the upper hand: and we all quietly await that particular future in the sincere hope that it is some way off, despite the very credible fears of the likes of Stephen Hawking.

For business continuity?

As with all innovation and invention, we cannot hope to stop progress but we can modify and influence the way that it develops. We can’t un-invent the wheel or the atomic bomb, much as some may wish to do so for the latter.

AI will be progressive and we will see bursts of activity and leaps of change as in most technologies. We are at the very start and the clock is now ticking.

The start

For business continuity, the start was using technology to manage ‘documents’ (plans, BIAs etc). This, generally, was by Word document or Excel. Data sat in carved out entities (plans etc) which were largely disconnected. For many, this was no more than putting paper on screen rather than thinking about how technology can change and improve processes. Reporting remained poor; and outcomes were variable as they relied almost entirely on the skills/enthusiasm of individuals. Plans were hard to audit and difficult to manage effectively. Some are still at this stage, but the pace of change is increasing.

The now

The next phase was to introduce more structure using business continuity management software, such as the applications and systems that we have now. This removes many of the laborious tasks that were previously undertaken by ‘humans’ – chasing, checking, extracting data, building reports.

Technology also starts to bring change in terms of accessibility – multiple device applications/access and the opportunity to view relevant information in an accessible and easy to digest format. There is recognition that whilst building a plan is a staged, structured, potentially complex approach, the end result needs to be nimble, easy to use and flexible to react to changing conditions as/when the plan is invoked.

The other major change we are seeing is in system connectivity; building wrappers around data both within an organisation and also to encompass other data sources and providers. BCM software, EMNS tools, third-party data sources, and specialist incident management applications all have the power to be integrated; and integration can mean at data level. In other words, users are all working with the same fundamental data as it flows through, or at process/command level i.e. the different activities/tools are managed from a single interface, not multiple access points.

So, technology has taken away many manual tasks – dashboard and reporting with gap analysis; work flow prompts; templates to enforce policy and guide; ‘flash’ communications with multiple-channels rather than call trees.

We have moved quickly to a stage where information management means that the human aspect can be focused on decision making and interpretation of information.

The future

The crystal ball is out! If we follow a natural course, we will reach a point where technology starts to play an ever-more active part in the process and will move into areas previously reserved for the involvement of human intellect.

Let’s follow some AI principles and see where this takes us. The touch point at present is fairly early in the decision-making process. Technology gathers data and calculates outputs which may flag potential issues: the red warning on a dashboard, for example. Then, the human kicks in. If we imagine for one moment what would happen if we move that ‘human’ interaction point further down the line, we now find technology making initial decisions based on a) a potentially vast array of data/information collated and b) changing circumstances and external factors. In short, we have the capability to achieve more, better and faster than we can hope to do as individuals or teams.

I always find that the easiest way to demonstrate this is to imagine some practical examples of AI in action:

Case 1: An event has occurred and we need to communicate. The ‘system’ identifies the nature of the incident: where it is, who it affects and who needs to be involved at early stages. The message will be drawn from a library and automatically edited/amended to suit the particular event. Communications channels will be selected for all recipients based on known factors and circumstantial factors. For example, it is a Thursday evening so it is likely that John Smith will be in (we know he has a young child) so we initiate a call to home followed by a range of mobile-based comms - push, SMS and mail - in an ‘intelligent’ order, if there is no initial response. The channels change for each recipient and responses are automatically tagged, recorded, and original messages are re-sent where no replies have been received. The system chooses alternates where there is no response, based upon the knowledge of who might be available to respond to the event concerned.

A virtual command centre is established and all participants can dial-in/view information screens showing the nature of the event, initial actions taken, and the status of recovery.

Next stage ….

Case 2: Further in this same event, as recovery progresses, we find an unexpected event occurring. For example, if a cyber-attack, we find that this is in fact a multi-faceted event. On site disruption occurs, with power and system loss at a major centre. Our business continuity system recognises that we have multiple events and computes the affect across different product lines: where there is a particular nexus; what the priorities are based on agreed corporate standards; and other external factors such as the growing wave of activity on social media. Some existing activities are amended and some new ones initiated to reflect changing circumstances. New up-dates are published to appropriate individuals and status messages are initiated.

These are just snap shots. In Case 2 in particular, the business continuity system is gathering a huge amount of data and cross-referencing changing external scenarios to determine best outcomes. We all do this on a much more modest basis every day when we make decisions. I am hungry – shall I eat now or wait? What’s in the fridge? If I go out to eat, can I also collect other items? Will I miss a visitor that I’m expecting if I do go out? Do I want just a snack or a full-blown meal? We think about all of these issues and make decisions almost unconsciously.

So, the $64,000 question is ‘When will this appear?’ As ever with next gen technology, the nuts and bolts are here today. It is the application that needs to be developed. This will not happen overnight but the pace of change will vary. At ClearView, we are already thinking about this future and building back to where we are today. This helps to define the next stage in the development process for new functionality. But, this is not all about suppliers in the market, it is also about organisations being ready to take the leap of faith.

Leading edge does not have to be bleeding edge – it can deliver very real competitive advantage.