Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2021. Read them in this 13th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
2020 Impacts software, AI, data management and attitudes towards it in 2021
By Krishna Tammana, Chief Technology Officer, Talend
Mass migration to the cloud, ethics in business processes, and consumer concern over data privacy and security, whether it be in an election or a breach caused by ransomware, have become a focus for most major enterprises. 2020 created an unprecedented business landscape and if organizations are not prepared to evolve to continue competitively growing in its fallout, they could be left behind. To continue finding success in the “new normal,” companies will need to adapt to its new demands with foresight and agility. They need to prepare to meet the growing demand for IT, consumer concerns over data rights, and integrating ethical AI into their product development.
As demand for IT grows in a COVID world, self-serve analytics will accelerate. As the pandemic continues in 2021, companies will look to further reduce dependencies on IT functions with self-serve analytics. This will help them turn data into valuable, shareable assets more quickly. Remote workforces and online expansions are draining IT resources. Automated data preparation, curation, stewardship, quality controls, and machine learning tools will help to stem the tide of IT demands.
Consumer data rights will continue to build momentum and businesses will need to adapt or fail. Currently state-by-state, in 2021, consumers should have a better handle on the data they are putting out there. For example, CPRA’s “pay for privacy” aspect may create opportunity and act as a privacy incentive for individuals. Companies can easily comply to new governance and privacy laws with the right solutions in place. For example, a consumer and their data can be customized or turned off in the system completely. Doing so will provide better service and a better customer experience. Businesses who adopt quickly, will be able to demonstrate the value of sharing data.
Ethical AI will take a key role in product development in 2021, but it is a difficult problem to solve.
Ethical AI is becoming an important issue, but a difficult dilemma to solve. Companies are using data and AI to create solutions, but they may be bypassing human rights in terms of discrimination, surveillance, transparency, privacy, security, freedom of expression, the right to work, and access to public services. To avoid increasing reputational, regulatory and legal risks, ethical AI is imperative and will eventually give way to AI policy. AI policy will ensure a high standard of transparency and protective measures for people, but it needs to built on AI/ML we can trust. CEOs and CTOs need to understand that the development of AI policy must be built with reliable data, they can then work to eliminate bias in algorithms through careful analysis, vetting and programming.
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About the Author
Krishna is responsible for scaling the product and engineering organizations to drive innovation and Talend’s continued market growth. Previously, Krishna spent nearly a decade as VP of Engineering at Splunk where he led global engineering teams and cloud operations during the company’s successful portfolio expansion and transition to the cloud. Prior to Splunk, Krishna held engineering management roles at Dun & Bradstreet, YouSendIt, RIGHT90 INC. and E*Trade.
