Turn IT Missteps Into Successes

One of the leading trends in IT that not even many technologists know much about is “affective computing.” It’s adding EQ to AI’s IQ,

The idea of computers that can engage and effect human emotions is as old as the first sci fi robots. A more modern example are video games that immerse players in environments designed to trigger a variety of emotions.

Today’s affective computing seeks to recognize human emotion and respond to it, not simply to evoke it. At MIT’s Media Lab, the mission of the affective computing group is to “bridge the gap between human emotions and computational technology.” The goal is to develop “new software tools to help people gather, communicate, and express emotional information and to better manage and understand the ways emotion impacts health, social interaction, learning, memory, and behavior.”

These are no mere high-minded aspirational hopes. Tools like these already exist, and not just in the lab. Many models of cars come equipped with sensors that detect drowsiness, warning the driver and urging them to take a break. At New York’s Fashion Week in September “Experience Management” technology analyzed attendees to customize drinks and fragrances just for them. McDonald’s is using technology to tailor drive-thru menu features based on weather, trending items and what the current restaurant traffic is like.

A Deloitte report says uses like these are just the beginning: “Using data and human-centered design (HCD) techniques — and technologies currently being used in neurological research to better understand human needs — affective systems will be able to recognize a system user’s emotional state and the context behind it, and then respond appropriately.”

Human experience platforms employ a range of AI technologies like sentiment analysis, eye tracking, facial recognition and natural language processing to recognize and understand human emotion and, most significantly, respond to it in a natural, human-like way.

Deloitte gives us a practical example of how this could work:

“Imagine if you could walk into [a clothing retailer] and a bot appearing on the screen recognizes you and addresses you by name. This bot has been observing you walk around the store and has identified jackets you might love based on your mood today and your purchasing history. In this moment, technology engages you as an individual, and as a result, you experience this store in a very different, more human way. AI and affective technologies have scaled an experience with very human-like qualities to encompass an entire business environment.”

Each of these capabilities exists now in some form. Assembling them into an experience platform isn’t far off. Deloitte found that companies focusing on the human experience are already twice as likely to outperform their peers. They grow revenue 17 times faster than competitors that do not focus the human experience.

“The ability to leverage emotionally intelligent platforms to recognize and use emotional data at scale,” Deloitte predicts, “Will be one of the biggest, most important opportunities for companies going forward.”

Image: Deloitte Insights

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What’s the difference between a CTO and a CIO?

“Good question,” admits ZDNet. Where once the Chief Information Officer was universally acknowledged as the most senior IT executive, now, says the tech site, it “depends very much on the type of business you’re talking about.”

Where a business has only a CIO or a Chief Technical Officer, it’s an easy call – that’s the top IT executive. The duties and responsibilities are clear. Where the situation gets murky is when an organization has both.

Explains ZDNet, “The traditional split is that the CTO is responsible for the operational concerns associated with technology implementation. CTOs drill down into the details of technology. They have a strong systems focus and they know how technology works, making it more of a chief architect role.

“CIOs, on the other hand, tend to focus more on engaging with the business. So while the CTO might go and speak with vendors to source technology, the CIO makes sure the internal business gets the secure and governable systems and services it wants.”

Everyone got that? No? How about this from InsiderPro:

“CTOs are similar to CIOs. But they are responsible for the overarching technology strategy and infrastructure to help meet the organization’s goals, while CIOs oversee the IT departments and staff to manage everyday operations and in many cases work with business leaders on aligning IT with business goals.”

Where both roles exist, InsiderPro says “the CTO usually reports directly to the CIO.”

But wait. Pointing out that “As the importance of technology within the business has risen, so has the demand for knowledgeable technologists,” ZDNet says, “Some businesses – including established enterprises – have opted to rely more on a CTO than a CIO.”

Dig a little further and you’ll find that the hierarchical distinction is becoming less important as the bigger businesses move ever further along the path to digital transformation. Bornfight, a project-focused development firm, has a different take on the relationship between chief technology and chief information officers. It defines the jobs this way:

• “Chief Information Officers are members of the executive team who are responsible for ensuring that a company leverages technology in a way that helps it optimize, improve and streamline internal processes.”
• “Chief Technology Officers are members of the executive team who are responsible for ensuring that a company’s product utilizes technology in a way that will meet the customers’ needs.”
• The company included this handy chart comparing the roles.

Bornfight’s most significant contribution to the discussion may well be that in organizations large enough to need both, CIOs and CTOs are complementary to each other.

“From a business perspective, you need these two positions and you need them to fit well together and cooperate — this leads to progress. The right way to approach this is to look at these positions as two sides of the same technology coin, a sort of a buddy-buddy relationship.”   

Photo by ThisisEngineering RAEng on Unsplash

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