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Tang emphasises that the main benefits of using data and analytics for the NHS are better decision making, and being able to plan more. ‘We will start thinking about where we need capacity. How can we be more proactive in managing issues? If we have another pandemic on top of Winter, we will have patterns that we can compare and contrast, which we then can apply to machine learning to forecast.’

Like many other companies seeking to orchestrate the raft of technologies entering the market, the British Heart Foundation recently appointed its debut CTO. Ursula Dolton, who has had a wide-ranging career, working for likes of Jaguar & Land Rover, Citi Group and in a variety of sectors, was chosen to steer the ship.

The charity, which provides support to the millions of people living with heart and circulatory disease and conducts invaluable medical research, has an ambitious goal of creating a “world free from the fear of heart and circulatory disease” by 2030. Ursula’s role is to ensure that technology – including data, AI, cloud computing – serves this objective.

“Terms like Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence are so overused nowadays, that the reaction they generate is increasingly: ‘OK…so what?’” That’s according to Lorenzo Bavasso, Director of Data Analytics & AI, and CTIO of Global Services at BT. Despite all the hype around data in recent years, genuinely embedding data and analysis into an organisation’s culture continues to prove elusive for many.

Bavasso’s work at the front line of this field has given him some unique insights into the realities of creating a data-driven culture – which he will be sharing in detail at Big Data & AI World London in March. Fortunately, with “curiosity, transparency, an open mind and will to share information” companies can start the journey to creating an authentically data-driven culture.

“No company competes today by its access to electricity, and no company will compete by its access to AI.” That’s the prediction of Daniel Hulme, AI expert, lecturer and CEO at AI firm Satalia. 

For Daniel, today’s organisations are at a critical fork in the road. Successful companies will harness the power of AI and other emerging technologies to create more sustainable, purpose-driven companies. On the other hand, those who fail to use technology to adapt will exacerbate the “misery-inducing organisational design” that pushes skilled staff out the door.

Like many new technologies, Artificial Intelligence (AI) brings us countless potential benefits while introducing a whole raft of new dangers. Dr Juergen Rahmel, Chief Digital Officer at HSBC Germany and an AI researcher, argues that a coherent approach to ethics is needed in this fast-expanding field. “It comes down to the decision: of all that we could do, what is it that we should do?”

At root, implementing ethical governance of AI is no different to businesses promising not to pollute rivers or use child labour. It is about “conducting business not only in an individually profitable manner, but also following a holistic approach which serves the collective.” Rahmel, who will be speaking at Big Data & AI World in London this March, focuses on ethical governance for AI at HSBC. What has he learnt?