What it was:

The first Defence digital masterclass, with various speakers on digital themes, hosted at Barclays Rise, Shoreditch, on 4 May 2018

What I learned:

Artificial Intelligence:

• The AlphaZero AI algorithm learns from blank slate, does not just replay earlier human learning
• Human beings already have symbiotic relationships with dogs, possibly we can see future relationship with AI?
• Key valuable skill at the moment is being able to analyse convolutional networks
• Future AI will not be evil but may do terrible things purely in trying to help
• The UK 4G network is expanding to 99% coverage
• AI is difficult to define… Douglas Hofstadter ” AI is whatever hasn’t been done yet”
• Loose definition of AI: systems able to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence
• General adversarial networks, train the forger and the tester at the same time. Can be used to optimise at scale and pace.
• Neuromorphic computing: chips that mimic brain function by only firing the ” neurons” when relevant, enabling high computational power with low electrical power
• The lower power consumption may be a clue, from a macro (physics) perspective, that the chip is using more brain-like processes. Current traditional AI architectures tend to use many orders of magnitude more power than a human brain.
• ‘Centaur chess’ where humans are supported by machines. Have beaten the best humans and best machines. Implies that human-machine partnership and process may be key to military success?

Different scales / types of digital transformation in businesses:

• Business model transformation,
• Customer experience innovation
• Operating model transformation

Thirty five percent of P&G products come from outside the company via its innovation approach
Many innovative large companies are sustained or accelerated through government contracts and investment; it’s not the case that innovation only comes from private investment
Military rituals are similar to agile rituals?  Could be a useful alignment.
DEFRA are using machine learning to read incoming documents, identify the name and address etc, and direct the document within department

What I will aim to do differently as a result:

• Develop our model for digital transformation in defence, and to think about the technologies that underpin it
• Think about business and process transformation as part of the model
• Think about the working environment.
• Make better connections outside MOD… we need to move to an ‘outside in’ approach