Wealth of possibilities: AI, 5G, and prosperity.

The desire to make our world a better place is truly admirable. But to actually achieve that goal? Well, it takes more than good intentions—especially in the midst of a global pandemic. We need information, advanced intelligence, and the connectivity to act on it.

It’s something Ashok Srivastava, chief data officer at Intuit, puts into practice every day. An expert in artificial intelligence (AI), Srivastava’s mission is delivering the best experiences to customers to help them power prosperity around the world. As he explains on iHeart Radio’s The Restless Ones podcast, sponsored by T-Mobile for Business, “We're thinking about how artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data can come together in order to power those experiences,” he says.

Insights from point A to points B - Z

The advent of 5G network capability is a crucial step in bringing the benefits of technology and big data to life. With the goal of truly persistent, “everywhere” broadband connectivity, we hope to empower people to see the world in deeper, more meaningful ways and move forward with more confidence.

Of course, 5G is designed to carry massive amounts of data. But before AI can interpret it, first you have to collect it. Sophisticated, low-cost sensors are the eyes, ears, and even brains of the system. “Not just a few hundred or a few thousand,” says Srivastava, “I'm talking about billions of sensors around the world. We're going to have information and data about what's happening on every corner of the planet.”

Financial literacy pays dividends

Srivastava’s work is proof that these advances could have a positive impact on our financial lives. Intuit products like QuickBooks, Mint, and TurboTax use AI and machine learning (ML) to help users navigate their businesses, investments, and taxes. And that’s vital.

Many people don’t know what financial strategy would be best for them—or that they should even have a strategy. But their choices affect healthcare, retirement, and more. The potential of advanced technology and 5G connectivity could empower them to make better decisions for a more prosperous life. 
 

Connectivity to solve our biggest challenges together

Combining the capabilities of emerging AI and ML, connected sensors, and building a robust 5G network could open up new possibilities for dealing with the economic and social impact of global challenges like COVID-19 and climate change.

Connected, always-on systems will help to push processing power to the edge of the network—not just to big central machines but to phones, cars, medical devices, and more. This computation at the edge can help create a better understanding of what's happening around us.

As for Srivastava, he’s confident that we have the means to improve our lives—and that sharing that knowledge is key to collective prosperity. “The combination of gathering information through sensors, presenting that information to a computing infrastructure, and having that infrastructure understand it opens up a whole new world. And that world is, I hope, one that it helps move society forward so that we're all doing better.”

For the full story, listen to "A Wealth of Possibilities” from iHeart Radio’s The Restless Ones podcast.