AI Experts to Keynote Business talk Event Jan. 24

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Two data collection experts with extensive experience in artificial intelligence (AI) are set to headline a night of forward-thinking discussion on January 24, with an aim of exposing more Bahamian businesses to the benefits of using AI. 

Shaun VanWeelden leads operations for OpenAI’s Human Data team, providing a key ingredient to ChatGPT, one of the most talked about forms of generative AI. Onassis Nottage is a Managing Director for RSLT Lab in Leiderdorp, Netherlands that works with big data and AI, and has emerged as a leader in the arena.

Both men are set to be the keynote speakers for Plato Alpha Design’s event ‘How AI Can Help Bahamian Businesses’ at Crypto Isle on Wednesday, January 24 at 6 p.m.

VanWeelden said despite concerns, the benefits of incorporating AI in a business’ day-to-day operations far outweigh the threats. 

“AI will allow for greater productivity in our work, and like past technological updates, that will change the nature of work and require us to develop new skills,” VanWeelden said. “I believe AI will lower the barrier to executing on business ideas, making them less capital intensive, and as a result, I’m hopeful we will see many talented folks in the Bahamas start or expand their businesses much further than they would have otherwise been capable of without AI assistance. We should also expect that in time, AI technology will lower barriers to and improve tailored education, legal and medical insights, thus enabling a more skilled and healthy workforce.”

He said the ways in which Bahamian businesses can adapt and incorporate AI in 2024 include encouraging a culture of experimentation, AI literacy and reassessing the best tools needed for the job. 

“Seek out the “micro moments” of AI usage, versus making it a whole big thing that you feel you need to do,” according to VanWeelden. “The rest will come in time.
This encouragement best comes from business leaders themselves, leading by example and sharing their learnings or outcomes. In doing so, they set a precedent that their workforce should try new things and help contextualize how AI may impact their specific line of work.”

According to Nottage, with AI being ‘industry agnostic’, where there is data in an organization, there is the potential to implement an AI solution. 

“In healthcare, AI can improve process optimization of staff based on patient admissions. In finance, companies can utilize AI for algorithmic trading or fraud detection,” Onassis said. “Retail and ecommerce businesses can create personalized shopping experiences or forecast demand. In agriculture you can monitor crop health, and automate tasks like harvesting. In telecommunications, AI can predict and forecast churn, and even automate customer service. As you can see, the use of AI can rapidly transform a wide range of industries, not only enhancing efficiency and reducing costs, but also innovating and creating new services and products that were not possible before. The impact of AI is vast, and can only be expected to increase in the incoming years, reshaping how businesses grow, operate and deliver value to customers.”

The event, hosted by Plato Alpha Design, in partnership with Crypto Isle, is free, according to Plato Alpha Design CEO Duran Humes, who said by using AI, Bahamian businesses have the opportunity to truly stay ahead of the curve. 

“The world is changing fast because of technology like AI,” Humes said. “By using AI, we can stay ahead, work smarter, and serve our customers better. This is a great chance for Bahamian business owners and developers to learn, and get ready for the future. It’s not just for the bigger companies. We in The Bahamas can use this as an opportunity to grow and improve our companies.”

To RSVP, one can e-mail alpha@platoalpha.com.