Data Science Insider: April 30th, 2021

In this week’s Super Data Science newsletter: Mapping the Future of Data Science. AI is Learning to Dodge Space Junk in Orbit. AI and Governance: The World Economic Forum’s View. Forbes’ AI Top 50. Spain Creates the World’s First Robot that Cooks Paella! Cheers, - The SuperDataScience Team P.S. Have friends and colleagues who could benefit from these weekly updates? Send them to [this link]( to subscribe to the Data Science Insider. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Mapping the Future of Data Science]( brief: This comment piece in Information Week looks at how, as pass the one-year anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic, we must evaluate the role that data has played and how that is likely to shape the future of our industry. Prior to the events of the past year, it appeared that we were heading for something of a slow-down in the field of AI. But data science has had a real upturn, both in terms of how technology has been able to help combat coronavirus and in how companies are having to leverage the power of their data in order to generate sustainable value. This change in perception means that when looking forward companies are now prepared to make huge investments in data science initiatives. The article goes on to highlight 4 key trends that are emerging in the new vision of the AI ecosystem. Why this is important: As we have seen in these newsletters over the past year, data science and AI has a real shift in how it’s being perceived. As the world begins to emerge from the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic, now is a good time to evaluate what the future of our industry may be. [Click here to find out!]( [AI is Learning to Dodge Space Junk in Orbit]( brief: The frequency of near-collisions in space is growing and is only expected to increase with spacecraft controllers at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) currently having to manage avoidance maneuvers every two weeks. Despite what you may initially think, not all collision alerts are caused by pieces of space debris. There has been a vast expansion of companies such as SpaceX, OneWeb, and Amazon who are constructing megaconstellations of thousands of satellites, placing more spacecraft into orbit in a single month than used to be launched within an entire year. It is this increased space traffic that is causing concerns among space debris experts. As such, the European Space Agency (ESA) has turned to the AI community, making a large historic data set of past conjunction warnings available in a bid to enable them to predict the evolution of collision risk of each alert, over three days. Why this is important: The effectiveness of the AI solutions is not yet clear. However, potentially, a catastrophic situation could be avoided, as well as numerous man-hours. By reaching out to our community, the ESA is showing faith in our ability to help prevent disaster. [Click here to read on!]( [AI and Governance: The World Economic Forum’s View]( In brief: In the race to stay competitive, AI and particularly ML has massively expanded. Businesses and organisations can see their competitive advantage means analysing the vast datasets they have collected to reveal value. However, the speed at which AI is evolving has led to questions over whether these systems are being set up correctly and whether the actionable outputs from the AI are accurate. What’s more, as AI tools can often be described as ‘black box’ technologies, can governance ever be adequately applied? According to this article from the World Economic Forum’s blog, the answer is yes, and companies should see governance’s implementation as a “strategic opportunity.” The blog begins by debunking the 6 most common company arguments against tackling AI governance and then goes on to offer 6 ways that companies can act today to apply robust governance to their organisations. Why this is important: Governance is not an optional extra for companies to comply with, it’s something that should be built into the fabric of what you do. By using this checklist, you can tackle any reluctances and begin implementing changes today. [Click here to discover more!]( [Forbes’ AI Top 50]( In brief: Forbes’ AI 50 Companies to Watch has been running since 2019 on the premise of distilling down the plethora of companies out there to just 50 North-American firms who are doing real and interesting work in the AI space. They span industries including construction, manufacturing, healthcare, business and customer services, transportation, cybersecurity, finance, and maritime logistics. The list is open for anyone to apply as long as they are a business that is privately-held and utilizing ML, natural language processing, or computer vision. Forbes algorithmically invites several hundred of the most promising companies based on publicly available data, alongside the open entries. After companies submit applications, they are quantitatively ranked based on financial, cultural, diversity, and customer metrics. This algorithm is then used to serve the final 100 candidates to a list of world-class judges, who then rate them on the "AI-worthiness” of each company. Why this is important: As well as providing a list of the industry’s movers and shakers, key trends emerge when looking at the list as a whole. Core groups, such as workbench companies, healthcare and biotech research, computer vision, and natural language processing companies show the emerging markets within the AI industry, where really interesting work is being done. [Click here to see the full picture!]( [Spain Creates the World’s First Robot that Cooks Paella!]( In brief: There’s a certain amount of skill involved in making paella, one of Spain’s most-loved traditional Valencian dishes, and those of you who have tried it at home will know that things can go horribly wrong. But two Spanish companies have teamed up to create a robotic arm that can pull of the perfect paella without burning a grain of rice. The world’s first robotic paellero was unveiled at a hospitality industry fair and is already stirring up plenty of interest. A joint project between the young company br5 (Be a Robot 5) and the paella stove manufacturer Mimcook, the robot has attracted attention from hotel and restaurant chains, as well as a Japanese firm. The robotic arm means all that is necessary is to place sofrito, rice, stock, and seafood into a paella pan, and the robotic arm, which is hooked up to a computerised stove, will do the rest. Why this is important: On the surface, this may appear to be a story of little consequence, but it highlights an important trend in our industry. By using technology to automate repetitive, manual tasks, time is freed up to allow for greater creativity. [Click here to find out more!]( [SuperDataScience podcast]( In this week's [SuperDataScience Podcast](, Konrad Kopczynski joins us to discuss the work of his consulting company Impakt Advisors and how he employs key performance indicators in his own life for personal and professional improvement. --------------------------------------------------------------- What is the Data Science Insider? This email is a briefing of the week's most disruptive, interesting, and useful resources curated by the SuperDataScience team for Data Scientists who want to take their careers to the next level. Want more conversations like this? Are you either a data professional or an executive trying to implement AI technologies in your organization? We’re sure you’re always exploring some upskilling opportunities for yourself or your team. Please share your experience with corporate and self-education [right here](. 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