Antonio Grasso joins us to explain how he empowers some of the biggest companies in the world to use AI in a meaningful way and explains the two ways his company goes about this. You’ll hear about what Antonio believes is coming down the pipeline in terms of the Internet of Things, especially when it comes to edge computing, and why network traffic has become a huge concern. We discuss where edge computing begins and ends with regards to the difference between the device and its computational resources. In light of the fact that one can infer at the edge but not train at the edge, Antonio shares his views on why he disagrees that the ultimate goal should be to train at the edge. He also provides a helpful resource for AI practitioners to calculate an AI readiness index.

Key Points From This Episode:

• How Antonio Grasso grew from a software engineer in the 80s to someone so influential in the world of AI today. 
• How Antonio empowers some of the biggest companies to use AI in a meaningful way. 
• The two faces of Antonio’s company Digital Business Innovation Srl. 
• One of Antonio’s biggest achievements at IBM.
• How, as a technical expert, he helps people to understand what is possible with this technology and build trust. 
• The challenges of maintaining the pace of innovation.
• What Antonio believes is coming down the pipeline in terms of Internet of Things especially when it comes to edge computing.
• Why network traffic has become a huge concern and the role of edge computing in this. 
• What defines edge computing and the difference between the device and its computational resources.
• In light of the fact that one can infer at the edge but not train at the edge, Antonio’s views on whether or not the goal should be to train at the edge. 
• Antonio’s advice to the AI practitioner out there on how you can calculate an AI readiness index. 

Tweetables:

“‘Wow, this is really unbelievable! We can also create not [only] code software with direct explicit instruction, we can also [create] code software that learns from experience!’ That really [caught] me and I fell in love with this kind of technology.” — @antgrasso [0:03:13]

“I started on Social Media to share my knowledge, my experience, because I think you must share what you see because everyone can benefit of it too.” — @antgrasso [0:03:39]

“We need to shift to better understand what is the meaning of edge computing but we must divide the device itself from the computational resources that we put [there] to harness the power of computational power in proximity.” — @antgrasso [0:16:15]

“I can not imagine training at the edge. — We can do it, yes, but my question is why?” — @antgrasso [0:20:50]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Antonio Grasso  

Digital Business Innovation Srl

AI Singapore (AIRI Assessment)

Antonio Grasso on Twitter

How AI Happens