What began as a tool to help students at California State University campuses stay on track – artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots quickly became a lifeline to many students isolated due to the pandemic. After hearing of a similar program at Georgia State University- Elizabeth Adams, Associate Vice President of Undergraduate Studies at Cal State Northbridge applied for a grant to help students at California State Universities excel at the school both on an academic and personal level. According to Adams the AI chatbots were created with freshmen and transfer students in mind as well as students who are the first in their families to go to college. “It's especially appealing to first-generation students because they don't always know what questions to ask or who to ask them to, and they don't like being embarrassed about it," Adams noted.

In a year of a pandemic, murder hornets, and confirmation by the United States Government that aliens do in fact exist – imagine my response when I read that  Pope Francis would like his Catholic constituents to “…pray that the progress of robotics and artificial intelligence may always serve humankind.”  

I recently wrote an article about Walmart’s new Intelligent Retail Lab (IRL) from a supply chain perspective. Walmart’s IRL, is a new AI powered store that uses technology and data to monitor every day tasks from re-stocking shelves, notifying employees when a new cash register needs to be opened; and insuring that there are always enough carts available for customers.

Ever since the invention of computers many developments have shaped human lives. The invention of the internet was a landmark achievement which set up the stage for more things that followed. Many would have thought that the internet was the biggest thing ever but it was only a lead-in to developments in the world of big data, AI and IoT.  Big data, AI and IoT have revolutionized the world we live in but what exactly are these terms?