AI, Machine Learning & My Next Role

Don Draper and Dinosaurs

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a top-of-mind topic as of late - perhaps you’ve read about how AI is helping businesses reinvent the way they operate (like Google Translate), or you’ve purchased an Amazon Echo or Google Home assistant (VoiceLabs predicts over 25 million devices like these will ship in 2017), or perhaps you’ve just been binge watching Westworld. AI even made it to the Super Bowl, as Jon Hamm and H&R Block revealed how they will use AI to help us with our taxes. Who doesn’t want to buy whatever Don Draper is selling?

In 2016, AI was one of the hottest areas of investment for venture capitalists indicating excitement around this space and growth potential over the coming years. Fred Wilson, Managing Partner of Union Square Ventures wrote in his 2017 predictions:

“AI will be the new mobile. Investors will ask management what their ‘AI Strategy’ is before investing and will be wary of companies that don’t have one.”

Mark Cuban made it even more clear:

“Artificial Intelligence, deep learning, machine learning — whatever you’re doing if you don’t understand it — learn it. Because otherwise you’re going to be a dinosaur within 3 years.”

AI, Machine Learning and Advertising

Before we go further, here are some simple definitions to avoid becoming a dinosaur: 

• Artificial Intelligence is a broad term referring to computer programs that mimic human behavior in some way.
• Machine learning is a specific type of AI referring to computer programs that are trained to accomplish a task and then learn from the outcomes of those tasks so they can be more effective over time.

While these techniques are being used across industries, I took a closer look at 3 ways this technology may impact marketing, advertising and the way we engage with brands:

1. Interfaces: Marketers will use AI to change the way they speak with their customers. Some current examples: 

• Chat bots (KLM, msg.ai )
• The Weather Company’s Watson Ads
• Amazon Alexa Skills

2. Enhanced workflow: Marketers will use AI and machine learning to help make processes or systems work better, faster or more accurately. A few current examples: 

• Clarifai
• IBM Watson 

3.  Intelligent Advertising: Marketers will use AI and machine learning to make advertising more effective, efficient or more intelligent. Examples:

• AdTheorent
• Adgorithms

I’m Joining a Machine Learning + Advertising Company

I’m excited be joining AdTheorent as the company’s first Chief Revenue Officer. Founded in 2011, AdTheorent has been growing fast, earning a place on Crain’s 2016 Fastest Growing Companies, Deloitte’s North America Technology Fast 500, and the INC 5000. AdTheorent’s technology has also won numerous awards including two DMA Innovation Awards, two Digiday Signal Awards and recognition from Frost & Sullivan with a Digital Advertising Leadership Award. It also happens to be an amazing place to work, recognized on the Crain’s Best Places to Work in NYC list for the past three years. If you aren’t familiar with the business:

What we do:

• Most advertising is focused on either delivering ads to a user around specific content or targeting ads to large groups of people based on certain demographics or past behaviors.
• AdTheorent uses machine learning to predict which specific people have the highest probability of engagement with an advertiser’s message, serve dynamic advertisements to them and then learn from the results of each impression to make the current and future campaigns more effective. 

Why is that interesting?

• We are all using our mobile devices more often and for more tasks, posing a challenge for marketers to understand who we are, where we are and what types of advertising messages we might be receptive to.  
• By using machine learning to make sense of all of these new signals, AdTheorent gives advertisers a competitive advantage, reaching consumers in a more intelligent way resulting in higher engagement with their message.

I’m excited to join this fast-growing business in a fast-growing area of the industry. I’ll be looking to expand my team and to work with smart marketers, so if you’re interested in the space, please let me know. And if you have other ideas on how AI and machine learning will impact your business or industry, please post below!