You may have noticed by now that there seem to be a couple of recurring themes in the plethora of articles and news programmes about artificial intelligence (AI). These themes can be summed up as a) “The dangers of AI” and b) “The limitations of AI”. Articles addressing the dangers of AI tend to focus …
Three questions to ask when reading articles about artificial intelligence Read More »
When we’re talking to potential clients about advanced analytics we often ask them what tools they’re currently using. More often than not they say they’re using spreadsheets. Spreadsheets are one of the most widely used tools for statistical analysis and of course, most businesses couldn’t run without them. However, when it comes to advanced analytics …
Thinking of using spreadsheets for advanced analytics? Think again. Read More »
Over the past two years I’ve noticed a steady stream of articles in the mainstream press and business journals centred on the themes of a) the dangers of machine learning 1 2 or b) the limitations of machine learning 3 4. Many of these articles refer to incidents where machine learning initiatives have echoed and …
I’ve blogged several times now about different aspects of data science. A conversation I’ve been having more and more frequently now is about what tools people should learn if they’re hoping to develop a career in data science. Obviously there are many different factors to be taken into account here. You’ll want to think about …
Data science is everywhere at the moment. Nearly as everywhere as big data, but not quite. Books out there are making the concepts behind statistics and predictive analytics more and more accessible not only to those in business making decisions everyday but also to the average man or woman on the street. Try Super Crunchers …
Data science is everywhere, so why no data scientists to be seen? Read More »
The concept of the net promoter score was introduced to the world in Frederick Reichheld’s seminal Harvard Business Review article The One Number You Need to Grow in 2003. Reichheld’s research led him to believe that there was a deep and intrinsic link between profitable growth and customer loyalty. Two years of research revealed that, for most industries, …
Understanding what drives your net promoter score – how data science can help Read More »
In my career I’ve seen many examples of successful and unsuccessful data mining projects. I’m often asked how clients can maximise the chances of their project being successful and, based on the many projects I’ve been involved with over the years, I think there are 9 things that really help. When these factors are in …
An analytical tool for the business user. It isn’t a new idea, more a nut that many of us have been trying to crack for years. Today, of course, this problem is more pressing than ever. There are more questions that can be answered with analytics, more data to analyse and fewer trained analysts to …
When talking to companies who have yet to invest in predictive analytics I am often asked if I am sure that they will benefit. Will it be worth the time and effort involved in setting up a predictive analytics project? What kinds of benefits can they realistically expect? Are they large enough to reap the …
Predictive analytics – five ways your business can benefit Read More »
What is a data scientist? The predictive analytics field seems to love nothing more than giving a new name to an established concept. In my last post I argued that the concept of ‘big data’ itself is nothing new. Over the last few years I’ve seen more and more job ads recruiting ‘data scientists’ and I find myself rather unjustifiably irritated …
Do you have to be a data scientist to do predictive analytics? Read More »