LWT Summit: Your Big Data is Boring: Let's talk about algorithms

Lesbians Who Tech Summit, February 2016

In this talk for the Software track at the Lesbians Who Tech Summit, we'll discuss the business case for algorithm marketplaces and why having "big data" will no longer be sufficient as a competitive advantage. From open sourcing algorithms to commecializing them as microservices, we'll discuss the various ways in which engineers and technical decision makers can invest in algorithm development.

Transcript

1. LET’S TALK ABOUT ALGORITHMS YOUR BIG DATA IS BORING @LIZMRUSH
2. MOST ALGORITHMS ARE PROPRIETARY & CLOSED- SOURCE
3. LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO THE ALGORITHM ECONOMY
4. ALGORITHM MARKETPLACES ARE SIMILAR TO THE MOBILE APP STORES THAT CREATED THE ‘APP ECONOMY’. Alexander Linden, research director at Gartner THE ALGORITHM ECONOMY
5. THE ALGORITHM ECONOMY WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF THE ALGORITHM ECONOMY? ▸ More granular software that can be easily implemented into other projects; similar to micro service and SOA architecture ▸ More cutting edge algorithms on the market; fewer stuck in academia and lower barrier of entry ▸ Standardization through reuse and chaining; containerized micro services ▸ Better quality assessment & external validation
6. BIG DATA? BUT WHAT ABOUT MY
7. BUT WHAT ABOUT BIG DATA? TOOLS VS DATA ▸ You have access to many of the same “big data” tools ▸ Hadoop, TensorFlow, Spark, ElasticSearch ▸ “Big data” companies are not big data by design, they became big data in the course of pursuing insights into their service and customers ▸ Similarly, those on the edge of algorithmic design are doing so to further another product
8. MORE ACCURATE AND BETTER ALGORITHMS ARE A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE BUT WHAT ABOUT BIG DATA? IF BIG DATA TOOLS ARE OPEN, WHY NOT ALGORITHMS? ACCESS TO COMMERCIALIZED ALGORITHMS INCENTIVIZES ACCURACY & VALIDATION CHOICE IN ALGORITHMS CAN REFLECT BIAS OR VALUES
9. DATA IS INHERENTLY DUMB… ALGORITHMS DEFINE ACTION Peter Sondergaard, SVP at Gartner BUT WHAT ABOUT BIG DATA?