More on AI and Human Resources

HR is a very natural area to think abut analytics.   We did exactly that for decades before AI. Its even better linked to AI because the patterns sought for are more subtle.   And by its nature more data is constantly being acquired by the seekers and provided by the sought.

IBM sees the value of putting AI to work in human resources
by Nancy Cohen , in Tech Xplore

Who put the non-human into human resources? At first glance, it seems like an unpopular alliance—the use of artificial intelligence to support a company's strategic goals vis a vis human resources.

IBM, however, is the company going big and bold in championing the benefits of technology driving work efforts to retain the best, the brightest, the most apt to contribute something to the conference table.

IBM CEO Ginni Rometty touted IBM's successful use of AI for leading the workforce at CNBC's @ Work Talent + HR Summit. She sat down with Jon Fortt and delivered some impressive numbers on how the IBM's AI tool helped the company.

First, though, let's run a flashback to the old days of Watson in the limelight when Forsyth Alexander in 2016 in a blog said HR people could use Watson Analytics to know what factors can be changed to hold on to good finds. Alexander walked readers through what lightbulbs can turn on once the HR-curious logged in to Watson Analytics.  ...  "

"I ask Watson Analytics what drives attrition, because it's the most interesting to me, and I want to see how the other fields statistically relate to that target. It looks like working a lot of overtime is strongly linked to attrition." She then had Watson show her predictive information "on how job role and performance evaluation relate to employees who have left." 

Small Companies Competing with Watson

I am part of this ecosystem myself. Certainly the small company cannot  afford a complete installation from IBM.  But IBM has made open capabilities available via Watson Bluemix, so assembly work can be done by cheaper contractors,  or the work can be done internally.  IBM has also published a number of end to end tutorials for cognitive AI use.   And in a number of cases provided fully autonomous, focused domain systems like Watson Analytics.

Watch Out Watson: Small Companies Threaten IBM’s Artificial Intelligence
Innovative, smaller companies show that there can be a more cost-effective way to approach AI than complex systems like IBM's Watson. .... " 
By Teresa Riva

Watson Machine Learning Now Publicly Available

I note that this also includes 'visual' machine learning,  using methods that look like the Clementine system they acquired long ago for System Modeler.   Good direction.   Explored some of this via their Bluemix services, but this takes it further, for both professionals and for non professional use.

I contractually examined several examples of enterprise use in real projects, impressive plug-in power.  Natural links to Watson Analytics?  Looking at the new usability here and cost.

Watson Machine Learning is now Generally Available
Today we are excited to announce the general availability of the IBM Watson Machine Learning service. Over the past 12 months we've got feedback from hundreds of beta users of the Watson Machine Learning (WML) service. During the beta period, we’ve been actively collecting feedback provided via email, Slack, and targeted surveys. The WML product team has been actively engaged in those conversations and wherever possible we’ve worked to incorporate your feedback in to the service. With today’s announcement, we are now opening this service to the general public and rolling out a number of new features. Read on to learn more…

What is WML and why are we building it?
WML is a Bluemix service that enables users to perform two fundamental operations of machine learning. .... 

Training: this is the process of refining an algorithm so that it can 'learn' from a dataset. The output of this operation is called a model. A model encompasses the learned coefficients of mathematical expressions.

Scoring: the operation of predicting an outcome using a trained model. The output of the scoring operation is another dataset containing predicted values.   ... " 

More details.

PC Magazine Reviews Watson Analytics

A review in PC Magazine that much likes Watson Analytics, describing it as a self-service analytics tool rather than cognitive.

PC Mag Rates Watson Analytics

A good fairly technical review of the Watson Analytics package.  I was a beta user a couple of years ago.    I concur its not everything, but can see it as an 75% autonomous solution.  Still requires some statistical, data and contextual  help, but so would any solution method.

AI Building AI

It has been long suggested that this would occur.  This is still relatively hard, but we have seen apps like Watson Analytics show how it could be done.  Though that is about data science, and this further embodies the logic and process of AI.  In Technology Review:

 AI Software Learns to Make AI Software
Google and others think software that learns to learn could take over some work done by AI experts.
by Tom Simonite .... "

Watson goes Mobile

In ADTMag:

IBM Goes Mobile with Watson   By David Ramel 

For two years, IBM has provided the cognitive computing capabilities of its Watson Analytics service via a Web interface, and now it's gone mobile. ...

It can analyze and interpret data such as unstructured text, images, audio and video; learn on its own to grow its subject matter expertise; provide reasoned recommendations through understanding a user's personality, tone and emotion; create conversational chatbots capable of dialog with humans; and more. IBM has embedded the technology in a slew of open APIs and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) products. ... 

It can analyze and interpret data such as unstructured text, images, audio and video; learn on its own to grow its subject matter expertise; provide reasoned recommendations through understanding a user's personality, tone and emotion; create conversational chatbots capable of dialog with humans; and more. IBM has embedded the technology in a slew of open APIs and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) products.

Now, in the face of enterprise mobility, mobile-first initiatives and mobile just generally "eating the world," it can be used on Apple's iPad mobile devices. 

"IBM Watson Analytics Mobile is a data analysis and visualization service on the cloud that helps just about anyone quickly discover patterns and meanings in their data -- all on their own," the app's description reads. "Watson Analytics Mobile" recommends answers based on your questions using natural language and automatically serves up insights and visualizations that enable you to see new and unexpected things in your data." ... " 

New Watson Analytics Add-Ons

New in Watson Analytics.  Will take a closer look.

Four additional capabilities satisfy your appetite for more. You’ll be discovering insights like a champ in no time.

1. Watson Analytics for Social Media
The first of the four Watson Analytics add-on is Watson Analytics for Social Media, which guides you through social data. With automatically created graphics, you quickly take the pulse of your audience or market. And, it’s easy to compare results with other data sources. Now, you can get new insights based on different views of information.

2. Expert Storybooks
Number 2 of the Watson Analytics add-ons is Watson Analytics Expert Storybooks. If you’re struggling to understand your data analysis, Expert Storybooks can be your guide. You bring your data, and we take care of the rest. You get new insights and we interpret results for you. It’s that simple.

3. Datawatch Monarch and Monarch Server for IBM Analytics
Data preparation shouldn’t slow you down, and that’s where number 3 of the Watson Analytics add-ons comes in. Datawatch Monarch for IBM Analytics transforms data for upload into Watson Analytics. With the click of a button, it prepares messy data for analysis. Datawatch Monarch Server for IBM Analytics automates many data preparation tasks. You’re free to get on with data analysis so your precious time isn’t wasted.

4. Analytics Exchange
Wouldn’t it be great if you could easily find data when you need it? With the fourth of the Watson Analytics add-ons, IBM Bluemix Analytics Exchange, you have access to free and open data. Do you need economic, business, leisure, transportation, and more information to support a theory? This is the place for you.  .... " 

Watson Analytics Tutorials

Of interest.  Good tutorial demonstration of the application of Watson to 'automated'  analytics that I am investigating further.   This or something like it, may be the future of analytics.

Watson Analytics for Students How To Videos
The following videos will help you to get started. They have been produced by Miroslav Spiridenkov.
Below you will find relevant Watson analytics tutorials and attached documentation. Relevant documentation with links will be at the bottom of each video. You will need to create a watson analytics account and login to view documentation.

1. Introduction Video for Watson analytics

This video will guide you through and introduce you to Watson analytics and what the UI looks like as well as the expected workflow.  ....

http://computing.derby.ac.uk/bigdatares/?page_id=334

Free eBook: 23 Reasons to Get Excited About Data

Below, links to a free eBook that covers a number of practical and exciting applications of data analytics. Nicely done,  selected from our collegial group on the use of Watson Analytics.   More and link here.


By Forsyth Alexander :  

In a lot of ways, data gets a bad rap. Businesses have been collecting and analyzing data for decades. As a result, simply saying “data” is enough to conjure images of someone poring over a thick stack of spreadsheets, manually going through row after row to identify trends and figure out what to do with them. Who can really get excited about that? Not me.

The thing is, data doesn’t deserve its reputation. It’s the spreadsheets, the reports in table form, the tiny numbers on paper or on a screen that are daunting. Data itself has value because without it, we’re limited to making decisions based on instinct or gut feel. Occasionally, that might work out, much like how a broken 12-hour clock is right two times a day.

Data analysis technology makes it possible to make immediate decisions based on facts and sound statistics, giving companies a leg up on their competition. And what business doesn’t love competitive advantage?

So, basically, data is not boring. Data is exciting, especially if you get something out of it. Check out this e-book for 23 reasons for you to get excited about data with insightful commentary from a group of great social media influencers, who we call the Watson Analytics Predictioneers.  ... ." 

Editions of Watson Analytics

Recent Update. To what degree can this breakdown of analytics be useful, and how can it create an automation of data analytics.

A short video on the number of industry editions of Watson Analytics that exist to date.  Completely non technical.

 .. IBM Watson Analytics is a smart data analysis and visualization service on the cloud that helps just about anyone quickly discover patterns and meanings in their data – all on their own. Whether you need to quickly spot a trend or you have a team that needs to analyze report data, there's a Watson Analytics edition for you. ... " 

For more information about how to use Watson Analytics for free, visit www.watsonanalytics.com

New Watson Analytics Experience

New piece on how to get started with Watson Analytics, worth a closer look.  Good user experience in place.  Question remains how autonomous such systems can be, and who their users will be.

Flu Prediction Cognitive System

Using Watson, Twitter and CDC Data for predicting flu epidemics. Modeling under specific contexts. By Prof. Dr. Gordon Pipa, University of Osnabrueck  Embedded in the slide presentation.....    Audio recording.   Reminiscent of some of our own work in bioterror modeling , previously mentioned here.

Watson Analytics Updated

Have not seen yet, worth a look.  In EWeek: 

At its Vision 2016 conference, IBM announced a newly redesigned interface and new features for its Watson Analytics solution.

IBM has upgraded its Watson Analytics cognitive computing solution with a new user interface and a handful of other new features to make it easier to use.

Watson Analytics is a cloud service that takes IBM's Watson cognitive computing technology and the company's predictive analytics capabilities and puts them in the hands of business users.
In short, Watson Analytics helps to empower citizen data analysts. Citizen analysts can use the technology in a self-service fashion to gain new insights from big data. IBM Watson Analytics helps users unlock the value of data they already have in their systems, as well as new, valuable external data sources they may not even know they need. ... " 

Self Service Data Preparation

Watson linking to Cognos.   And note too the link to data preparation, often a messy issue.

New! Self-service Data Preparation Tool for Watson Analytics and Cognos Analytics

With Datawatch Monarch for IBM Analytics, you get easy and fast data access and preparation capabilities to export into Watson Analytics and Cognos Analytics. The result? The discovery of new insights and intelligence you can amplify throughout your ... 

In IBM business intelligence solutions, natural language lets you engage with your data in a human way. In Watson Analytics, predictive analytics automatically reveals key drivers to help you truly understand the “why” without personal bias so you can take the right action. The managed reporting and dashboards and data security and governance of Cognos Analytics enables insights to flow top down and bottom up, so new intelligence reaches to the far corners of your organization. In the end, there’s more time for doing what’s important. However, until now, a significant challenge remained. ... 

One of the biggest impediments to accurate analytics is data preparation. This long and complex process can take so much time that there’s barely any left for analyzing the data once it’s ready. And yet, without data preparation, the results from analysis just aren’t reliable. . ... " 

Update  3/24/2016:
via david clement [9:39 AM] 
Hi Franz, the recently announced partnership between IBM and Datawatch is meant to allow for people to easily gather data from unstructured or semi-structured data sources such as web pages or PDF files, and bring those into Watson Analytics and Cognos Analytics, as well as blend and join data from multiple database sources with far less data prep or modeling effort than can typically come with this task. .... 


Datawatch Monarch compliments the existing light data prep capabilities already in Watson Analytics and extends the data source and data prep capabilities of Cognos Analytics to fill this immediate need for further sources for business people. The link you have provided in your posts a and slack chat is all about the Analytics Exchange and Blue Mix, and is not relevant to the new partnership. Here is the link you might want to refer to https://www.ibm.com/blogs/watson-analytics/ibm-and-datawatch-announce-partnership-at-2016-gartner-bi-analytics-summit/  and here is where you pin pointed the image above   ... "    See also.   ...  "

Advanced Social Media Insights

On Using  IBM Watson Analytics for Advanced Social Media Insights - SHIFT Communications PR Agency  ...    

" ... As marketers and communicators, we must always improve our social media results. Our stakeholders want more followers, more engagement, more clicks, and more ROI.

Until now, we’ve been saddled with descriptive or diagnostic analytics: at best, we can identify what happened. We haven’t been able to explain why, or determine what to do next to improve our results. ... " 

Watson Analytics for Superbowl Front Office Data Analysis

Good, fairly simple example of the automation of analytics.  Here using Watson analytics.  With commonly used exploratory goals.   Explore it for free:

In Business Insider:
" ... In order to help sports fans get started, IBM uploaded a slew of offensive statistics from the 2014 NFL season (provided by SportsData LLC) into its database. For instructions and a demo of what you can do with NFL stats in Watson Analytics, visit the Watson Analytics Storybook.

From there, fans can explore data visualizations of how certain trends played out during the season — like a weekly breakdown of interceptions thrown by the home and visiting teams — and even ask the system predictive questions like, "Which factors lead to rushing touchdowns?" .... " 

How IBM Watson Analytics is being used in Business

 Good examples in CIO: 
" ... IBM says Watson represents a new era of computing — a step forward to cognitive computing, where apps and systems interact with humans via natural language and help us augment our own understanding of the world with big data insights.

The Watson Analytics offering is intended to provide the benefits of advanced analytics without the complexity. The data discovery service, available via the cloud, guides data exploration, automates predictive analytics and enables dashboard and infographic creation.

Here are eight examples of organizations using Watson Analytics to transform their operations. ...  " 

Watson Analytics Short Demo

Short, good,  demonstration via Holly Nielsen of IBM:

2 Minute Dashboard With Watson Analytics
Watch Francis Hall take some typical sales pipeline data from a spreadsheet, and create a compelling, interactive dashboard in under 2 minutes: .... " 

Social Media Analysis Using Watson Analytics

Saw a presentation today of the use of Watson Analytics using Twitter data.  Using the recent Golden Globes presentation as an example.  This comes from the collaboration between Twitter and IBM .  This demonstrates the use of automated and directed visual analytics and storytelling using Watson Analytics.   Good example.  For now this capability is free as part of Watson analytics.  Presentation Slides here.