In an article for Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) at Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering, CIO Kevin Glynn discussed what he considers the two biggest technology innovations of 2018.
“The first game changer is the maturation and commercial viability of artificial intelligence (AI),” Kevin said, “and the second is the continuing evolution of autonomous vehicles.”
He attributed the rise of AI in 2018 to the computing power that exists in the cloud and to ready accessibility, and observed that autonomous vehicles matured to the point where live testing with the general public could be performed in controlled environments.
Kevin described DSC’s experimentations with AI and autonomous vehicles. “We recently tested two robots that were pulling a train of items behind them. It is already in production on a limited basis,” he said. “We have also tested drones inside warehouses for inventory counting and just started work on autonomous forklifts.”
Kevin is the Chair of the Industry Advisory Board for NU’s Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT), and he emphasized the importance of the next generation of tech leaders. ”Twenty years from now, tech will be far beyond where it is today,” he said. “But fundamental engineering and the understanding and ability to think and manage these problems is what the industry needs.”
