29/10/2019
Today technology federation Agoria launched a free online course on artificial intelligence for companies and employees. The “AI in Business” online course is the first of its kind in Europe. The launch took place at Brussels Airport, where Artificial Intelligence is used to make the passengers’ stay at the airport as comfortable as possible.
“In under four hours, the online course will help you understand the basic principles of artificial intelligence and corresponding opportunities and provide guidelines to put this basic knowledge into practice. Video testimonials and over thirty practical examples offer inspiration for everyone, from your average Joe or Jane to executives in production and HR, data scientists and IT-consultants,” says Danny Goderis, Digital Manager at Agoria. Agoria’s objective is to accelerate the use of artificial intelligence within the Belgian industry by increasing the digital literacy of all employees. Agoria thus contributes towards the digital retraining of Belgian employees one year after the launch of the Be The Change programme.
The online platform was presented at Brussels Airport. The airport structurally invests in AI and is already is used to make the passengers’ stay at the airport as comfortable as possible. “Passengers expect the service at Brussels Airport to be pleasant, efficient and reliable. Technology such as artificial intelligence enables this in various ways. For example, online through our chatbot BRUce, that can answer our passengers’ questions. In real life we also ensure efficient and reliable service through smart application of all available data. This has a significant impact on the comfort and peace of mind of passengers. We recently launched a product that predicts the wait time for luggage pick-up times. Passengers are no longer required to wait at the luggage carousel but can spend the time doing something else,” says Bart Saverwyns, Chief Experience Officer at Brussels Airport Company.
Brussels Airport cooperates with, among others, start-up Radix to provide this service. “AI has significant potential for many companies. The impact of AI on intellectual tasks is comparable with that of electricity on manual tasks. ‘Machine learning’, the technology behind artificial intelligence, can also be used to help the unemployed find jobs. Their skills are used to look for the most relevant job vacancies. AI assists in the development of vaccines in the pharmaceutical industry and optimizes the production processes in the manufacturing industry. Companies that apply AI create major advantages. For Brussels Airport we developed models to predict passenger flows. The insight is shared with airport partners to make sure everyone can use it to their advantage to implement their operations efficiently,” says Davio Larnout, CEO at Radix.
Danny Goderis: “Artificial intelligence already offers a range of business opportunities for companies in industries such as healthcare, power, manufacturing, etc. This is why we created this online course, that people can take at their own pace. We start by explaining the basic principles of artificial intelligence, and then provide a practical guide on how to implement artificial intelligence in the participant’s company. We offer tips on how to recognise artificial intelligence potential, how to prepare your data, how to delimit a project and how to establish an AI strategy. We also discuss ethics and provide information on the challenges and opportunities regarding employment. Upon finishing the course, you receive a certificate and are able to start a project within your own company.”
More than twenty companies helped create this online course. Large companies, such as Microsoft, IBM, Brussels Airport Company and Proximus, as well as small businesses and start-ups like Faktion, In The Pocket, Froomle, Radix and Reimagine. The course also contains more than thirty specific applications as examples to provide as much inspiration as possible.
“These examples show the thriving ecosystem around artificial intelligence in Belgium today. Belgium harbours a wealth of expertise, and many companies are already running projects or are in the process of implementing artificial intelligence. And yet, there is still a lot of unused potential. Not only large businesses can implement artificial intelligence. Smaller companies can also benefit from artificial intelligence,” concludes Goderis.
The course is available for free at https://www.agoria.be/ai-in-business.