Accenture this week signaled its intention to apply computer vision and product recognition technologies more broadly by investing in Malong Technologies.
Based in China, Malong Technologies has been applying computer vision technologies enabled by machine learning technologies to supply chains. But Mike Redding, managing director for Accenture Ventures, says Accenture plans to apply the artificial intelligence (AI) technologies developed by Malong Technologies to a broad range of use cases, including health care and transportation. In a recent trial for an Accenture client, the Malong AI technology achieved the same level of accuracy as human doctors in detecting cases of stroke from brain-scans, says Redding.
Redding says Accenture decided to invest in Malong Technologies because the AI pioneer has been recognized by Google, Microsoft and Gartner as being the provider of one of the most advanced implementations of computer vision technologies based on AI. The technology can be applied to not only what humans can see, but also at microscopic levels that go well beyond what humans can detect.
“It’s like having a superpower,” says Redding.
Redding says computer vision and other AI technologies developed by Malong Technologies will be incorporated into Accenture Insights Platform, a library of reusable AI models that Accenture makes available to its customers.
In general, Redding says Accenture doesn’t see AI technologies replacing the need for humans. Rather, AI will be used to augment the capabilities of humans as part of a digital business transformation that eliminates manual processes involving, for example, data entry.
Naturally, there will be a significant impact on job roles and functions. But overall, Accenture is betting that AI technologies will do a lot more to advance the human condition than harm it.
