Google Cloud is expanding its AI-based tools for retailers. The most intriguing new offering is pre-trained on billions of product images to visually check inventory levels on retailer shelves. You’ll recall that training data is the biggest bottleneck for many AI projects. Google also announced new storefront personalization and browsing features, plus optimized repurchase recommendations.
Looking a bit scary there based on reports that the country’s chief prosecutor will not allow the Hellenic Authority for Communication Security and Privacy (ADAE) privacy regulator, to audit telecom companies to ensure that the Greek secret service is not conducting undue surveillance.
Don’t take my word about the problem of training data. This Immuta report confirms that data security (44%) and data access (40%) head the list of obstacles to AI and machine learning projects. A whopping 89% say they’ve missed some type of business opportunity due to data access problems.
Martech keeps taking larger bites out of marketing budgets: 17.3% last year, 19.9% this year, 23.5% next year, and 30.9% five years from now, according to the latest CMO Survey. This despite barely more than half (56.4%) of current tools being used and nearly half (48.8%) of the survey respondents reporting worse-than-expected results. Oddly enough, marketers rate selecting marketing technologies as the thing they do best.