Big Data, AI, and What’s the Point?
I started my engineering career during the time of Big Data. Cloud computing was exploding and the ability to send, host, and store data was becoming incredibly cheap. Data was more accessible and, with advances in AI/ML, became more useful. Sensors, like the kind we make at Hum, were also becoming cheap in large part to Tesla and the iPhone dramatically lowering the cost of batteries. These devices allowed companies to monitor and generate new data streams in addition to the large amount of existing data they already possessed.
At one point, I was encouraged to look for new “Big Data” projects at the plant. These projects would be fast tracked and funded. I remember looking at my plant manager about some project concept that had come down from on high and asking “Why?” He shrugged his shoulders and agreed that it was a waste of time.