Pune R&D facility grows to become the largest centre outside the US.

With great power comes great responsibility, and with artificial intelligence (AI), this is even more  true. AI is indeed a powerful tool that should be used for good, says SAS, a leading player in AI and analytics. More on its fair and ethical use later, first a quick look at how the Cary, North Carolina-based firm is advancing its commitment to AI.

Four years after committing to invest $1 billion in AI capabilities over a three-year period, SAS plans to invest another $1 billion over the next three years to further develop advanced analytics solutions. In banking, government, insurance, health care, retail, manufacturing, energy and more, the analytics software firm will build upon its decades-long focus on providing tailored solutions to industry challenges.

“I am proud of what SAS has achieved in the analytics industry,” co-founder & CEO Jim Goodnight told FE at the SAS Innovate conference in Orlando last week. “Businesses face many challenges, from the threat of economic recession and stressed supply chains to workforce shortages and regulatory changes. SAS Viya brings analytics and AI to everyone, everywhere, letting users of all skill levels get the answers they need in any language on their terms and faster than ever before,” said Goodnight, adding, “With insights from industry-focused analytics, resilient organisations can find opportunity in these challenges.”

How India benefits

Through this new round of investment, SAS will support companies using AI, machine learning and advanced analytics to fight fraud, manage risk and better serve customers. It plans to use much of the new $1 billion to develop more industry-specific versions of the Viya AI and analytics platform and upgrade those already developed.

According to SAS chief technology officer Bryan Harris, the billion-dollar investment includes direct research and development, industry-focused line-of-business teams, and industry marketing efforts. It will fund the innovative work of SAS data scientists, statisticians and software developers working with consultants, systems engineers and marketers with specific industry experience.

Herein, the SAS R&D centre in Pune stands to be a big beneficiary. “It has evolved to become the largest R&D facility outside the US and has contributed immensely to the innovation efforts of the company,” said Harris. The portfolio of work spans across the entire spectrum of SAS products, solutions, and services. It comprises several teams that represent the SAS core platform, data management, professional services, cloud operations, tech support and solutions spanning domains such as risk, fraud, Internet of Things and retail.

SAS has grown to over 900 employees in India across sales and marketing, and R&D offices combined. “Over the past two years, the R&D headcount has grown more than 50%. Going forward, we want India R&D to become the innovation hub for the company,” he added.

Trustworthy AI

Goodnight and Harris acknowledged that generative AI will play a role in the future of technology. But ethics and responsibility have to play a role in the development of that technology. “The power of this technology is fascinating, but everybody is still trying to figure out how to use it in a responsible way,” said Jay Upchurch, EVP & CIO, SAS. “Our vision is to be the world’s most trustworthy AI and analytics partner.”

Reggie Townsend, VP of the Data Ethics Practice at SAS, said: “Data is the foundation of AI; if the data is bad, the AI will be bad. That’s why it’s so important to make sure that data is collected, stored and used ethically.

https://www.financialexpress.com/industry/new-frontier-sas-commits-1-bn-to-ai-powered-analytics/3089003/