“Humans have significant role to play in the future of AI,” says INFORM

INFORM Software has been announced as one of the 20 Most Promising Artificial Intelligence Solution Providers of 2018.

INFORM has been working with Artificial Intelligence for over two decades, with commercially available products in use since the early 2000’s.

“We’ve been implementing Cyber-Physical Systems incorporating AI, data analytics, robotics, and human machine interfaces at parcel centers and terminals around the world for several years now,” commented Dr. Eva Savelsberg, Senior Vice President of INFORM’s Logistics Division.

“We’re always on the lookout for ways to implement further substantial improvements that better our customer’s bottom lines. In 2018 we spent a good deal of time assessing how we could get the most out of implementing Machine Learning in combination with Agile Optimisation, and taking advantage of expert knowledge for the post and parcel industry.

“The findings are conclusive; Machine Learning offers our customers, and the industry, the ability to drive our already substantial efficiency gains even further.”
Dr. Savelsberg continued, “Where we’re at with Machine Learning, Agile Optimisation, and Expert Knowledge is a delta circuit co-evolution of human, math, and machine.

“Humans have a very significant role to play in the foreseeable future of any AI system; it is well documented that human/AI paired systems outperform yet their singular counterparts. INFORM’s post and parcel software is leveraging this phenomenon to develop market leading solutions.”

The unique property of INFORM’s “Hybrid AI” approach is that it uses both, knowledge-driven algorithms based on mathematical optimisation, Operations Research, and human know-how as well as data-driven algorithms based on advanced analytics, machine learning, deep learning, etc. Hybrid AI helps customers get the best out of both worlds, as leveraging computer algorithms with human expertise yields results significantly superior to both.

“We do not believe in AI running wild,” commented Adrian Weiler, CEO of INFORM, “we believe that human control on a meta-basis is essential for AI to function properly.”

As a private pilot, Mr. Weiler added, “It is like auto-pilot in an aircraft; it performs its role very well 90 percent of the time but depending on the situation, one can take control back from the autonomous system.”