"Have you heard about artificial intelligence (AI) and big data but felt they are technologies too big or too complicated for you or your business? Do you imagine AI as a Hollywood science fiction stereotype or something in the far and distant future? Take heart. AI is none of those things. It's part of our everyday lives, and it has the power to transform your business. This book will put AI, big data, the cloud, robotics, and smart devices in context. It will reveal how these technologies can dramatically multiply any businesses--including yours--by strategically using your data's latent, transformative potential. Noted business leader, data consultant, and Columbia professor Asha Saxena has distilled her twenty-seven years of experience teaching Fortune 500 leaders in this powerful and insightful book. In The AI Factor, business leaders will learn how to understand the data they already have and how to use it innovatively to grow their businesses using Saxena's unique methodology."--
Have you heard about artificial intelligence (AI) and big data but felt they are technologies too big or too complicated for you or your business? Do you imagine AI as a Hollywood science fiction stereotype or something in the far and distant future?
Take heart. AI is none of those things. Its part of our everyday lives, and it has the power to transform your business.
This book will put AI, big data, the cloud, robotics, and smart devices in context. It will reveal how these technologies can dramatically multiply any businessesincluding yoursby strategically using your datas latent, transformative potential.
Noted business leader, data consultant, and Columbia professor Asha Saxena has distilled her twenty-seven years of experience teaching Fortune 500 leaders in this powerful and insightful book. In The AI Factor, business leaders will learn how to understand the data they already have and how to use it innovatively to grow their businesses using Saxenas unique methodology.
| Foreword |
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ix | |
| Introduction |
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xii | |
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PART ONE UNDERSTANDING THE Al FACTOR |
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Chapter 1 How Netflix and Starbucks Changed the World |
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3 | (19) |
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Chapter 2 Understanding AI and Its Impact |
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22 | (25) |
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Chapter 3 What Do Pizza and Cosmetics Have in Common? |
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47 | (18) |
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Chapter 4 Ethical and Sustainable AI |
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65 | (16) |
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PART TWO APPLYING THE AI FACTOR |
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Interlude: A Voyage of Self-Discovery |
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81 | (2) |
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Chapter 5 Assessing Your Business |
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83 | (19) |
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Interlude: Do You Have What It Takes? |
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100 | (2) |
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Chapter 6 Your Data-Readiness Framework |
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102 | (27) |
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Interlude: Prioritizing the Power Zone |
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127 | (2) |
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Chapter 7 Becoming a Multiplier |
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129 | (18) |
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Interlude: All Systems Go |
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145 | (2) |
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Chapter 8 Implementing, Measuring, and Scaling the AI Factor |
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147 | (20) |
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Chapter 9 What Does the Future Hold? |
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167 | (10) |
| Glossary of Terms |
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177 | (2) |
| Endnotes |
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179 | (13) |
| Acknowledgments |
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192 | (3) |
| About the Author |
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195 | |
Asha Saxena is an entrepreneur, bestselling author, keynote speaker, and adjunct professor at Columbia University, specializing in AI and data-driven business transformation. With over thirty years of experience in technology, artificial intelligence, and business leadership, she has built and led multiple successful companies, helping organizations harness AI for innovation and growth.
She is the founder and CEO of World Leaders in Data and AI (WLDA), a global leadership organization dedicated to empowering executives in leveraging AI for strategic advantage. WLDA fosters a powerful peer network where C-suite leaders from Fortune 1000 companies collaborate on AI adoption, governance, and ethical innovation. Its members include executives from leading organizations such as KPMG, Dow Chemical, Chevron, LOréal, Molex, PwC, and more.
Named one of the Top 25 AI Leaders to Follow in 2025, Asha is a recognized thought leader featured in major publications and a sought-after speaker on AI strategy, digital transformation, and the future of work. Her expertise makes her a trusted advisor to Fortune 1000 companies and global business leaders. She was also invited as the CEO of Future Technologies Inc. to the World Economic Forum, where her company was named a Global Growth Company in 2007.
