The world was entrenched in big data before it even realized that big data existed. By the time the term was coined, big data had accumulated a massive amount of stored information that, if analyzed properly, could reveal valuable insights into the industry to which that particular data belonged.
The internet now provides a level of concrete information about consumer habits, likes and dislikes, activities, and personal preferences that was impossible a decade ago. Social media accounts and online profiles, social activity, product reviews, tagged interests, “liked” and shared content, loyalty/rewards apps and programs, and CRM (customer relationship management) systems all add potentially insightful data to the big data pool.
AI and big data can work together to achieve more. First, data is fed into the AI engine, making the AI smarter. Next, less human intervention is needed for the AI to run properly. And finally, the less AI needs people to run it, the closer society comes to realizing the full potential of this ongoing AI/big data cycle.