It is almost inevitable to use the term AI in any publication, marketing brochure, press release or investor event. On the other hand, within organizations, the impact of AI investments on improved productivity or even revenue appears to be quite minimal. A recent study by MIT indicated that only 5% provided business value.¹

The same happened with previous trends and hypes, such as Metaverse, Big Data, Blockchain, Virtual Reality, Web3, Internet of Things (IoT), Quantum, etcetera. In the long run, most emerging technologies will be used in some shape or form, but not to the extent as predicted.

So, we did not dare leave AI out and included several articles in this edition that address aspects of AI, specifically:

• Applying machine learning to asset data at ProRail
• Providing assurance on AI: how reliable, safe, trustworthy and fair is the black box model?
• Ten steps to democratize development of Low-Code AI.

Furthermore, the use of data analytics can also be democratized for non-programmers, no one needs to be afraid of data and tools any longer.

Luckily, two other articles focus on other critical IT aspects:

• Developing architectures for digital transformation, which also highlights the necessary mindset and skill set of digital architects
• Strengthening (IoT) product security – as required by two EU regulatory frameworks, the Radio Equipment Directive (RED) and the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) – by using a Software Bill of Material (SBOM)

If you wish to contribute to the discussion on the impact of AI on professional magazines like Compact, please see the column at the end of this edition and provide your input.

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