Noah Bricker

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A Machine Learning Pioneer in Grocery: You Guessed It Kroger
Noah Bricker
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 11:24 am
Kroger is paving the future for grocery shoppers through innovative, practical applications of machine learning, robotic process automation, and data analytics. The fact that a 125-year-old grocery chain based in Cincinnati, Ohio is helping lead the way may elicit raised [...]

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On November 14, 2018, Noah Bricker commented on Machine Learning at Toppr: Is Personalised Learning the Way Forward? :

Loved the article and the concept of adapting learning models to individual needs. I do believe humans will play a vital role as operators of machines as well as decision-makers with machine outputs. However, the question to me after reading this article is how could adaptive learning platforms implicitly teach human beings to think like computers? If the differentiated value of human beings is that we think differently than machines, we should be wary of programs that shape of we learn. If human beings lose the ingenuity and eccentricity that makes us valuable, we may play less of a role in a more automated future than w

On November 14, 2018, Noah Bricker commented on Future of Flight: Autonomous Aircraft? :

Great article and I enjoyed the preview of the future. My main concerns with ADS-B system are not the incredible efficiencies or whether the technology should be implemented. I know that computers often perform better than humans in certain tasks and flying would appear to be one of them. However, I’m more concerned about the effects of a system outage on the larger network. Today, each pilot’s actions within their plane is independent (for the most part). But once all flight paths are acting on the same technology, we’ve created an intricate network that is susceptible to Chaos. How do we create protections within the system to isolate the effect of outages and maybe even more importantly, protect against targeted attacks.

On November 14, 2018, Noah Bricker commented on Combatting Food Shortages—Have No Fear, Machine Learning Is Here :

Great piece – informative and also changed my perspective on the issue. In terms of market concentration, I agree with the author that this technology will only increase the leverage and advantages of large farms in the agriculture industry. Consolidation is happening rapidly in the US and spreading to the developing world as companies continue to learn how economies of scale impact the business. While many folks would argue to protect “small farmers” as a market economist who believes in efficient markets, if geospatial data enables large farmers to realize higher yields and lower risks, I argue in favor of the consolidation. The role of regulators will be to make sure that those efficiencies are passed onto consumers and not used to price gauge consumers.

On November 14, 2018, Noah Bricker commented on Amazon Go: The Future of Grocery Stores :

Customers may one day desire a warm greeting from a customer service rep or cashier, however, consumers will have to pay for this greeting. Are you willing to pay another dollar for your Yogurt each time you checkout? My opinion is no. Human interaction will start to come at a premium but only in “luxury” cases. You will pay for the service during a luxury dining experience but not checking out in the grocery store.

On November 14, 2018, Noah Bricker commented on Amazon Go: The Future of Grocery Stores :

Customers may one day desire a warm greeting from a customer service rep or cashier, however, consumers will have to pay for this greeting. Are you willing to pay another dollar for your Yogurt each time you checkout? My opinion is no. Human interaction will start to come at a premium but only in “luxury” cases. You will pay for the service during a luxury dining experience but not checking out in the grocery store.

On November 14, 2018, Noah Bricker commented on Make Tonight Unforgettable with HotelTonight :

I do not think that Hotel Tonight will be able to maintain a competitive advantage. Machine learning is now part of almost every Fortune 500s 5 year plan. Expedia, AirBnB etc. are all using machine learning today and Hotel Tonight, as far as I can tell, is only marginally ahead of those competitors if at all. Hotel Tonight’s saving grace, in my opinion, will be if they’re acquired by a larger competitor for their data science talent or platform, which is becoming a common way to acquire talent in a space with so few qualified workers.

On November 14, 2018, Noah Bricker commented on Sneakers on Demand :

To address the first question in the reflections section, I do not think that manufacturing companies will become intellectual property companies. While the 3D Printing space to some extent democratizes manufacturing, I believe most customers will still go to producers who can achieve vast economies of scale. The reasons are several fold:
1. Lower Costs – Nike and Adidas will still be able to acquire premium input materials at a much lower cost than individual consumers – hence overall production costs will be lower
2. Brands – Brands will still be important to customers and while the product may not be as differentiated, the brand meaning will be (a la dove etc.)
3. R&D / Technological Innovation – Retail companies and manufacturers will still be able to invest large sums of money into making the next best product, which consumers will not be able to do