Rebeca Dauscha

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How Artificial Intelligence is helping Kraft Heinz to squeeze tomatoes, but not its profitability
Rebeca Dauscha
Posted on November 10, 2018 at 4:50 pm
The growth of private labels in the US and the rise of uncountable food start-ups are threating the status quo of the food industry. Traditional companies are under pressure to cut costs and to innovate faster. Kraft Heinz is relying [...]

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On November 13, 2018, Rebeca Dauscha commented on vTaiwan: Crowdsourcing Legislation in Technology and Beyond :

Very interesting article! I have never thought about using open innovation in a political setting. I agree that such process can be more inclusive to the populations` ideas and improve democracy.
I believe that the challenge is really engaging the population, especially the older generations. I believe one potential solution can be simplifying the process as much as possible to make it easier for people less apt with technology to participate. In addition, I would recommend advertising vTaiwan to a broader audience.
Regarding your open question, for sure machine learning can help making the data collection and decision making quicker and more efficient. The question is whether the population will accept a political decision made by a machine. If we want to really think out-of-the-box, we could say that, in the future, politicians may not exist anymore if efficient machines can read the populations` claims and needs and develop policies based on data. It can be a future way of ruling countries, but also very controversial for sure.

On November 12, 2018, Rebeca Dauscha commented on Bricks & Code: Open Innovation at LEGO Group :

Great article! Very interesting to see that digitalization is really threatening all industries, even the toys/ games!
I agree that it will be challenge to engage the new generation for off-line activities. My suggestion would be focusing on parents! LEGO is still a very strong brand among adults and I believe that most parents see the value of LEGO in their children development. I would focus my communication and promotional activities to capture parents and I would also involve them in the open innovation processes. I would like to hear their needs and concerns related to their kids recreational activities.
In addition, I would do a PR effort to communicate in the media the benefits of children playing real games instead of staying connected all the time.

On November 11, 2018, Rebeca Dauscha commented on Salesforce’s Secret Sauce To Stay Ahead of the CRM Market: AI :

Very interesting article! I really see the potential of AI in CRM platforms, specially because sales are becoming increasingly virtual and the array of available data from customers is becoming larger every single minute. I also agree that understanding natural language is a key element for a AI-powered CRM platform.

Regarding your open question, I actually believe that Sales Force is already in advantageous position in offering AI-powered CRM simply because they started first. Accuracy in AI systems is all about how trained your machine is. Therefore, I believe they are apt to offer better services by leveraging their experience with AI. My biggest concern would be related to Microsoft. They are the owners of LinkedIn, Hotmail and Skype. I assume those companies are owners of very valuable data sources which can be used by Microsoft to improve their predictive capabilities in CRM.

On November 11, 2018, Rebeca Dauscha commented on Using Machine Learning to Make Better Decisions in the Wind Power Industry :

Very interesting article! I have worked with this sector in Brazil and I would like to add two potential challenges I foresee for such technology in my country:
1) Incentives to invest innovation: In Brazil, the free electricity market is very small. Most of the electricity is sold in the regulated market and, therefore, are priced under strict rules. Many generators and distributors do not invest in innovation because they are not rewarded by the regulator agencies for that. Actually, there is a risk that an investment in innovation is considered discretionary and the company might be penalized if it plans to transfer the cost of this investment to electricity tariffs. I see more potential of AI investments in private generators, such as Brennand, because they have more resources and incentives to make the change.
2) Information sharing: As you mentioned, the AI system requires a huge volume of data to deliver accurate predictions. As far as I know, wind generation companies protect their predictive models because they are their source of competitive advantage. They do not want other companies to install wind farms close to their areas. Therefore, I believe that data gathering might a challenge and must be treated using an impartial agency/ regulator who can make the best use of the data.

On November 11, 2018, Rebeca Dauscha commented on BMW & Additive Manufacturing: Using New Technologies to Drive Down Production Costs & Timelines :

Great article! It was very interesting to see how additive manufacturing can improve not only customer related activities, but also employee satisfaction. I have never thought about this link. Probably many other industries can adopt AM as a tool of improving their working environment.

Regarding the open questions, I actually believe that AM will be a key tool for BMW to differentiate itself among competitors in an increasingly tough industry. The millennial generation is buying fewer cars than older generations[1] and it will force automotive companies to innovate more to prove their relevance. As you have already stated, AM helps BMW to prototype more cars with lower costs.

I do not think customers can notice if production costs and part availability change. In the case of BMW, I believe that their customers are much less price-sensitive than customers of other popular brands such as GM or Ford. Therefore, I believe BMW does not need to pass their cost reductions to price reduction. Instead, they can use the efficiency gains to invest in quality, innovation and customer service. Those investments can help BMW stand out even more compared to competitors.

[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/10/16/why-millennials-are-buying-fewer-cars-than-older-generations/#33c38cae7726

On November 11, 2018, Rebeca Dauscha commented on GE: Paving the Way in Medical Technology Using 3D Printing :

The article is very interesting! It is very inspiring to see how technology can make people`s lives better. I completely agree that big companies should be the leaders in those types of innovation because they prove that investments can be transformed into returns later. They can use their expertise and scale to transform innovations in daily business.

I also agree with the open-questions. The challenge is how to extend the benefits of the 3D printing for those in need. I believe that one solution is partnering with creative start-ups that are finding ways to reduce the cost of the technology. There is start-up called e-NABLE which is using 3D printers to create free 3D printed hands and arms for those in need of an upper limb assistive device. (More info on their website: http://enablingthefuture.org/about/ )

GE could potentially partner with NGOs and start-ups to absorb their knowledge and in turn provide infra-structure and scale.