By Victor Casas Hernandez, Director of Engineering, Data and Artificial Intelligence at MAS Global Consulting
There’s a lot of noise about Artificial Intelligence being an existential threat to humanity, but I take a more optimistic view. AI, used responsibly, can be a force for good – and, in fact, it can help us achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to bring about a more prosperous and equitable planet.
It goes without saying that AI can be used in the workplace to enhance productivity and workflows by automating mundane tasks, freeing up human minds to innovate, create and dream. We at MAS Global Consulting thrive on doing just that – combining technology with the human touch to create custom software solutions for businesses’ technical challenges, from mid-sized enterprises to Fortune 100 companies.
Our Nearshore Latin American teams, with their unparalleled technology expertise, make up a vital part of our elite talent pool. Their time zones are aligned to those of the United States, so we are ideally positioned to help innovative North American companies ride the AI wave with confidence.
We need to remember that AI is not human – it’s nothing more than a tool that can be used for a particular purpose. And in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, an AI-augmented workforce is rapidly becoming a reality. In other words, you can increase or multiply your workforce – and its capacity, efficiency and outputs – through the use of AI.
Transforming the modern workplace
For example, in the manufacturing sector, AI can be deployed to alert a foreman as to when a component needs to be replaced and when a machine needs maintenance – you don’t need to wait until things break, with the resulting downtime and outages. Predictive maintenance ensures that production flows smoothly, with no interruptions, and costs are reduced significantly.
And in the financial sector, where fraud is a major concern, AI algorithms can detect suspicious activity and anomalies in payment patterns and behavior, benefiting financial institutions, businesses and consumers alike.
I must confess that the inner child in me is a builder – and at MAS, we are really excited about some of the products we are building in our innovation lab. For example, we are deploying a generative AI product that allows people in enterprise-level organizations to “chat” with their documents in a secure and accurate way.
Another exciting area where we are seeing progression is that of AI agents, which Amazon Web Services defines as software programs that can interact with their environment, collect data and use that data to perform tasks that meet predetermined goals (set by a human). These agents are designed to choose the best actions needed to achieve those goals.
We are currently creating AI agents that are aware of the context of tasks – and can negotiate your bills, buy airline tickets at the best prices and undertake other actions. I’m really excited about investing in agent technology and skills – in preparation for what I believe is the agent revolution to come. All of this is underpinned, though, by the human element.
I love thinking strategically, building things and innovating, but I’m super-passionate about integrating the people component into technology – humanizing data and AI.
Increasing access to credit via AI
This brings me back to my original point: the ways in which AI is benefiting humanity, and its enormous potential to do good in the right hands. This is why I’m really proud of another AI product we are developing in the field of alternative financing, which I believe could also prove revolutionary.
Traditionally, when you apply for a loan or for financing, institutions will look at metrics such as your income, level of financial risk, expenses and so on. But what about areas where traditional banking is not accessible? What about rural farmers who need access to credit to build their businesses and contribute to the local economy?
That’s where we come in, developing an AI algorithm that scores loan applicants based on elements such as the types of crops they grow, satellite imagery, family composition and other social data – literally anything but financial data.
I’m really excited about this innovation, because hailing from Colombia myself, I know how huge the social impact such an alternative credit scoring product could be on under-serviced communities such as coffee farmers.
I believe this AI algorithm will be a game-changer in helping farmers who are usually not serviced by traditional capital institutions to grow their businesses. By compiling credit scores for rural consumers using non-financial data, the product will help developing countries, in particular, foster financial inclusion and democratize access to financing.
This is just one AI-powered innovation that ties in with SDGs such as ending poverty; ending hunger and ensuring food security; reducing inequalities; and ensuring decent work and economic growth. The potential for generating more such ideas is immense – and it’s an area ripe for exploration and growth.
Working towards a more sustainable AI ecosystem
Talking about the SDGs, many people may not be aware that AI consumes an insane amount of energy and water, often from non-renewable sources. So, if AI is to take pride of place as a tool for social and economic development, we urgently need to address its level of resource consumption.
I’ve worked extensively on sustainable and green AI in the past, and I’ve come to realize that the industry needs to change how we deploy the AI products we deliver. One way of achieving these energy efficiencies is through quantization or model compression – achieving the same AI results with a smaller “brain”, while not sacrificing accuracy.
All of this provides food for thought when assessing the pros and cons of AI. There will always be greedy people with bad intentions – those who do not have the benefit of humankind in mind when using AI, particularly GenAI.
Others come in with quick-fix “AI in a box” solutions and do not offer the end-to-end model development cycle, like MAS does. We interrogate your business objectives and tailor our advice, service and products accordingly – in a responsible way that we know we will be able to deploy. We don’t just do AI for AI’s sake. We want to give you a product that will be used in your enterprise and that will deliver a real return on investment.
In all of this, I am a glass half-full person. I see AI as merely a tool – but one that can be used to improve and enhance the way humans live and work. It can be used as a conduit for social transformation and creativity. It can reduce barriers to entry. It can foster financial inclusion. It can allow dreamers to turn their dreams into reality.
Most significantly, I am already seeing first-hand how technology is revolutionizing and transforming our Latin American workforce and our economies back home – with even more potential for growth.
I’ve experienced first-hand how Latino people are treated differently in the workplace and in society. If I can add my small grain of sand to bring about more equity in capital allocation and other areas, it will bring me great joy to contribute to levelling the playing field. I may be a dreamer, but I believe that the sky’s the limit in using AI as a catalyst for good.
Based in Tampa, Florida, with a hub in Medellin, Colombia, MAS Global accelerates tech projects for midsize to Fortune 500 clients in Finance, Healthcare, Manufacturing, and Technology. Our strategic hubs ensure aligned time zones and access to elite Latin American tech talent, delivering cost efficiencies and superior quality. With a flexible collaboration model that adapts to client needs, MAS empowers clients with AI, cloud, and data technologies, supported by proprietary accelerators. Certified as women and minority-owned, we aim to impact 1 million women and Latinos through technology. Founded by Monica Hernandez, a Colombia native and top 100 Hispanic in Tech, MAS is trusted by industry leaders like Dell, JPMorgan Chase, and Johnson Controls. Featured in Forbes, Bloomberg, and Inc. Magazine, MAS Global is More Innovation, Inclusion, and Impact.