Aaron Riley is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Certified Testing and Data. He is a health- and technology-focused entrepreneur with the goal of making a positive impact on peoples’ health. He has previously taken active ownership over CannaSafe, and has become an outspoken advocate for consumer safety and social equity issues. He has appeared on NBC Nightly News twice in 2019, breaking news on the national vape crisis and accumulating over 3 billion media impressions and is active in cannabis and hemp regulation and cannabis related criminal expungement programs. He is also a recipient of Americans for Safe Access (ASA) 2019 Business Advocate of the Year award. He was part of the 2023 cohort of the “AI and ML: Leading Business Growth” program by MIT Professional Education and has shared his experience of the program.
Why did you choose to do this program?
The AI/ML revolution is far from new, but it has picked up the pace. It’s like going from horse and carriage to a space shuttle being launched with rocket boosters. This will be the most game-changing technology we’ve ever witnessed.
My main goal was to get a deeper grasp of the system requirements for AI/ ML development, its real-world applications, and to better understand how to lead AI/ML talent. And I learned a lot with this program!
Was there anything that stood out to you during the program?
Certainly! While the entire program was really great, there are a few key things I took away.
- Problem definition: Ensure that you’re using AI/ML for the right problems – you wouldn’t bring out a chainsaw just to slice an apple.
- Data: Predictions are only as good as the data you feed the system. The quality and quantity of data are both important.
- Modern computing: The backbone of any successful AI/ML solution.
- Learn: Commit to learning, this field is evolving almost daily. What was true and worked yesterday could be replaced tomorrow. Continuing to learn and adapt is critical to success.
For anyone thinking of venturing into or learning about AI/ML, I think these points are important to remember.