Informationweek Commentary AI One Year Later: How the Pandemic Impacted the Future of Technology With changing behaviors of consumers and the operational needs of companies, artificial intelligence has become a business enabler. Even the most sophisticated and finely tuned AI models couldn’t predict the long-lasting magnitude of COVID-19. Its disruption on our personal and professional lives is hard to quantify. Last March, it was almost impossible to foresee how this past year would unfold -- including the tragic moments and devastation for so many around the world. Image: krass99 - stock.adobe.com However, one year later, there have been plenty of lessons learned from this crisis -- and from a technology perspective, some of the most significant lessons center around the continuing evolution and importance of data, analytics, and artificial intelligence. The pandemic acted as a catalyst to drive a staggering rate of digital transformation, which enabled business continuity and resiliency. It also turned consumer behavior upside down -- leading to a far greater need and dependence on accurate predictive, prescriptive, and cognitive technologies. With many companies already struggling, and consumers scaling back their spending or buying through different channels, gaining and keeping loyal customers has been critical.