Warren Hearnes, PhD’s Post

Thanks, Ryan Dickerson, for having me as a guest on your #Good #Fit #Careers podcast! We covered a wide range of topics, from my career journey to the exciting future of AI and data science. Some key takeaways: 🔍 #Career #Journey: Reflecting on my transition from the U.S. Army to getting a PhD and eventually working in the corporate world, I've always believed in the power of continuous learning and adaptability. "Leadership in data science requires balancing technical expertise with strategic vision." 💡 #AI #Evolution: We explored some of the history and rapid advancements in AI. Many concepts we're leveraging today, like reinforcement learning, were envisioned decades ago. It's the surge in data and computing power that's bringing these ideas to life. 📈 #Innovative #Solutions: At Best Buy, our team harnessed AI to tackle real-world challenges. For instance, we developed a natural language processing model to improve problem code accuracy in appliance repairs, boosting customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. 🤖 #Future of #AI: The potential of AI is immense. We discussed how AI will continue to revolutionize business operations, from strategic planning to everyday decision-making. AI will become as trusted and integral to our lives as apps like Google Maps, providing invaluable insights and efficiencies. 🎯 #Leadership #Insights: Embracing and learning from failure is essential for innovation. Failure isn't just an option; it's a prerequisite for success. Providing a safe environment for your team to experiment is key to driving progress. I invite you to listen to the podcast to dive deeper into these discussions and understand the transformative power of AI and data science. #leadership #AI #machinelearning #datascience #innovation #podcast https://lnkd.in/epkAPaTc

Nothing business in this post - just personal. Got to play golf with my son, Michael Hearnes, today before he starts his summer internship with Deloitte. So, naturally, I made a hole-in-one because that's what dads do to impress their kids, right? I love that I'm getting a chance to spend some quality time with family and friends. Don't get me wrong - work is important and fulfilling, but it's not what truly matters. It took me too long to figure that out.

Some #free #advice based on my 30+ years of experience in #datascience. Back in 1974, a Harvard Business Review article titled "Management time: Who's got the monkey?" by William Oncken, Jr. and Donald L. Wass, broke down #initiative into five levels: 1. #Wait to be told what to do (least freedom/initiative) 2. #Ask what to do 3. #Suggest or #recommend ideas and then act on them 4. #Take #action and #immediately #report it 5. #Take #action on your own and #share #updates #regularly (most freedom/initiative) In data science, where #innovation and #quick #thinking are key, #being #stuck at the #lower #levels - waiting for instructions or always asking what to do next—can #feel #restricting. True #job #satisfaction comes when you have the #space to #explore data, propose solutions, and #implement your ideas without someone hovering over every step. Look for #roles where you are #encouraged to #operate at #level #five. These positions trust you to dive into data, draw your own conclusions, and use your findings to drive projects forward. This isn’t just about being independent; it's about #being #valued and #having the #trust of your team and managers. #Beware of #managers who might want to #keep a #tight #rein, limiting you to the first two levels. Their push for control can stifle creativity, reduce overall innovation in the company, and #hinder your #growth. If you are constantly waiting for directions or approval, it’s a sign that you might not be in the right place to fully utilize your skills and drive innovation. #Ask #yourself: Are you getting enough room to move freely in your current role? If not, maybe it’s time to look for a position that respects your expertise and pushes you to grow. While the job market right now isn't easy to navigate, you won't find other potential opportunities if you don't look. #datadcience #optimization #machinelearning #artificialintelligence

"If the M-16 rifles had not started jamming, the filthy, exhausted men of 2nd Lt. Jack Price’s platoon might never have gathered in the squad tent to ask him to do the impossible. But Vietnam in late 1965 was like that: Tiny circumstances set off unpredictable chains of events that led sometimes to belly laughs in the chow line, sometimes to brutal death in the jungle. You never knew where the chain might end. The point man of a patrol might trigger a mine, but often it was the second, third or even fourth man on the path who was blown to bits." This post is for my #veteran friends, or those who admire #leadership, or anyone who loves a #great #story! For over 28 years, I've been volunteering my time and skills to West-Point.ORG, a non-profit organization. Through this work, I've had the privilege of meeting many wonderful #West #Point #grads over the years. One of the most #special is Jack Price '64, who passed away just over six years ago. Jack lived life to the fullest and is the subject of an incredible long-form story in the Richmond Times-Dispatch from 2002. If you're looking for inspiration and want to see how a 2LT went the #extra #mile to #make a #difference for his #platoon in 1965 #Vietnam, this is a must-read. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/eK4YJ4rs #army #westpoint #usma1964 #dutyhonorcountry

I hit my 25-year mark as a member of IEEE! Back in the 1990s, IEEE was my first professional home for publishing in areas of #fuzzylogic, #intelligent #control, #maintenance & #replacement #models, and #reinforcementlearning. Professor Augustine Esogbue and I won the Best Transactions Paper Award for our journal article "On Replacement Models via a Fuzzy Set Theoretic Framework" from the IEEE Systems, Man, & Cybernetics Society back in 1999.

Reading this Zacks article today on the #Generative #AI #strategy at Best Buy, I'm excited for what's to come for them - and their customers - later this year: https://lnkd.in/eVS8ZAxn Last year was a #pivotal time to be in retail as the Chief Data Scientist at Best Buy. The breakthroughs in large language models (LLMs) in late 2022 led to several proofs-of-concept in 2023 by the R&D team, such as #virtual #assistants, #chatbots, #summarization of and #intent #detection in customer calls, and #analysis of customer feedback. These POCs provided a solid foundation for #demonstrating the #value of #AI in enhancing customer interactions and operational efficiency. Zacks reports that "Best Buy's partnership with Google Cloud and Accenture is a highlight of its strategy" and builds on these foundational R&D efforts, "emphasizing the integration of generative AI technologies into its customer service framework. The anticipated launch of an AI-powered virtual assistant in late summer 2024 exemplifies Best Buy’s commitment to adopting cutting-edge technology. This virtual assistant aims to offer self-service options for troubleshooting, delivery management, and subscription handling, accessible via BestBuy.com, the mobile app, or the customer service line." It's #rewarding when you see the #impact that your #team's #dedicated #work has had on the business. Those initial POCs paved the way for the scalable solutions, #showcasing the #potential of #AI to transform customer service. I am proud of the groundwork laid during my tenure as Chief Data Scientist and look forward to seeing Best Buy continue to #lead #in #innovation with the support of Google Cloud and Accenture. At OptiML AI, we can do the same for your company.

I will be the guest at Posit PBC's Data Science Hangout this #Thursday at #12ET for an informal chat about what I've learned in my 30+ year #datascience #ml #ai #optimization career. I started out in the 1990s doing my PhD research in #reinforcementlearning, then transitioned to an #industry career solving problems in factory scheduling, pricing optimization, forecasting, fraud detection, marketing analytics, supply chain, labor optimization, and many other applications. Over my career I've been an #individual #contributor, #manager, and #executive. Like they say, "Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement." - so I'm happy to let anyone learn quickly from my mistakes! The Data Science Hangout is a gathering place for the whole data science community - including current and future data science leaders - to chat about data science leadership and questions you're all facing that happens every #Thursday at #12ET. There's no hard agenda or predetermined talk tracks. Every week they're joined by a different data leader from the community to share their perspectives on what’s really going on in data science at an organizational level. All are welcome - no matter your industry/experience. * No need to register, add it to your calendar here: pos.it/dsh * It’s always okay to join for part of a session - seriously, don't feel bad if you have to leave early for a meeting or come late! * You can listen-in, join-in the conversation, or ask questions anonymously * You can also check out recordings of past sessions on the Posit YouTube and Data Science Hangout site: https://lnkd.in/esuG37DR If you have any questions about the hangout, ask Rachael Dempsey!

Many of you know that I owe a tremendous amount of the success in my career to my PhD advisor, mentor, and friend, Professor Augustine Esogbue. Studying under Richard Bellman, the father of #dynamic #programming, at USC in the 1960s was pivotal and helped launch his distinguished career. Likewise, studying under Dr. Esogbue doing #reinforcement #learning research in the 1990s got me started in AI/ML, and I'm forever thankful. Dr. Esogbue recently received the Distinguished Alumni Award from USC Viterbi School of Engineering and I had the privilege to be there for the ceremony. It was a well-deserved honor that caps a trailblazing (first Black PhD in industrial & systems engineering in the world, first Black tenured professor at Georgia Tech, first African appointed to NASA's Safety Advisory Board, etc.) 50+ year career that has touched many lives, just like mine. If you have 3 minutes, check out this video that USC made for his introduction: https://lnkd.in/ehksB7pf Here is another article from. Georgia Tech H. Milton Stewart School of ISyE on his accomplishments: https://lnkd.in/d79HWU9 Well done, Dr E! #GeorgiaTech #ISyE #dynamicprogramming #reinforcementlearning #INFORMS #IEEE #machinelearning #fuzzylogic

Best Buy is leveraging the power of #generativeAI to improve the #customer #experience! This has been a long road through the entire analytics product lifecycle from #ideation to #poc by Jimmy Hendricks, William Armstrong, and the rest of the Data Science R&D team to #deployment by Google and Accenture. Though I am no longer with Best Buy, I am very excited to see how they can build on these successful proofs-of-concept for #virtual #assistants, #chatbots, and #call #center #help and scale them up to serve all customers! We're cheering you and the rest of the team on, Brian Tilzer! Thrilled to see the R&D being #successfully #applied so quickly too.

In the face of difficult decisions, we find ourselves at a crossroads of complex realities. This was the case when Best Buy recently made the tough decision to lay off employees from various corporate functions, including a #significant #part of the #Data #Science team. These layoffs, driven by strategic realignment and budgetary constraints, have deprioritized certain projects in AI/ML R&D, despite the #incredible #talent and dedication of those affected. The impacted team members, now #seeking #new #opportunities, have consistently demonstrated their expertise in big-box retail and their ability to deliver #impactful AI/ML/Optimization #solutions. They’ve driven key cost improvements and spearheaded top-priority initiatives through their innovative work on modeling total/realistic #consumer #demand, improving #customer #retention, optimizing labor #staffing, improving #sourcing of orders, creating #audiences for marketing, and improving repair services by #predicting the parts needed, creating #genAI virtual sales assistants/chatbots, and generating intents/topics/summarization for #call #center operations. If your organization values forward-thinking #data #scientists who can translate complex data into #actionable #insights and #cost-#saving #measures, I urge you to consider these exceptional individuals. Their contributions have not only shaped the #enterprise #strategies but have also laid the groundwork for #future #innovations. Please #reach #out if you’re interested in connecting with them. Your consideration can make a significant difference during this transitional period. #layoffs #datascience #AI #ML #artificialintelligence #machinelearning #optimization #genAI