Tech Talk with Toni

  How does AI generate value? Today’s post springs from an episode of Bloomberg Technology that put a spotlight on Bank of America’s AI-powered virtual assistant, Erica. Billions are being poured into artificial intelligence. But here’s the hard truth: an MIT study found that 95% of corporate AI projects fail to deliver measurable financial returns.  Only 5% make it past the pilot stage with a real boost to the bottom line.  So when Bank of America’s Erica racked up billions of interactions and over $1 billion in value , it’s worth paying attention. What did they do differently—and what can Caribbean banks learn from it? Erica by the Numbers Since 2018, Erica has: Surpassed 3 billion client interactions with tens of millions of customers. Pushed millions of proactive money alerts —from subscription hikes to unusual spending. Cut employee IT help-desk calls in half , with >90% staff adoption. Why Erica Works When Others Fail Real pain points first: Customers ...

  The prefix “giga” comes from Greek and means billion (that's nine zeros) This week, I caught an insightful chat between Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and Cleo Abram.  The topic? GPT-5—the smarter, sleeker sibling of GPT-4o. Redditors are already complaining that GPT-5 feels “dry” (some were apparently attached to GPT-4o—lol), but in the AI world models change is the only constant, and these models are evolving fast! The Three Pillars Holding AI Back Altman says AI isn’t just about clever code—it’s about Data, Algorithmic Design, and Compute. Here’s the breakdown: 1. Data: Knowing Everything (But Not Really) GPT-5 has practically ingested all the content you can find online. It’s a walking encyclopedia with a dash of personality. But don’t be fooled—AI still struggles with the “1000-hour problems” while breezing through the 1-minute stuff. Creativity? That’s still our turf! AI can summarize, predict, and analyze, but it hasn’t yet learned how to imagine something that never e...

 The Word “Stethoscope” Literally Means “Chest Watcher”   My dad always told me, "Toni, in life you need to have a doctor, a lawyer, and an accountant."  Today, I want to answer the question: How do people choose who takes care of them in Trinidad? Your health is something you shouldn’t take for granted — simply being able to walk is a blessing. (Gentle reminder to get your steps in!) We all find ourselves at a hospital at some point — whether it’s to welcome a new family member, say goodbye to one, or find out what’s causing that weird pain in your chest. In the past, choosing a doctor was simple: your mom would say, “We going by Dr. So-and-So,” and that was that. But now? We check Google. We scroll Reddit. We DM a friend on Instagram. Because when it comes to care, people want to know what others have lived through. What Are Patients Really Saying? To find out what patients really think, I analyzed over 120 reviews from hospitals across Trinidad. Here’s what...