Cognitive innovation : top performers share their best practices

Purpose: The authors address how a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and cognitive computing --- adaptive data management systems that monitor, analyze, make decisions and learn -- will transform businesses, work and customer offerings. Design/methodology/approach: A survey of 6,050 C-suite executives worldwide identified a small group of cognitive innovators and revealed what they are doing differently. Findings: Cognitive innovators identify customer satisfaction, retention, acquisition and revenue growth as the primary rationale for embracing cognitive technologies. Practical implications: Cognitive computing systems are already helping make sense of the deluge of data spawned by ordinary commerce because they are able to adapt and learn. Originality/value: The authors offer a four-step approach to cognitive computing innovation based on their research findings.