Coronavirus, data analytics the focus of UMaine online discussion April 25

The implications of the coronavirus pandemic on artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics will be the focus of an online discussion by Saturday, April 25 at 11 a.m.

The Zoom meeting link: https://maine.zoom.us/j/98301058439. No password is needed.

In the presentation, “Business In and After the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic and Enhanced Roles of AI & Data Analytics,” Yonggang “Tim” Lu, Harold Alfond Associate Professor of Business Analytics at the University of Maine, will discuss the profound current and future impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses, especially local and small- to medium-sized businesses. Several critical questions will be addressed, including what are good ways to recover a business from the pandemic, and what are the necessary new skills and knowledge needed to successfully develop a career in the post-coronavirus environment?  

“The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected every aspect of our society,” says Lu. “When we are fighting together to defeat this invisible enemy, everyone also needs to proactively prepare for the new normal in the business environment after the crisis.”

The growing importance of AI technology and data analytics in the business world will also be discussed.

“The rapid, global spread of COVID-19 has brought advanced big data analytics tools front and center, with entities from all sectors of health care, policy, and business seeking to monitor and reduce the impact of this virus,” says J. Michael Weber, dean of the University of Maine Graduate School of Business. 

The University of Maine Graduate and Professional Center and the Graduate School of Business are working with the business community to provide resources and expertise in AI and data analytics that are relevant today and tomorrow,” Weber says. “Data analytics will provide the businesses of Maine with the data, tools, and decision metrics to develop scale-up strategies that will be critical for jump-starting their new business models and our economy.”