CEO of StarApple AI Adrian Dunkley recounts that he started immersing himself in science fiction books and movies at an early age, which exposed and inspired him to explore the capabilities of technology.

Later, Dunkley’s years of experience working in corporate, start-ups, and academia revealed the glaring market gap that existed locally and internationally; companies and individuals not utilising the wealth of value their data can generate, a lack of understanding of data analytics, and limited practical experience and ability to effectively utilise data analytics and artificial intelligence(AI). Not just a market gap but a trillion-dollar opportunity to ultimately make the region a better place– the inspiration for starting his company.

StarApple uses data analytics, artificial intelligence and data science to ensure that companies and individuals make the best decisions. Although his company uses these sophisticated methods, they ensure their work is grounded in proven methodologies and domain expertise. “Every problem we currently face cannot be solved with AI,” said Dunkley.

Additionally, StarApple develops custom-made solutions for each client to ensure maximum business value creation. They first identify the problem and the key stakeholders and then create an appropriate solution using data analytics techniques and scientific methods to ensure return on investment (ROI). The following process is performance monitoring to validate the quality of the decision made and adaption to ensure future value. Dunkley recommends the value of AI since it allows humans to be creative, efficient and reduces the turnaround times from concept to value generation. AI will create new, better quality jobs for Jamaica and support the emergence of new industries while helping to improve the efficiency and longevity of traditional ones.

The StarApple CEO also emphasised using AI in areas like the visual arts, music and film-making to monetise and commercialise intellectual property can allow for the exposure of Jamaican culture to other regions responsibly and efficiently. He suggests that these techniques can also be applied to every industry, including consumer and finance industries, and most effectively has been used across digital marketing and social media, for good and bad.

He also points to some relatively newer AI methods that are affecting the way we interact with the world; Reinforcement Learning – so robots can figure out how to walk for themselves, Deep Learning models – loosely imitating our brains, allowing facial and voice recognition and Generative adversarial networks (GANs) – popularised for powering deepfakes, but is being used to forecast weather.

StarApple also focuses on social good initiatives by working with start-ups and nonprofits to leverage their internal and publicly available data. The company is also currently developing a GDPR compliant social platform called “Morrows” that provides a cost-effective way of addressing social issues such as domestic and gang violence, traffic, environmental disasters, and pollution in Jamaica. The platform uses an anonymous “wisdom of the crowd” approach to create public awareness and eventually alert the relevant authorities to future threats and issues. The platform also alerts the user to aid in bypassing potentially dangerous situations and threats.

While being a local tool for good, Dunkley’s team is developing a gamification engine to incentivise users to take action to better their communities and Jamaica as a whole. “It’s about making social good easy to do and rewarding at the same time,” Dunkley commented.

StarApple Analytics also has a training subsidiary called “AppleSeed Trainlytics” that teaches people how to practically use data analytics and AI. They use gamification techniques to increase engagement among those trained and use data analytics and AI-generated insights to improve how they teach both areas.

Dunkley, an avid reader, believes that success depends on taking more risks and getting engaged in areas of one’s interest while helping people, seeking wisdom from more experienced individuals.