This year has seen a surge in the development of generative AI and its potential to transform creative industries. But less obvious but highly important technology is also making waves: the vectordatabase. Vector databases are experts in handling unstructured data and can revolutionize our ability to interact with computers to optimize workflows and productivity.
Unstructured data is data that is not formatted or tagged. It is also generally difficult to recognize and can take a while to process. This means unstructured data can cause errors when searching, filtering, or using data. Up to 80% of total data stored globally is unstructured, leading to huge expenditure on databases and their management. This could be in the forms of hiring librarians to manually organize books, sorting spreadsheets manually, or spending time on cleaning search engine results.
Vector databases take a new approach to processing unstructured data. Instead of relying on perfect categorization, they use machine learning to form an embedment for each entry. This is a numerical representation of different characteristics or metrics of the entry and can then be plugged into a graph with multiple dimensions. This method not only allows for the rapid plotting of a query but also generates results based on the degree of similarity. In other words, vector databases are able to capture the meaning of a query instead of simply recognizing it from specific keywords. Such an approach can be hugely productive for a plethora of tasks that require data storage.
Generative AI too, can benefit from vector databases as they are able to capture data accurately and thus reduce training time. This is particularly important for generative AI as it is often used to access information and process tasks that require quick and agile responses. Vector databases provide organizations with the ability to quickly access information just with a search and effectively bypass the traditional structure of manual preparation and classification of the data.
In a similar manner, the capabilities of vector databases can also massively improve the success of AI investments. Companies, such as the one hosting the event on July 11-12 in San Francisco, are taking note. Top executives from leading tech companies are meeting up to learn how to maximize their AI investments.
Vector databases have the potential to be a gamechanger for the way we interact with computers for different tasks. It is important for organizations to understand how vector databases can revolutionize their relationship with AI and truly propel their organization forward.
