Big Data Meets AI: Harnessing Data Lakes for Smarter Decision Making

This book explores the transformative intersection of Big Data and AI, offering practical insights into building, managing, and leveraging data lakes to drive smarter decision-making. It begins by establishing foundational concepts of Big Data, AI, and data lakes, explaining how they empower organizations to manage diverse data sources and unlock actionable insights. Key technologies such as Hadoop, Spark, cloud platforms, and AI frameworks are examined, highlighting their roles in enabling real-time analytics and scalable data processing. The book delves into the architecture and governance of data lakes, emphasizing strategies for data ingestion, quality assurance, and democratized access to foster organizational efficiency. Real-world applications of AI-powered data lakes are explored across industries like healthcare, retail, and finance, showcasing innovations in predictive maintenance, personalized marketing, and fraud detection. The ethical implications of AI are addressed, with actionable advice on mitigating biases and ensuring transparency and accountability. Emerging trends like edge computing, IoT, generative AI, and large language models are discussed, alongside strategies for scaling AI solutions, aligning them with business goals, and fostering cross-functional collaboration. The book concludes with a forward-looking perspective on the future of decision-making, urging organizations to embrace data-driven strategies, invest in ethical AI practices, and leverage evolving technologies to maintain a competitive edge. Comprehensive yet accessible, this book serves as an essential guide for business leaders, data professionals, and AI practitioners seeking to harness the power of Big Data and AI to transform their decision-making processes.