Cutting edge applied ML can do things that previously could only be done by humans. You're generating potentially unprecedented insights into your data because

Cutting edge applied ML can do things that previously could only be done by humans. You're generating potentially unprecedented insights into your data because neural networks pick up on what I call "nonlinear" correlations - stuff that is missed with typical first order statistics like averages and skews and such. So basically ML when done right is enormously valuable because it horizontally extends the reach of computation into previously humanlike domains. But the caveat is that it's hard to do ML right. You need very much to be a generalist, an autodidact (to quickly learn the nature of the domain you're operating in) and I think a background in math and/or physics, or at least some other quantitative field is indispensable. You can do a hell of a lot more with neural networks than sort cat pictures or target ads.