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Adopting AI in an Enterprise

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Recently, conversations involving Artificial Intelligence have increased; nearly everyone (both Technical and non-technical Professionals) wants to know the latest developments and how they can key into them. Some take it further by studying courses and reading different materials to understand the trajectory of AI and how it can benefit them. According to CompTIA’s IT Industry Outlook 2024, 22% of firms are on the path of integrating AI across different business workflows while 45% are already exploring AI in their businesses. These figures will continue to increase as the functionalities in businesses of AI also increase.

Popular Misconceptions about AI

Although AI is not a new kid in the block, it is commonly recognised for content or image generation. AI can do more especially when given the right and adequate data. This means it can for instance; draw up financial analysis when integrated with the right database, generate responses (e.g. chatbots) when trained with enough case scenarios, etc.). An AI tool like ChatGPT can help analyse a product idea by stating the feasibility of the product. This result can in turn be implemented by the product manager to decide what features would make up the next update of their product. Another misconception of AI is that it is only used by freelancers or small teams with little data. This also is not true as we will find out later in this article how businesses can implement different AI tools to optimize their processes.

How to Select the Right AI Tool for Your Enterprise

My friend who runs a boutique store down the street asked how she could use AI to enhance her sales record process. I directed her to ask ChatGPT and then advised her to take it further by checking search engines for popular AI tools used for recording sales.

Firstly, AI refers to a wide range of tools employing different machine learning (ML) algorithms in performing tasks. AI types range from Generative AI to Language Learning Models and so on. The type of AI tool you decide to use for your company depends on the particular operation you are trying to ease. Although some AI tools like ChatGPT can perform a variety of tasks, it is important to understand how these models work and how they can help the specific needs of your enterprise.

Other factors to consider when choosing an AI tool include:

Security and Compliance

The more technology advances, the more the dark web also progresses; no wonder the demand for cybersecurity experts is on the high. A lot of these AI tools are often free and could pose security threats since your data is being used to tailor responses suitable to your request. When choosing any AI tool, take your time to read the privacy policy and the cookies preferences too. Also, evaluate the security features of the tool including its ability to encrypt data, access controls, and compliance with regulations. The tool should also comply with regulations data such as HIPAA, GDPR and others peculiar to the industry the business is operating in.

Scalability and Flexibility

One thing every enterprise aims at is growth, I mean who doesn’t want to be listed on NASDAQ or Wall Street? While aiming for growth, it is important to use tools that would accommodate the increase in the database and other resources. Therefore, in choosing an AI Tool, be sure to go for a premium(paid) plan. Oftentimes, premium plans allow you to finetune the tool for your company’s growth. Also, read the tool’s documentation to confirm its ability to integrate seamlessly with existing applications used in your industry.

User Experience

Users like me often want to get conversant with a tool as quickly as possible; after all, it is AI and should ease the stress of doing things right? The term AI already seems bogus to a lot of people; having an AI tool in a complicated interface would only confirm the confusion. Do not compromise the user interface and experience for anything when choosing an AI tool to deploy in your enterprise. Consider the availability of training resources and support from vendors.

Cost-Effectiveness

If you are going the premium plan route for your enterprise, you should ensure that the money paid is worth it based on the tool’s features and capabilities. I mean, the ROI should be worth the dollar bills at the end of the quarter or year, depending on your audit cycle. Consider the total cost of ownership, including licensing, implementation, and maintenance costs.

Where Can I Implement AI in my Enterprise?

It is one thing to select a tool, it is a different ball game entirely to know where and how this tool can be used. Remember that your aim of picking up an AI tool in the first place is to ease the mode of operations in different areas of your enterprise. That being said, let’s take a look at some proven ways you can implement AI in your enterprise to enhance efficiency. You can implement AI in areas such as:

  • Customer Service: Chatbots

There’s a chatbot on almost every company’s website. I mean, a website without a chatbot is often regarded as “out of fashion”. You don’t want your business bearing such a tag. A chatbot is a very common AI tool implemented to provide 24/7 customer support. These chatbots can answer questions, troubleshoot issues, and even personalize interactions. The advent of chatbots reduced the long queues of complaints waiting to be manually replied to by customer service agents. It has also increased the trustworthiness of companies as customers can easily get replies to their enquiries without waiting forever.

  • AI-powered Recruitment

I remember when recruitment took months; the Hiring Manager confirms there’s an opening, checks the department for the role, writes out the requirements and description for that role, submits announcements to media outlets or posts on social media, and then waits for applications, sieves and so on. The rigours of recruitment are phased out when AI is involved. With proper data provided, and adequate settings implemented, an AI HR tool can care of the entire process of recruitment and management of hires. All you need to do is to search for a tool that ticks all your HR needs. The benefit of using an AI HR tool is that accuracy is assured and devoid of human intervention. That way, the best fit for the job gets it based on the analyses of the AI.

  • Content Generation and Publication

Content generation is generally seen as AI’s forte, thanks to Generative AI (GenAI). This has made a lot of professionals such as Content Marketers worry that AI will take over their jobs especially since companies have resorted to using AI-generated content. To ease the stress of writing and publishing content to boost your online presence, you can use any of the available AI tools. The AI tool can also be integrated with an automation tool such as Activepieces to schedule and publish content across different platforms.

  • Intelligent Document Processing (IDP)

Manual entry of data especially numbers can be very tiring; imagine entering the details of all the children in a paediatric hospital for vaccination. Not only is it time-consuming there's also a high chance of mistaken records. One way to overcome this is to implement AI in your data entry. You can do this by choosing an AI tool that allows you to enter the columns for a table once and populate the respective columns when there’s a new data entry. AI can extract key information from various documents, saving time and resources. It can also analyze content to identify trends and patterns for better decision-making.

  • Predictive Analytics

For those in the financial industry, you understand that numbers rule the world. A mistake in the placement of any figure can cause a huge loss. Therefore, optimum care is often taken when handling financial data. When it is done manually, extra time is also allocated to avoid unpleasant outcomes. You can analyze vast amounts of data to predict sales, identify potential risks, and optimize marketing campaigns. This allows for proactive decision-making and resource allocation.

Measuring the Impact of AI on Your Enterprise

Is the AI tool working as expected?

Having known some areas where you can implement AI for your enterprise, it is necessary to conduct frequent checks as to how your “newly found” tool is performing. You should establish clear Key Performance Indexes (KPIs) to measure the impact of the implemented AI tool, such as efficiency gains, cost savings, and revenue growth. Don’t forget to use dashboards and reporting tools displaying facts and figures to monitor AI performance against these KPIs continuously.