Being a forward-thinking tech company we, unsurprisingly, talk a lot about AI. Whether at events, with clients or on panels, it is a topic that generates questions, opinions and, at times, concern; but we take a different approach.
Our focus is not to add to the hype, nor be an antagonist towards AI, but instead offer measured discussion about how organisations can drown out the propaganda, look at AI strategically, and adopt it effectively – all while considering the ethics associated with the technology.
Whilst the #GenAI revolution has made AI products cheaper and therefore more accessible, organisations must ask themselves: “What is our appetite for innovation?” “Are we doing the simple things right?”, and the age old “How good actually is our data?”. Ultimately, we don’t want organisations to use AI as a really expensive way of finding out their data is useless.
Instead, we advocate that any implementation of AI must be aligned to an organisation’s strategic goals, with the purpose of empowering staff and customers, whilst delivering a better experience. Implementing AI for the sake of it, or the fear of missing out, won’t work – don’t be driven by the technology, start with your strategy and consider how AI might help you deliver on it.
When we discuss potential use cases, most involve taking the vast amount of data organisations already have but using AI to collate it and give a holistic view, such as improving efficiency through AI query bots for contact centres rather than the stereotypical multiple windows, screens and clicks to locate information whilst on a call – ultimately delivering a better experience.
A recent poll suggested 81% of customers wanted a ‘faster’ service; not suggesting something technology focused, but instead efficiency – and faster in today’s world often means better.
Again, how can we use AI in the right way as businesses? Rather than potentially frustrating AI chatbots, which often ultimately lead to a phone call, why not a contact centre armed with AI query bots to speed up the process of finding accurate information? This is why understanding the problem you are trying to solve rather than jumping to the technology first is vital.
But what about other considerations that need to be made when adopting AI – largely the ethical implications of the solution? If the solution is making recommendations or decisions about people, how can you ensure it is doing so in an ethical way? What checks and balances need to be in place? How are these audited?
What about data security? Do the people in your organisation have the knowledge and understanding to review these sorts of things? What training or investment might be needed so that they can?
Many organisations are keen to adopt AI but to truly get the value, it’s likely they’ll need to mature their approach to data management and governance, so the solution meets expectations. There isn’t a silver bullet to this and, depending on where an organisation is, there might be a large amount of prework required.
If you’re wanting to explore AI, look at collaboration and learn from others further along the journey; try small but scalable proof of concepts and always align it to your strategy. For now at least, AI should only be seen to augment and complement human work, not replace it.
If you want to learn more about AI, discuss anything in this article, or share your views, I would love to hear them so please get in touch – andrew.buckels@waterstons.com