Artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly becoming necessary for businesses of all sizes. It provides the innovative edge to compete with other companies in your industry, as well as boost productivity and increase profits in your company.
It is no longer enough to decide whether you want to use AI. Adopting innovative technology also involves the smooth and successful implementation of these tools. There are many ways to deploy AI effectively in the enterprise, but these five tips will keep you on track and give you a guide for considering which AI service or suite of tools are best for your unique operational challenges.
1 - Understand Your Problem First
Only when you have clearly defined the problems you are trying to solve can you start evaluating the AI technology available on the market and its potential to effectively solve your challenges.
If you focus on the technology primarily, what follows is a process of managing expectations that inevitably leads to disappointment when results are not as expected or hoped for (and they rarely are).
Instead, ask yourself:
What problem you are trying to solve first?
How do your customers interact with this problem?
What is working well?
What is not?
What will be the short-term/long-term costs?
Once you have these answers, you can better integrate AI tools into your business operations by first identifying the problems you wish to solve. Then the goals you lay out will be easier to monitor and meet.
2 - Decide to Build Your Own AI or Purchase Vendor Services
Building an internal operating AI is a significant undertaking. You should take some time to look at all the variables of building an AI compared to working with a pre-built tool. It would help to consider whether it is the best option for your business. If so, start by creating a minimum viable product (MVP) that allows you to test the value proposition of an autonomous system before fully committing to it.
You should also consider whether any third-party firms or startups can help deliver an AI solution on your behalf. Some of these vendors could offer faster deployment than developing in-house while still giving you access to cutting-edge technology.
There is a rapidly growing market of robust AI services and tools available. Take the time to understand how each benefits your company operationally, financially, and with team involvement before deciding what pathway is best.
3 - Use Cloud Based AI if Possible
Another consideration is whether to use cloud-based AI. This is often the easiest way to start with AI tools, automation, and ML operations. Cloud services offer an ideal option for companies looking to create custom applications without extreme development expenses.
Cloud-based AI can be used to scale up as needed, and it is also helpful in scenarios where data needs are changing quickly or there are many different users with diverse needs. These situations call for the flexibility that comes with using a cloud platform.
Cloud-based AI offers even more benefits. Since everything happens on one platform and you do not have to worry about maintaining your own hardware and software stack, integration with other systems is easier than ever.
Plus, you benefit from expansive communication and collaboration when many companies are moving to international or hybrid/remote work teams.
4 - Build Team Trust with Transparency
Being transparent is critical in building trust. How can a team member be expected to trust the AI when they do not know how it works? They will not understand its limitations or strengths if they do not see how it fits into your business model. As a result, they may feel afraid of that technology and want nothing to do with using it again.
Being transparent allows you to share your data with others in ways that make sense for your organization and industry.
Transparency also helps everyone understand what outcomes are most essential for them and why those outcomes are necessary for their success as individuals, as well as for the company overall.
5 - Use AI Data Tools First to Generate Insights
To take advantage of the power of AI, enterprises must first understand how to gather and organize data. Once you have a good grasp of your current data situation, there are several ways that you can leverage AI to generate more meaningful insights.
This is a suitable place to start when deciding on AI services because it directly impacts your decision-making power.
For example, you can use these algorithms with existing datasets (such as customer purchase histories) and identify trends without manually sifting through thousands or millions of records. This saves time while helping you spot patterns that would otherwise go unnoticed.
You can also uncover anomalies in your dataset that might indicate fraud or other problems with internal processes. If outliers are present in what would otherwise be considered normal activity, this could suggest something strange is going on and prompt further investigation.
Conclusion
Whether you are working with AI for the first time or considering it for your next project, it is important to remember that AI is not a cure-all. However, it is a potent tool that can help businesses solve their problems in ways they never thought possible.
As we discussed above, there are some significant considerations to keep in mind before implementing an AI system in your organization—and these five tips should get you started on the right foot.