The recent leaps in AI have shaken up sectors across the world.
Governments talk about using it to super-charge national economies. Hordes of tech gurus and commentators are alternately optimistic and concerned about its use. Companies and public services are increasingly switching over to AI chatbots for front-line customer service, and economists ponder the impact it will have on workforces globally.
Even the best experts can’t quite agree where we are on the “curve” of AI’s growth in use and capability – whether what we’re seeing now is the limit to what it can do, or if we’re on the verge of something even bigger and more impactful.
We’re not at the stage of Star Trek-style androids, or Terminator bots. At least, not yet.
But in the meantime, millions across the world are seeing their work impacted by the use and possibilities of AI, in ways both good and bad. And that in turn has brought up lots of debates around the ethics and legalities of its use.
If you’re running a business, it’s worth taking time to consider how AI is going to affect you, and how you could put it to good use to support your plans.
What is AI and what can it do?
“AI” is short for artificial intelligence – a term with lots of meanings, all of which have to do with the ability of computers to “think” for themselves, anticipating our needs and figuring out clever ways of doing things without needing too much input from us.
A lot of the recent focus has been on generative AI – the ability of computer applications to create or generate new things based on short commands or descriptions from human users.
As of right now, there are hundreds of apps and platforms where users can ask a generative AI – like ChatGPT, Google DeepMind or Deep Seek – to carry out the sort of work that up until just a few years ago, only a human being could do.
The applications of generative AI are extensive. It can write letters to clients, analyse data, draw images, compose code, create spreadsheets and boil down difficult concepts into easily digestible bullet points.
As with all types of tech, some of the platforms and apps are better at certain jobs than others, and all AIs are capable of making mistakes and turning up false or incorrect data. But even with those caveats, the uses and capabilities of generative AI are immense, and businesses across the world are already starting to integrate its use into their strategies.
What can AI do for your business?
The question of how you should use AI in your day-to-day business is up to you. You need to figure out where you can use it – whether you need its help in sifting through large amounts of data, or plan on using it to write and schedule e-mails. Or maybe it can tell you the best times for you to post on social media, or reach out to your customer base.
Bear in mind there are confidentiality and security concerns around using generative AI, and a lot of platforms – particularly those which are free to use – advise users not to input any sensitive or confidential information into the AI.
If you’ve been meaning to make time to brainstorm product plans, or consider offering a new service, AIs can also be a great sounding board to help you to break down your ideas into actionable plans.
Here’s a few things to keep in mind when using it:
Always check for accuracy
Generative AI sometimes gets very close to the mark with the content it creates, but it can’t always be relied upon to get things 100% accurate.
It’s trained on large datasets, and some apps keep their sources more up-to-date than others. But if you ask an AI to write a profile on your business, or to give you the run-down on a complex topic, there’s a chance that what it puts together is dated, or not quite right. Or just plain incorrect.
So it’s really important you make sure you check its work for any errors, particularly if it’s writing content you plan on sending to other human beings, like e-mails or letters.
Be transparent; be safe
If you’re going to use AI when getting in touch with your customers, or preparing content for their consumption, be up front about using it. As with everything, people appreciate honesty and will want to know if you’re using AI in your day-to-day business.
This is particularly important if you’re planning on training an AI based on customer data – that opens up lots of issues around confidentiality, particularly if you’re using earlier data and your customers haven’t consented to its use.
Be sure you’ve got checks in place to keep sensitive data secure, and never give anything to an open-access or free AI that you wouldn’t want someone else knowing.
Figure out what you need
As mentioned earlier, there’s hundreds of potential uses for generative AI, and scores of platforms out there offering it as a tool to help businesses.
While a lot of them will sound really impressive, there’s a chance that as with any tool, you might not need them. If, for example, you’re more interested in having an AI write marketing content for you, you probably don’t need to pay for one which is designed to trawl through data.
What do you do that the AI can’t?
While it’s worth considering all of the uses you might get out of AI, you should also remember that your customers and clients have access to it, too. That means if you’re providing a service that an AI can now provide for free, there’s a chance you’ll end up having to compete with it – and that will have longer-term impacts on your business strategy.
As said above, there is no getting rid of human oversight and the human touch, which is an all-important part of what you bring to your customers. Consider how you might have to pivot to provide more of the things which the AI can’t do, so you can ensure your business is ready for a world in which more and more people are using it.
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