Do you need help setting up an AI solution for your business?
Your friends and colleagues said it’s time to ride the wave of artificial intelligence (AI) hype to level up your business. Now what?
Drawing from the insights of our guests at the AI and Digital Transformation Podcast, we outlined 5 steps you should consider when adopting AI into your enterprise.
1. Understand and accept your limits (Frederico Coméiro)
It’s not a question of what your business is willing to do, but rather: How far can you take this venture?
You do not have infinite resources nor can you match the capacity of a multi-billion company to create the best data science and AI team in 10 days.
This does not mean that you should give up easily. What you need to do right now is accept your limits.
Once you do that, we can proceed to the next step.
2. Find AI experts that understand your needs and resources (Tom Pennington)
Quality AI solutions should get you the best bang for your buck—not put your business at risk for bankruptcy. Many AI consultants will try to sell you a catch-all solution tagged as the “best in the industry,” which large businesses will not have a problem paying for.
Instead, you should scout for the right people who understand your limits. If you don’t have an abundance of data on hand, this is nothing to be ashamed of. Experienced AI practitioners can propose a system that easily addresses this gap for both parties.
AI experts are also there to develop an AI adoption strategy that will ensure smooth integration with your existing operations.
Finally, you need to find a collaborator who can solve a problem given your business’ unique culture, circumstances and systems. Don’t settle for a salesman who can only make an idea that looks and sounds good on paper, but struggles with bringing it to life.
3. Do not give in to the AI hype on a whim (Swati Sharma)
“I heard about this AI app that can help us with our business. Can’t we use that instead?”
This is the line we usually hear from our clients once we start talking about AI for businesses. When you consider how discussions on AI’s capabilities shifted once generative AI’s popularity soared, it’s understandable how much hype has interfered with people’s understanding of the technology.
Despite being an AI-focused company, we can confidently say: Not all problems need to be solved by AI. If your problem can only be solved by AI, you need to be familiar with the solution before diving headfirst into conversations on development and project timelines.
This leads us to the next step.
4. Be proactive and discerning (Hugues Foltz)
As you might have noticed by now, there’s so much noise on the internet about AI. Making sense of this influx of information will require a great deal of effort on your part when it comes to research.
Ask experts not only how AI works or how it will help your business, but also the consequences and risks of using the technology. You deserve to get the full picture of what you will be dealing with before placing your bet on AI.
Met a trusted professional who can educate you on essential AI information and execute the AI-related project for your business? Congratulations, you just found your trusted AI expert!
5. Let your teams be involved from the get-go (Virginie Marelli)
While you may have a go-to AI expert on call, the work is far from over. Don’t dump everything on the consultant and leave them unattended.
Your co-workers and management in relevant teams should be involved from day one. After all, adopting an AI solution for business use is a collaborative endeavor. The odds of success will increase significantly when you get all hands on deck.
If they have no clue how AI works, have your AI expert guide them. Encourage questions and clarifications during the early stages to prevent minor issues from snowballing into large-scale catastrophes.
We hope that these 5 simple steps will set you up for a successful AI adoption journey.
