AI, Machine Learning, and Automation in your small business

The modern world we live in is built around technology – practically everything we do is influenced by it – and our reliance on IT will only grow as advancements improve our systems even further. One of the most revolutionary examples of these advancements that we have seen in recent times is the birth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automation, both in the workplace and otherwise. AI has allowed us to place even more reliance on technology than we ever have before. In the following article we will explore AI and Automation and see how it can help your small business to be more productive and successful.

AI and Machine Learning

AI is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines. Some specific applications of AI include expert systems, natural language processing (NLP), speech recognition and machine vision.

Machine Learning is a type of AI that gives your system the ability to learn and improve from its experiences without being especially programmed. AI predominantly focuses on computer systems that attempt to replicate skills that humans carry out, where Machine Learning processes data and is designed to recognise patterns in that data in order to develop algorithms. AI and Machine Learning are progressive and will continue to change the landscape of the world for many years to come.

The evolving nature of AI and Machine Learning is no better displayed than with Text-to-speech apps, which use AI and Machine Learning in order to enable hands-free use, boost writing speed, increase mobility, and improve tone of voice. Content creation specialists around the globe are using Text-to-speech apps in order to speed up the time iit takes to write as well as the quality of that text. This is just one small way that AI and Machine Learning are benefiting the development of our planet.

Is AI and Machine Learning a Threat or a Benefit?

Business owners across the globe are understandably apprehensive about placing – in some cases – the success of their organisation in the hands of technology. This apprehension is completely understandable, as AI and Machine Learning will almost definitely change the way that your team works, how your organisation approaches the customer experience, and how your business communicates and co-operates with its associates. Yes, these changes can be daunting, but, with AI, your organisation will be able to perform tasks faster and to a much higher standard – along with Machine Learning. Two of the biggest benefits of AI are the ability to increase productivity and output whilst simultaneously reducing costs (due to a reduction in the need for manual processes). With AI being relatively new to most businesses around the world some organisations are resistant to change, and some even have practices – or employee habits – that would be a near impossibility to alter. It is because of these reasons that many don’t get the very best from the AI they implement in their organisation.

The traditional workplace revolves around a rule-based environment, with success and failure documented manually by a human analyst – depending on the size of your organisation, this could be a recipe for disaster as human error sometimes causes serious problems. Modern business demands that everything is carried out as precisely as possible, and this is no truer than when it comes to computing – it simply must be up to scratch for your team to make better decisions and to guarantee that every action is performed as efficiently as possible. AI and Machine Learning are the only way to guarantee this.

Don’t jump to conclusions – we are under no circumstances telling you to irradicate your human analysts and place the success of your organisation entirely on computers. We are simply suggesting that you adopt a combination of the two – AI will allow your team to interpret and process data faster and to a much higher standard. Yes, technology is gradually taking over but most businesses around the world will always need a human influence somewhere in the work process.

The challenges of AI

You will need to prepare your organisation for the integration of AI, as it can be relatively expensive to achieve this – you will possibly need a substantial capital investment for development costs of your existing technology in order to enable it to operate with AI. (As AI develops and technology advances further in the coming years, it is likely that the costs will reduce but in the current climate it can be a very expensive venture depending on the complexity and size of your organisation and the implementation.) This is why an organised implementation needs to be planned to ensure success!

You must integrate in phases! Doing it all at once can be extremely difficult to maintain for you and your team. A one-time implementation of AI could force you to search for outsourced funding and expend a lot of company time educating your team in order to guarantee they get the most from the new systems. Training would be needed for every phase of the implementation – carrying this out all at once would result in it being  almost counterproductive as your work time would be used up just on the learning process.

Nevertheless, organisations – in particular, larger ones – are quickly migrating to AI and Machine Learning enabled systems because of the possibilities that they offer. If implemented, adopted, and used efficiently you can use AI to dominate your industry. AI will – over time – transform every industry around the world. Whether you are the CEO of a large multinational corporation or the owner of a small local shop, AI and Machine Learning is a must in some shape or form in order to guarantee you successfully compete with other similar organisations.

AI and Machine Learning in your small business

4TC take time to understand the daily challenges that your business faces. We then provide cost-effective tech solutions to these issues that will help you save time, protect vital data, and enable you and your staff to be more effective with your time management. We will ensure that your staff are using the technology at their disposal in a way that works for them, whilst making sure that they are educated on how to use it as productively as possible. Utilising your IT to its full potential is essential to guarantee that you and your business can thrive and grow into the future. If you would like to find out more on how 4TC Services can provide affordable tech management to your business, drop us an email or call us now for a full demonstration.