By Vineet Grover
According to a Forbes article, more than 60% of business owners have confidence in AI as it will boost productivity. Also, 64% stated that AI would improve business productivity, and 42% believe it will help modernize job processes. We are on the cusp of the fourth industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0, in which AI & ML will play a crucial role.
Almost 35% of organizations are leveraging AI, and 42% of companies are exploring AI for its implementation in the future, as per a TechJury article. Furthermore, 91.5% of leading businesses invest in AI continuously. Gartner has also highlighted that customer satisfaction is expected to grow by 25% by 2023 in AI organizations. As per a report by McKinsey, implementing AI could contribute up to $13 trillion to the global economy by 2030.
Both AI & ML are becoming fundamental to modern-day business operations. They have played a crucial role in revolutionizing data analytics. AI technologies facilitate businesses to extract actionable insights from huge datasets, automate processes, and make accurate forecasts. We have already seen the effect of ML and AI on recognizing patterns and anomalies, customized recommendations, and customer service.
Let us look at how exactly AI & ML can be used to unlock the power of Data in practical business scenarios.
Decision-Making Based on Data
AI and ML algorithms excel at dealing with a vast amount of data rapidly and precisely. These technologies allow organizations to abstract actionable insights from their data mines, allowing informed and data-driven decision-making. ML algorithms can help recognise trends, patterns, and links within the data, vesting organizations to gain an in-depth understanding of their business, customers’ viewpoints, and the industry landscape.
Automated Data Capture
One of the pain points in the past was that even those who understood the value of data sometimes needed guidance on how to capture or extract meaningful data, for example, out of documents, images, emails, social media, or other unstructured data sources. AI and ML algorithms have come to the rescue by offering automated data capture abilities that streamline the taking out of data points from even diverse, unstructured data sources. Which then feeds into models to recognize trends, get relevant information, and classify data assets. This automation boosts the data mapping process, enhances accuracy, and ensures that critical data is captured and made accessible to the right people.
Business Optimization
Business problems are typically about the maximization of certain goals (like revenue, or profit, or both, production) or minimization of certain goals (like cost) in the presence of constraints (like availability, capacity, and time). Data Analytics algorithms in this age help businesses with precisely that. Inventory optimization is a great use case that most businesses, like online and offline stores, look for. In the energy sector, AI models will be used to optimize energy production, and help governments and businesses by predicting demand, managing renewable energy sources, and improving energy distribution networks’ efficiency. As for the transportation sector, optimize traffic flow and predict vehicle maintenance needs.
Generative AI
We have already seen generative AI’s effect on computer graphics, content management, digital marketing, and e-commerce to create more realistic, believable characters and environments. Generative AI can change realistic and accurate simulations in fields such as architecture, urban planning, and engineering. It would be one of the technologies of choice, whether self-driving cars, advanced robotics for manufacturing and warehousing, and improved crop yield and precision agriculture.
Industry 4.0
Businesses are integrating newer technologies, including IoT (Internet of Things), advanced sensors, automation, robots, and cloud computing throughout their operational pipelines. This leads to a lot of data being collected and potentially creating vast silos of data as well. ML and AI models help aggregate and analyze this voluminous data. The biggest value can be created if the data from production chains can be combined with other data, including customer service, supply chains, or ERPs. How about automatic process improvements, predictive maintenance, and minimizing downtime for business operations? Other applications are – Computer Vision-based AI models that help immediately detect issues in production chains. There are vast applications of these concepts across varied industries.
Predictive Analytics to Meet Future Needs
AI and ML allow predictive analytics, enabling organizations to predict future trends and make hands-on decisions. By examining historical data and finding patterns, ML algorithms can identify data gaps, recognize emerging trends, and predict the relevance and impact of knowledge assets. This enables organizations to sync their knowledge management tactics with future needs, leading to innovation.
Fostering Trust and Mitigating Risk
While AI and ML offer huge prospects for data management, it is important to address challenges and ethical considerations. Organizations must ensure data quality, privacy, and security when implementing AI and ML in their data management processes. Moreover, ethical considerations such as bias and transparency in algorithmic decision-making should be carefully evaluated to foster trust and mitigate risks.
Conclusion
AI and ML technologies are transforming data management by leveraging data’s power and transforming how organizations work. However, moving forward, it is important to steer the challenges and ethical considerations to take full advantage of AI and ML in businesses. With the application of these technologies, businesses can unlock new prospects and stay ahead of the curve in the fast-evolving digital ecosystem.
The author is vice president, analytics and AI solutions, Paxcom
