‘There are implications to the application of artificial intelligence within the organisation, particularly in South Africa, and these need to be understood clearly as we move forward into the potential of this technology.’

Stefan Steffen talks artificial intelligence (AI) and organisational problem-solving through advanced insights and digital capabilities.

The question that organisations should be asking today isn’t ‘What is AI?’. It should be ‘Now that the business is focused on AI, what happens next?’ AI is at the boardroom table. Machine learning, automation, intelligent algorithms, deep learning, and neural networks are already being implemented in organisational architectures, and companies need to understand the applications and implications of this technology moving forward. 

Stefan Steffen has been immersed in data, AI, insights and intelligence for [insert number] of years across multiple organisations. He brings his in-depth understanding of AI to the fore as he unpacks the deeper thinking that surrounds this technology. 

Is AI a threat? Will it change how people think and behave?

The question as to whether or not AI is going to be a force for good or evil is the source of robust discussions. AI has already changed the world, but people want to know if this is going to affect critical thinking skills and if it will reduce human engagement and critical thinking. If everything is guided by AI, will people think for themselves? Yes, they will. Human minds are far more capable and thorough than AI and the AI solutions available today don’t even come close to what we can achieve. 

That said, AI heralds a new era of productivity that can support the organisation and employees in the work they do. It is a natural extension of human abilities, and it can empower people to do so much more in their roles and working environments by providing them with access to deep knowledge, tools and support. 

What’s needed to ensure AI can achieve its potential within the business?

AI has to be implemented correctly and in a way that is very specific to your organisation. It can supercharge how employees access information and develop content for the business, but it needs to be shaped around policies, governance, and documentation to ensure it remains aligned and integrated within the business. 

When integration is seamless, so too are the results. Teams can upload complex system manuals to the system and immediately interrogate their content using AI. Generative AI (Gen-AI) tools can be used to provide IT teams and support desks with instant visibility into answers to complex customer questions. 

With the right support and tools, AI serves as a bridge between deep knowledge and accessibility, so anyone within the business can discover and share information. It can also be used to generate new code and help teams troubleshoot problems within code, rapidly streamlining development speeds. The use cases are endless and can change how IT service desks, support teams, developers and internal business teams work with, and access, information. 

How fundamentally can AI change service and customer experiences?

If you take a contact centre, for example, you can create chatbot interfaces that connect the data within the business to a Gen-AI solution to provide internal employees immediate access to critical information. It can also be used to provide customers with a portal to information and self-service capabilities that can fundamentally reshape their engagement and delight.

What two things should your customers know about AI right now?

Firstly, it can change productivity but not replace people. There are mundane tasks that AI can manage and automate, which can really save the business and employees time and money. It can also take on increasingly complex tasks that often slow people down and inhibit productivity. Instead of taking their jobs away, employees can benefit from how AI streamlines their day. In the context of supercharging productivity, AI is immensely beneficial.

The second is how it can add value to the employee experience. Whether supporting them with tools that make it easier for them to analyse data, deliver content, shape communications, manage processes, or bolstering their projects and time, AI has the ability to create more powerful engagement pathways for employees.

What about the security factor?

There is risk related to the use of Gen-AI, and that is the growing trend of shadow AI which, like shadow IT, is a plethora of AI-driven solutions entering the business through employees and potentially opening up vulnerabilities. Companies must put processes in place to mitigate the risk of Shadow AI, which can see individuals sharing private company data on applications that may not have rigorous protections in place. There is also the need to interrogate the quality and bias of AI solutions – many models are built on European or American data and are not relevant in the African context. This can introduce bias that may directly affect customers if a chatbot isn’t customised to suit local requirements. 

While AI has immense value, it must be integrated with these risks in mind. AI solutions must ensure the sanctity of company data, be designed to bypass the risk of bias and be built with security in mind. This is where it becomes key to work with a trusted AI-integration partner with the skills to integrate governance, compliance and security throughout. 

The pivot point or rally point for AI lies not in its deep complexity and endless capabilities, but in how organisations deftly weave it into the business while ensuring it remains secure, agile, and governed by ethics and policy.