HARNESSING A.I. POWER

BY ALEXIEI DINGLI

ALEXIEI DINGLI, HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MALTA, OFFERS HIS INSIGHT ON THE A.I. REVOLUTION AND ITS POWER TO TRANSFORM BUSINESSES.

The world we live in is changing rapidly. A new technology comes along almost every year and businesses have to decide whether to adapt or not. The new kid on the block this year is without doubt Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). Really and truly, A.I. is not a new kid because it has been around for almost seven decades. The technologies under the hood are mature and widely used by everyone even though many people do not realise that they are using them already, irrespective of whether they are small retailers or large corporations.

Transforming an organisation into an A.I. company is not simply achieved by sprinkling some A.I. inside the business processes. The company needs to sufficiently understand A.I. and appreciate what it can do for the organisation, after all, every organisation is different and a one-size-fits-all A.I. model does not exist. To achieve this, an organisation has to undergo an A.I. Transformation Process (AITP) whereby potential areas of improvement can be identified and valuable A.I. projects can be implemented. These can either be outsourced or else delivered through in-house talent. But in the end, it is very important to recognise the directvalue-added which it contributes to the business.

Above all, the business’s strategic direction needs to be aligned too. To do so, we need to instill a culture which is not afraid to use the data lying in the heart of the various processes to improve them. It has to measure its progress, gauge the distance from the goals which form part of the strategic direction of the organisation and take action to bring forth alignment. It may sound daunting but with the right people, such a challenging task will become feasible. Small organisations can expect to be up and running in a few months whilst larger ones normally take between 2-3 years, with concrete results being felt within the first year. Investing in such a process will not only keep any organisation ahead of its competitors but it will also allow it to leverage the power of A.I. technologies in order to advance the organisation as a whole.

The first step of the AITP is training. A.I. expertise is very rare to find - it is estimated that there are just around 40,000 A.I. experts around the world. Many people still do not understand what A.I. is all about, even though they use it on a daily basis and it will affect their job in the near future. Because of this, everyone should have the opportunity to understand and adapt to the new roles which will be created in this new technological era. Training is essential since it can help administrators foresee the power of A.I. and motivate employees to learn about the various tools which can unleash new potential for their business.

The second step of the AITP is to conduct a readiness audit. Decision makers need to understand whether their organisation is ready to embark on a fruitful transformation process. Because of this, an audit is conducted in order to assess the fundamental, operational and transformative readiness of the organisation. Through the audit, organisations will have a better understanding of their company and its potential within an A.I.-enhanced ecosystem thus saving them huge amounts of money.

The third step involves the drafting of an A.I. strategy which defines a custom-made roadmap aimed at guiding the organisation in its journey to becoming an A.I. company. Through this strategy, the company has to leverage the power of A.I. in order to gain specific advantages within the industry. It must capitalise the data available, which is the fuel for most A.I. algorithms and plan to build A.I. assets which are in line to a coherent strategy. This will eventually create a ripple effect which will ensure sustainable growth using A.I. technologies.

The fourth step is to increase their A.I. capacity. Whilst most small organisations should probably be fine with outsourcing their A.I. enabled technologies, larger organisations might find it more beneficial to have a proper structure in place. They need a team of people capable of supporting, planning, developing and advising on the process to implement. An A.I. unit is a horizontal unit whose aim is to support the entire organisation and its targets.

The question you should be asking yourself at this stage is not “whether this revolution will hit you”, but rather “when is it going to hit you?” I understand that changing your organisation into a great A.I. company might sound daunting at first but it is feasible with the support of experts in the field. As a start, it would simply involve getting a professional A.I. expert to have a look at your processes. They will give you an indication of what you can achieve, by exploring various possibilities before going further with an in-depth analysis. Then you can decide how far you would like to take this transformation. But remember that only by investing in such a transformation are you guaranteed to stay ahead of your competitors and leverage the A.I. capabilities of your organisation in order to significantly move forward.