How to Choose AI Solutions for Your Business
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Work smarter, not harder. You’ve likely heard and even spoken these words at some point in your professional career. With the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the workplace, the phrase has taken on a whole new meaning. Organizations across industries are working to find ways to incorporate AI into their business functions. It’s an exciting time with seemingly infinite possibilities. However, the power of AI still very much rests in the hands of its users. Learning how to use AI means understanding its capabilities while navigating a complex regulatory and ethical landscape. It also means learning new skills and leveraging familiar ones. Start building the skills you need to leverage intelligent tools and take your next professional step. Access career resources to help you succeed when you register for edX programs.
Understanding the AI landscape
Generally speaking, AI tools fall into one of two categories: rule-based and machine learning-based.
As the name suggests, rule-based AI follows a set of guidelines determined by the user. For example, a medical practitioner can input a number of patient symptoms into a rule-based AI tool and receive a specific diagnosis as the output.
Machine learning-based AI offers users more flexibility, allowing for continuous improvement. When you log into your streaming accounts, the system automatically recommends new content based on your previous viewing habits. The more you watch, the more accurate your recommendations become.
A Harvard Business Review article about incorporating AI into your business strategy recommends starting with rule-based applications. This can help ease employees into working with AI and acquire the skills necessary to move toward machine learning tools. More advanced users may even be able to fully automate certain decisions, allowing for more freedom to work on tasks that require deep focus or a high level of creativity. Get hands-on experience using rule-based AI tools like ChatGPT. Explore hundreds of online programs on edX.
Assess your organization’s capabilities
No matter your industry, it’s important to come up with a realistic plan when introducing AI technology into your workflows. Here are some questions to consider as you get started:
How much experience do my organization’s employees have with advanced technology? Your answer will help you determine how much training will be needed.
What types of challenges is my organization facing that may benefit from AI tools? Your answer will fuel your future research and implementation.
How much time and money is my organization able to spend on the research, training, and testing associated with this project? Your answer will help you gain buy-in from appropriate stakeholders.
Take an inventory of the various teams and departments within your organization. While it’s not completely necessary to involve every team listed below, they each offer their own expertise and guidance related to AI tools:
Cybersecurity teams help to ensure application safety and protect sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands.
Legal teams help to navigate through the complex and constantly evolving regulations around artificial intelligence.
Marketing teams help derive meaningful insights around the customer experience, which may be further enhanced by AI.
Data teams help to train AI tools with useful, relevant, and unbiased data sets.
AI is already helping companies advance in countless industries, such as healthcare, IT, cybersecurity, software development, marketing, education, and financial services. With the right skills and training, you can start using AI in your own work and stay on the cutting edge of technology.
Ready to jump into the exciting world of artificial intelligence? Explore AI programs that can prepare you to work with advanced technologies on edX.
Practice with free tools
The November 2022 launch of ChatGPT changed the way people interact with artificial intelligence. Companies like Expedia, Duolingo, and Coca Cola have used or plan to use ChatGPT to assist with marketing and customer service activities.
Despite concerns over data privacy and information accuracy, organizations stand to benefit from proper ChatGPT use. The platform operates through a conversational, chat-based application that responds to your prompts and queries. By generating thoughtful inputs, you can use ChatGPT to generate drafts, summarize large amounts of information, and brainstorm new ideas.
Here are some prompts that can anyone can use to enhance their work, regardless of experience or skill level:
Translating: Act as a translator. I will submit a body of text in [language #1] and I’d like you to translate it into [language #2]. Please make sure that all grammatical and spelling errors are corrected.
Script writing: I will submit a list of product features and I’d like you to create a script that explains how to use it in an easy to understand format. Please keep the script to a two-minute maximum.
Researching: Provide a variety of relevant website links explaining [topic]. I will provide a list of preferred sources that I would like you to use as your research parameters.
Interviewing: Act as an interviewer for [role]. Ask me a question and wait for my response before asking the next question. Follow-up questions should be relevant to my answer as well as [role].
Simplifying: Can you explain [topic] in simple terms? Please ensure that there is no jargon or specialized terminology in your response.
You can continue to further hone ChatGPT’s outputs until you’re satisfied. The more specific your request, the closer you’ll get to a viable starting point for almost any task or project. As you become more familiar with the tool, you can apply it to your own work solving industry-specific challenges.
Explore AI solutions for your industry
AI skills and experience will prove to be beneficial in a variety of professional settings. Curious about the ways various industries are leveraging AI tools? Explore real-world AI applications for healthcare, education, marketing, cybersecurity, and more.