Since Chat GPT made its public debut less than two years ago, the explosion of interest in generative artificial intelligence has been a thing to behold. Rarely, if ever, has a technological advancement received this much attention among business and IT leaders in such a short period of time.
Research from Foundry, for example, found that leveraging generative AI now ranks as the third-highest priority among IT decision-makers in the U.S., tied with improving cybersecurity. When Foundry conducted the same survey 20 months ago, generative AI didn’t make the list at all.
Many small-business leaders I speak with tell me that they’re equal parts exhilarated and worried about the implications of generative AI.
It’s not hard to see why: The technology has the power to transform everything from how businesses interact with their customers to how employees do their jobs and how data is collected, protected and analyzed.
It’s still early, but generative AI may turn out to be the most important thing to happen in the business world since the dawn of the internet itself.
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How Generative AI Is Changing Customer Service
Naturally, then, people have a lot of questions about how they can leverage AI in their own businesses.
There are many opportunities to explore. The most obvious is customer service: Businesses are leveraging AI in their call centers to help agents get a deeper understanding of customers’ purchase and return histories, demographic characteristics, and even their moods in real time. They’re building chatbots for their websites that are capable of far more sophisticated interactions than what was possible just a few years ago. And they’re using AI in data analytics to anticipate customer preferences.
AI is also revolutionizing the way work gets done. Today’s collaboration solutions are built with AI assistants that can summarize meetings or provide live subtitles or even translations into different languages. Modern productivity suites, such as those from Google and Microsoft, are leveraging generative AI too.
For example, workers can ask Copilot, the new AI assistant built into Microsoft 365, to help them perform tasks such as drafting a memo. Pharmaceutical maker Endo is investigating what’s possible with Copilot and has been working to help employees get more at ease with the technology. “We want to teach them to not be afraid and highlight how they can be creative with the technology,” Endo CIO and Senior Vice President of IT Cheryl Stouch tells us. “We want them to be comfortable applying it right away.”
37%
The share of IT leaders who cite leveraging generative artificial intelligence as a key priority in their digital transformation efforts
Source: Foundry Research Services. “The Path to Digital Transformation: Where IT Leaders Stand,” commissioned by Insight, June 2024
With Generative AI, Build Customized IT Solutions
To say that the possibilities are endless may seem trite, but it’s true. For businesses, the challenge is figuring out where to start and what to prioritize. This is where an expert guide is invaluable.
Microsoft users interested in helping workers be more productive, especially those considering the paid version of Copilot, might find CDW’s Copilot Readiness Workshop a useful place to start. You’ll get help understanding and overcoming the various technical hurdles that could prevent you from maximizing the technology’s power. Many other solutions — including for cybersecurity, call centers, collaboration and more — have AI built in, allowing organizations to leverage those tools immediately.
WATCH: How is AI changing the customer experience?
But you’ll need more help when it comes to building the kind of customized AI solutions that set really your own business apart.
AI represents a new frontier in business, a vast expanse of unexplored territory where the opportunities and risks exist in equal abundance. Your rivals are exploring it now, and so must you. But it’s not a path you should walk alone.
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