AI is progressing well in many industries, assisting people or independently completing tasks. These uses of AI are often operational and can usually be embedded in business processes, software, or devices. We all, except for Luddites, expect the continued success of AI on focused tasks at the operational level. In fact, AI is progressing so well that it is catching up with humans for specific skills and combinations of skills (see Figure 1) from Stamford University below. It all sounds good, but the story could be different as AI ventures out to handle tactical management and executive strategy. AI will break out of processes and devices to
combine various types of AI to assist and eventually automatically manage critical adjustments for businesses. It will happen as AI bootstraps success, leaving us with new challenges and driving us into AI fear zones. It is exciting and points to higher benefit levels for AI, but is this a Pandora’s Box?
Sample AI Operational Successes
· Automated Data Analysis: AI algorithms can analyze large volumes of data or content of various types to extract valuable insights and trends, enabling businesses to make data-driven decisions more efficiently.
· Process Automation: AI-powered robotic process automation (Smart RPA) can automate repetitive tasks such as data entry, invoice processing, and customer support inquiries, freeing up employees to focus on higher-value activities.
· Predictive Maintenance: AI can predict equipment failures by analyzing sensor data and historical maintenance records. It enables businesses to schedule maintenance proactively to minimize downtime.
· Dynamic Pricing: AI algorithms: AI algorithms can analyze market conditions, competitor pricing, and customer behavior to optimize pricing dynamically, maximizing revenue and profitability.
· Inventory Management: AI can optimize inventory levels by forecasting demand, identifying slow-moving items, automating replenishment processes, and reducing stockouts and excess inventory costs.
· Customer Service Enhancements: AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can handle customer inquiries, provide personalized recommendations, and assist with problem-solving, improving the overall customer experience.
· Fraud Detection: AI algorithms can detect fraudulent activities, such as payment fraud, identity theft, and account takeover, by analyzing patterns and anomalies in transaction data, reducing losses and risk.
We all know that AI is progressing steadily towards an even brighter future for business applicability. AI is picking up skills fast and will equal human capabilities in any individual skill. See Figure 1 for a sample set of skills that AI is progressing.
Figure 1 AI Skill Levels Over TimeThis progress is impressive, and when combined with algorithms, goals, and boundaries, AI will go broader, deeper, more complicated, more complex, and more independent. AI will go from task to function while taking on tactics and strategy. Instead of just inside known and established processes, AI will break and challenge coordination and management tasks at the tactical level, eventually working its way into shaping strategy. Thereby putting AI in a position to respond to situations as AI deals well with emergence (complexity); this is an inside-out moment for AI that will start in the coming months and years. I expect the "inside out" trend to begin with processes, as AI can quickly move from tasks to management. The inside-out processes will likely start with monitoring, leading to notification and then to suggestions for action. Eventually, AI will take action with or without permission.
The transition of AI from inside operational processes to outside processes typically involves the evolution of AI applications from narrow, task-specific implementations to broader, tactical, or strategic capabilities that impact various aspects of the business that cross traditional organizational boundaries. It includes the following:
· Scaling AI Across the Organization
· Integrating with Enterprise Systems
· Cross-Functional Collaboration
· Strategic Alignment and Executive Sponsorship
· Data Governance and Quality Assurance
· Continuous Learning and Improvement
· Partnerships and Ecosystem Collaboration
AI at the Tactical LevelAt the tactical level, AI can contribute to essential cross-functional efforts and processes that require constant monitoring and adjustments that are tied to goals (static or emergent). Examples include:
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Customer Relationship Management: Besides the usual inquiry aid, AI can segment customers and proactively predict customer churn.
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Sales and Marketing: AI can drive better lead identification and suggest products/services to those leads. By analyzing activity, AI can target offers individually or with campaigns.
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Supply Chain Management: AI can forecast demand and market trends and tune logistics optimization dynamically while optimizing transportation costs.
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Operations and Manufacturing: AI can optimize production schedules, suggest improvements, and manage energy efficiency.
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Human Resources: AI can streamline recruitment and analyze employee performance for career development.
AI at the Strategic LevelAt the strategic level, AI can contribute to the organization's executive level as it monitors the attainment of conflicting goals while maintaining profitability and reputation as a good community member locally and a great place to work while appealing for future investment. It is where emerging conditions must be monitored and intercepted and, where appropriate, changes. AI can start with being a sentinel, but bigger toles may be possible regarding the freedom to act independently. Examples include:
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Market Analysis and Competitive Intelligence: AI algorithms can analyze vast amounts of data from diverse resources to provide insights into market dynamics while identifying opportunities and threats from the competition.
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Forecasting and Planning: AI-powered predictive analytics can forecast future trends, demand patterns, and potential business outcomes, which might mean adjusting capital and resource allocation, inventory management, and production/service planning to optimize efficiency and reduce risk.
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Risk Management and Mitigation: AI can analyze various event patterns and data to identify potential risks and vulnerabilities, such as fraud, cybersecurity threats, and market fluctuations. It allows for proactive risk mitigation and safeguarded assets.
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Strategic Decisions: While AI might not make the decisions initially, AI-powered decision support systems can simulate various scenarios and the likelihood of them happening and have a plan of action. Whether it is a new market or investment, AI can help.
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Product and Service Innovation: AI technologies can be baked into offerings to create new products and services. Examples include computer vision, machine learning, voice-driven sentiment analysis, and intelligent service bots.
Net; Net:AI will be going inside out and will have more influence on business outcomes at our organizations' operational, tactical, and strategic levels. The question is, what level of freedom will AI be given to act independently, especially if we get into an AI arms race in individual industries or between countries with very different value systems? It is inevitable unless AI has some overall meltdown. I have yet to see AI taking over from humans at the highest level of risk. The question for me is, "Will AI only be used for GOOD once it is given freedom, or Will it also be used for EVIL?" That is a topic for another day. AI will be used successfully as it has proven helpful in many use cases, with more coming. Will the winds of change rip the inside-out umbrella of AI out of our hands?
