According to a Forbes Advisor survey, 64% of businesses anticipate AI will enhance their productivity. What does this mean for you? Your competition likely believes in — and is perhaps already embracing — AI’s transformative potential; if you don’t start exploring now, you risk falling behind. Many are understandably concerned about AI’s risks, but the risks of not using AI are now too great to ignore. Here’s what you need to know and how to get your team on board for AI adoption.
How AI can benefit your organization
Even if you’re not already using AI in your organization, you’ve likely encountered AI-powered technology. Maybe you’ve explored ChatGPT, you’ve engaged with an AI chatbot, or you’ve asked your team to start exploring day-to-day use cases. While the technology is complex, the tools themselves are often easy to use and offer major benefits. The kinds of tools that offer the most business benefit include:
- Chatbots & conversational interactive voice response (IVRs). These AI-powered tools interact with customers through text or voice, providing instant responses and handling common questions based on the input you provide. They can help improve the efficiency of your customer service, reduce wait times, and free up your staff to handle customer issues directly.
- Statistical models & forecasting. These involve using historical data to predict future trends and outcomes. They can help you make sense of large amounts of information quickly so you can make more data-driven decisions, optimize inventory, and improve financial planning, leading to better resource allocation and cost savings.
- Robotic process automation (RPA). RPA uses software robots to automate repetitive, rule-based tasks. While this technology has been in use for some time, organizations continue to reap the benefits. RPA frees up staff from doing redundant tasks so they can focus on other, more impactful activities.
- Machine learning/neural networks. These AI technologies learn from data to identify patterns and make decisions. They enhance data analysis, improve customer insights, and enable personalized marketing strategies.
- ChatGPT/generative AI. Generative AI models like ChatGPT generate responses by interacting with the user via natural language text prompts. They can help create content, automate customer interactions, and generate creative solutions.
Done right, these tools enable you to be more productive, more efficient, and more informed — all aiding you in better decision-making.
Getting your team on board
When it comes to adopting AI, there are lots of reasons people resist. Some are concerned that it will be too complex or expensive to integrate; others are reasonably concerned about the ethics, cybersecurity risks, legal and regulatory compliance, and so on. But the truth is, waiting any longer to adopt AI could put your organization at serious risk. Here’s how we suggest responding to typical AI pushback:
“Let’s wait until the technology is mature enough.”
The longer you wait, the larger the gaps become and the more difficult the change management process will be when it’s eventually decided that the technology is at the “perfect” maturity level.
“We’re concerned about AI security.”
Security is a risk with any technology, although AI poses new and unique challenges. Establish robust AI policies and governance practices along with comprehensive training to guide the use of AI and associated data to address information and cybersecurity risks.
“People are our valued asset, and AI will replace our workforce.”
These technologies free up your workforce to focus on more critical thinking tasks, and they’re necessary to keep up with competition.
“We’re concerned that we don’t have the skills to use AI.”
Investing in your staff is key to successful AI implementation. Provide the necessary training and support to enable them to make the best use of the technology for their particular need.
“Our processes work fine — we have no immediate need for change.”
Maintaining the status quo perpetuates inefficiencies, higher costs, and lower productivity compared to more agile competitors.
“We don’t have the budget right now.”
Delaying investment in cost-effective, scalable analytics solutions can result in falling behind and missing out on quick business improvements.
Unease can be expected with any new technology, but AI offers transformative potential that can drive significant growth and efficiency improvements. By proactively addressing your team’s concerns and highlighting the long-term benefits, you can help them see that investing in AI is more than just a technology upgrade — it’s a strategic move toward future-proofing your organization.
