AI First?

It is time to hold up a mirror. A reflection to face reality. The winners of tomorrow are those who dare to step out of their comfort zone. To think ahead. To anticipate. To be disruptive. The ones who are not afraid to innovate. The ones who are not afraid to jump in the unknown. So let’s face it. People who still think that “digital first” is part to succeed in today’s society definitely missed out on something. Digital first was yesterday. People who think “mobile first” are on track, but won’t last. The digital world moves so fast that we do not have to look far in the future to see what is next. So what is it where we need to anticipate on? The ones who are capable of implementing artificial intelligence in a way to optimize human experience. Those are the winners of tomorrow.

Augmented intelligence

To keep up with people’s expectations we have to change to an “artificial intelligence first” mentality. And however many see artificial intelligence as a futuristic idea, it is today’s reality. Leading tech companies, such as Facebook, Google, Microsoft and many start-ups,  are already switching to an AI mentality. AI will play a big part in the near future.. It presents exciting possibilities that fits the expectations of customers at any time and any platform.

AI functions as a self-serving tool. Implementing AI into business models opens new ways of interacting with customers. Companies have the possibility of being available 24/7. Interacting with customers any time of the day. The learning machine is also capable of recognizing customers behavior. It can constantly process personal data in order to personalize the experience for every individual. As Goldman Sachs research states

“We move from people instructing machines to operate pre-programmed code to people presenting problems to self learning machines” - Goldman Sachs research 2017

Artificial intelligence functions as augmented intelligence. It broadens the horizon. Machine learning technology aims to treat each person as an individual. And who doesn’t love a personal approach? It can increase the brand relationship. Let's take Netflix as probably the best example when it comes down to algorithm based decision making. It works with personal data in order to provide a personal analysis of recommendations for similar series people might like. This machine learning technique is becoming the big game changer.

AI as big game changer?

Question is whether artificial intelligence will be the big game changer. It will definitely have a huge impact but there is still a way to go. Iphones may have Siri, but besides the beatboxing option, it is not working as it should. The interaction between people and bots immediately goes wrong when deviating from the standard questions. And however Siri may not seem harmful, other artificial intelligence systems have proven to be. Microsoft’s AI chatbot, Tay, was able to respond to user’s queries and emulates the casual speech patterns of a stereotypical human. However, Tay started spewing racist tweets. And this definitely does not support the idea of understanding customers better.

People are less loyal than ever before. And with the rise of online platforms and transparency of companies, people are literally in charge. They have a world of choice. It is now up to companies how they are going to deal with these developments. People will pick the brand that is available when they want, wherever they want. Could we consider artificial intelligence as the revolutionary tool? It definitely opens new ways for a more efficient and effective interaction with clients. And companies who do not see the importance of this, will be left behind.

However, who are the winners of tomorrow? Are it the ones who can implement artificial intelligence into their business models? Or is it something else? Are the survivors of tomorrow not the ones who know how to implement it into their business model, but the ones who think beyond this. The ones who see the drastically importance of understanding the relation between artificial intelligence and humanity. The ones who will succeed in combining high tech with a human touch.