Artificial intelligence and machine learning aren't just for the big guys Posted on : Dec 12 - 2018

The hype surrounding AI and machine learning is cacophonous - and small businesses hoping to take advantage of emerging technology might be fearful the cost will be even greater than the hysteria. But it doesn't have to be that way.

A Google web search for "artificial intelligence" produces more than 68 million results; the same search for "machine learning" returns almost 65 million results.

Sifting that knowledge base for useful information would be a huge task in itself. News stories related to the terms tend to focus on key words such as transformation and revolution. With the level of hyperbole now at its maximum level, executives in all organisations are struggling to work out how these powerful emerging technologies can support business use cases.

Smaller firms should be just as interested in machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) as their larger counterparts. Yet small business owners hoping to take advantage of emerging technology might be fearful the cost will be even greater than the hysteria. The good news is it doesn't have to be that way.

Smaller businesses can use the cloud to dip their toes into AI and ML cost effectively, choosing to take advantage of external service provision and to scale up when the business case is proven.

Taking first steps forward

AI is an emerging area with a complex array of tools and services. Yet state-of-the art shouldn't mean prohibitive. Look for a partner that aims to demystify AI and ML, helping your business reap the benefits by making emerging technology more accessible to developers and non-developers alike.

A cloud-based approach will allow your organisation to scale its requirements for AI and ML as business demands flex. Work with a partner that has the scale to offer you both the opportunity to expand your AI services exponentially, but who also has a broad range of tools to help you hone your ML approach carefully and cost effectively.

So, where might your business be able to use emerging technology? Be very wary of suggestions that AI will help you reduce workforce numbers. While industry hype suggests AI is closely associated to the replacement of human with artificial labour, definitive proof of such statements is thin on the ground.

AI is a novel and fast-emerging area. Right now, AI is best thought of as a tool that your smaller business can use to augment the skills base of its existing workforce. Rather than replacing staff, SMBs with well-organised data sets can use ML to plough through information and develop insight that can help improve business performance.

Think of a crucial area like support services. ML can be used to codify common responses and provided automated responses to basic requests, perhaps via a chat bot. Rather than being bogged down by enquiries, your support specialists can focus on higher-value support tasks that keep customers happy and increase the likelihood of repeat business. View More