If you're a C-Level director in a business of scale, the proliferation of AI and how you can leverage it in your organisation will have come across the boardroom table more than once of late. Most at the table will have a passing knowledge of products like ChatGPT, what it does and maybe even have a working understanding of how it does it. The 'NEED' to show that your business is keeping pace with the times and implementing this technology is a strong one.
Many suppliers will darken your door (or screen) and try to convince you that embracing this technology is a 'software problem'. They'll want to develop models for you or have you buy AI powered upgrades to their existing technology. These things may or may not add value to your business, but in the long term - they won't help you. In it's most simplistic form, AI is software that consumes data and (ideally) gives you back something contextual of value. For this technology to provide value to your business and it's customers, it needs to consume and reference your businesses data. Herein lies the problem. Most organisations do not have a technical architecture that enables their data to be easily accessed and utilized. Furthermore, few organisations have the governance, processes and ways of working required to ensure the data provenance required to feed the waves of upcoming regulation and legislation in this space.
For the vast majority of existing businesses looking to take advantage of the power of artificial intelligence, the battle will not be fought over who has the best models. It'll be fought on the battlefield of data and organisational culture.
In the last 20 years, we've seen huge shifts in user behavior and consumption habits. From print to online, desktop to mobile, the rise of applications and the proliferation of social media. Those who have succeeded in navigating these constantly shifting waters all have one thing in common. They were able to identify and mobilize their organisations to adapt in a timely manner.
Digital technology moves at a staggering pace and the speed in which the AI space is progressing is no different. The truth however, is that whatever new AI model or 'next big thing', comes around the corner. Making it valuable to your business will require you to leverage and add to your businesses data in an efficient and scalable fashion. For most businesses, this will be 30% technical architecture and 70% people, process and business transformation. It will require challenging the status quo, breaking down business silos, comfortable areas of control and a WHOLE LOT of collaboration. Business data is like gold, it's incredibly valuable, often difficult to find and people regularly fight to control it.
Organisational change on this scale cannot happen from within a business unit or department. It needs to be owned by the entire business, lead, owned and prioritised from the boardroom.
Any organisational change is painful and businesses have two choices. Either go through the pain now and be in a good position to embrace the technology your users and customers will expect as a baseline. Or change later and be destined to play catch up to your competitors who are able to out perform you by leveraging better products, features and customer interactions.
