Master AI before AI masters your business

The cloud computing market is expected to grow from USD 0.58 trillion in 2023 to USD 1.24 trillion by 2028. This increase is down to emerging technologies such as big data, AI, and machine learning (ML). Large enterprise businesses are already committing significant resources to developing these areas. For example, Orange Business employ 7,000 people across Europe in data, digital and cloud combined, and while generative AI is not yet significantly impacting IT spending levels, Gartner forecasts that by the end of 2023, worldwide IT spending will have reached $4.7 trillion.

Data and AI are already having an impact on every part of a business’s activities – including some potentially overlooked areas such as employee experience. With the sector growing so fast, we need a reality check on where the industry is today in its AI journey and the main data considerations businesses need to address to be ready for this transformation.

Data education

AI relies on data to be accurate. This means that, to implement a data-centric culture and achieve the resulting business benefits, all employees need to be educated in the areas that underpin data and its day-to-day business use. This includes areas such as data security, and AI tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot. Employees not only need to understand how to use them but also when and where to make use of them. Historically it was only IT departments that needed to know these things, but those days are long gone. Nowadays, everyone – marketing, sales, finance – needs to know how to embed AI in their day-to-day and use it in useful ways that are also compliant.

In fact, if a company wants to transform into a data organisation, then adopting a data centric culture is key. That being a culture where every employee has a good knowledge of data mesh, AI and generative AI, as well as the applicable regulations and legislation both globally and locally. In the fast-moving context, it is a common responsibility to consider data as a valuable asset in order to ensure the growth of the enterprise.

Generative AI

Data is the central asset of a company, but it is not the only driver of positive business outcomes. For example, generative AI is a subject everyone seems to be talking about since ChatGPT hit the headlines and Microsoft Copilot was announced. Generative AI is a booming marketing. We know it will be huge, both for businesses and society, but we can’t yet forecast the speed of market growth with accuracy. One study from Gartner predicts that by 2024, 40% of enterprise applications will have embedded conversational AI, up from less than 5% in 2020.

There’s a strong argument for making generative AI into a tangible asset for businesses to use in a safe way and end-to-end visibility is crucial to ensure it becomes an asset. For example, because it believes that generative AI will become significant in the coming years, Orange Business is already providing its customers with generative AI services. These aim to help organisations master AI, explain its business value and ensure tangible ROI for businesses that spend budget on AI tools. Orange Business is currently testing generative AI internally, with a view to embed it in some, or even all, solutions. Within six months to a year, the company aims to have built its first standalone AI project.

Co-innovation promotes trust by design

Certain companies are leading the way in working out how best to use generative AI and are teaching other organisations how to use it in the most beneficial way. This co-innovation means both partners learn and grow together.

If you are a company wishing to learn, then its good advice to choose a partner with a dedicated task force established to ensure all regulations are understood and to demystify what generative AI is. This helps because data is everywhere and is central to a company – it is no longer the concern only of the IT department. This in turn means that trust must also be central because any data injected into an organisation needs to be reliable and trusted.

By choosing the right co-innovation partner, organisations can rest assured that that when working with clients on projects, they know where the data is coming from, and what it will be used for. In this way, a culture of trust-by-design is instilled across the organisation. Don’t leave your generative AI journey down to chance. Instead unlock its potential by getting on board with a co-innovation partner that is already knowledgeable about AI and its undoubted business benefits.