Artificial intelligence (AI) usually brings to mind sentient machines hell-bent on human destruction. Those sci-fi movies that Hollywood loves to churn out every year have given audiences a specific picture of what artificial intelligence is.
However, AI is more than just android assassins from the future and funny talking robots on wheels. As a matter of fact, AI is nearly everywhere. From your favorite online shopping app to your most used social media platform, nearly everything uses artificial intelligence.
AI’s Beginnings
Artificial intelligence could be traced as far back as the time of the great ancient Greek philosophers who attempted to explain human thinking as a symbolic system, a manipulation of symbols. But it wasn’t until the summer of 1956 when the term “artificial intelligence” was coined at a workshop in Dartmouth College.
AI is based on the belief that the human thought process can be translated mechanically and implanted into a machine. This was a long-held belief that finally culminated in the field of artificial intelligence being “born” in 1956. In the golden age of AI, the first chatbot (ELIZA) was created.
By the time we entered the 21st century, large strides in the field of AI had been made. AI had infiltrated all sectors of the economy, lightening the load, solving economic problems, and handling big data better than any human mind could.
Business and AI
The business world has been awash with applications that use artificial intelligence. AI has been integrated into the different sectors of the business world and for the most part, the business world has been all the better for it.
There are plenty of applications used in various businesses that operate with AI programs.
Chatbots
Most transactions that happen currently take place online. With the pandemic still looming over us and different businesses migrating to the web to survive during the lockdowns, being present 24/7 for your customers has become a necessity. This is where chatbots enter. Chatbots make it so that customers’ questions or needs are being met even when the employees of the business are asleep. Whether customers reach out during business hours or in the middle of the night, chatbots are there to address their concerns. These automation processes help lighten the load of customer service personnel. For the business itself, chatbots might help cut down costs in the long run because it can eliminate the need of certain shifts being manned by human employees.
Hiring apps
Even the world of human resources benefits from artificial intelligence. Hiring apps abound in the vast chasm of the interwebs. From vetting and hiring to categorizing resumes, hiring apps are making human resources work and the hiring process easier and more efficient.
Updating candidate data can be a tedious and repetitive affair and connecting with the right candidates can be tricky. Any HR professional can attest to the tedium of wading through hundreds of resumes and finding close to no viable candidates for their open positions. Having an app that can do the updates and posting for you can free up a huge chunk of time that can be devoted to other more fruitful pursuits. This can make your employees more productive and ensure that you reach the candidates that match the job description without the extra work of reading every single resume submitted.
Financial and Accounting Apps
Another important but repetitive and tedious side of any business is accounting. Any business worth its salt needs to have clean books that close on time. Maintaining accurate financial records though can be very hard to do. This is where accounting and financial apps can be useful.
These apps have the capacity to keep track and record all your financial actions, keep receipts, record time keeping for your employees, and much more. Apps like these will take the repetitive, error-prone tasks that usually take up most of your employees’ time and energy, automate them, and take away the “human error” element from the equation. This makes using these applications a smarter and safer way of handling your accounting needs especially when integrated into the workflow.
Apps for Remote Work
Business continuity is very important to have as a business. Whether you are a business full of IT professionals or a business made up mostly of accountants and clerks, business continuity is essential to the your company’s survival. No matter what services you offer.
This has never been more apparent than today, in the midst of a pandemic. Remote work has become the new normal, and the apps and tools that make this possible are necessary to keep business running. Applications like Zoom or Skype to hold meetings, or enterprise wikis that hold your company data and make it accessible to everyone that needs it regardless of their location; these things have been gaining traction even more during these trying times.
Working remotely can both be a good thing and a bad thing. It’s good because it cuts down on commute and prep time and saves employees hundreds in gas money. It’s a bad thing especially when you have a spotty connection or do not have a dedicated workspace at home. If it is your first time doing remote work, there are many articles on the internet that talk about remote working tips.
Conclusion
All in all, integrating AI and AI-powered applications into your business processes can be a rewarding experience, not just for your employees but for your business as a whole. It cuts down cost and increases productivity. It makes your customers happy with 24/7 service. And in the long run, it can save your business money in operational costs through process automation.
