How to implement artificial intelligence (Ai) and human intelligence (Hi) in your organisation’s strategy.

Businesses need to develop an overarching strategy on how they will embed Ai over time, which is fluid as Ai developments are moving so fast.

Do some market analysis of Ai in your industry, which problems are being solved and how? You will need to have some understanding of how Ai works, don’t just trust blindly. Identify where Ai can be effective and add value. Start with a small project that has a clear impact on your KPIs and if possible provides benefit to your customers. Plan for growth so that you have the ability to scale fast when you are successful. You need to invest in the staff as well as the technology. Investing in one and not the other will cause more problems than it solves.

Some issues to be aware of when implementing Ai:

• How will you train your Ai; most importantly against bias?

• Are you aware of the legal implications of how data is captured and used?

• Do you know what data you have? Ai works on data patterns and interactions, check which of your processes are automated and if your data comes from multiple sources.

Ai will not replace human effort, Ai is a tool to enhance human productivity. Ai is a drastic change to the organisation and needs to be a carefully planned change initiative because your staff’s mindsets will need to change. Also, you must collect results and outcomes and use these to affect future business decisions. Staff will be anxious about redundancies, and leadership must be sensitive to this, explaining, where possible staff will be re-skilled or up-skilled for the changing work. If you don’t have the necessary skills in your existing workforce, include in your strategy how you will acquire the needed talent.