AI Will Finally Come Of Age In 2023

Forbes Magazine has published their guide to the technology trends we all need to be aware of for 2023. One of the most important mentioned is the fact that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be everywhere next year.

No-code AI is gaining ground and allowing business managers to design technology solutions without the help of an IT team. Of course these drag and drop systems may not work in every situation, but they will help to encourage the broader use of AI in business solutions. Naturally this will lead to a greater demand for cloud computing, edge computing, and the analytics required to power AI insights.

Many of the AI opportunities are already possible today and some are likely to happen in the near future:

• Autonomous shopping and delivery: if consumers deploy an “intelligent agent” to represent their needs then the agent can search for deals, arrange the purchase and delivery automatically, and even handle customer service questions if there are problems after a purchase. Amazon has largely delivered most of this functionality with their Echo system, but consumers are really only just starting to trust the automated agents.
• Recommendations: companies that use AI to get closer to their customers should be able to sell more. Think about retail for an easy to understand option. Retailers know what their customers like and dislike, what they buy, what they browse, when they make purchases. Now if you add some external data – such as major sports events and the weather – can your AI figure out what customers will want tomorrow? Can you use this insight to create intelligent offers that are time-limited?
• Inventory: managing stock is critical for all companies, but companies that combine a public-facing location – such as stores – with an online business need to combine both sides of their business and tightly manage stock control. Walmart in Canada has a system that can actually see if shelves are empty in stores so new products can be ordered automatically.

We are still in the early days of exploring just how far brands can improve the delivery of their products and services thanks to AI.

The FIFA football World Cup taking place at present in Qatar gives an indication of some of the opportunities though. You might not expect AI to be playing much of a role in a football competition, but look at these areas where AI is making a critical difference:

• Balls: every ball reports sensor data over 500 times a second. Although Ronaldo insisted he scored, the ball showed that he did not.
• VAR: Video Assistant Referees use algorithms and data points to make calls that should always be correct.
• Temperature regulation: automated systems to suck in fresh air, cool it, and create a bubble of cooler air inside stadiums – all automatically controlled.
• Crowd control: over 15,000 cameras constantly monitoring the crowd to ensure problems can be anticipated – such as stampedes.

The World Cup examples just show that AI is becoming more pervasive each year. Many companies in China are now placing AI at the heart of their strategy, but European and American companies still appear to be searching for value. The value is clearly out there – AI can help companies get closer to what their customers really need, but it requires some planning. You can improve your business processes and AI can become a critical strategy for the future of your business, but the opportunities must be seen in terms of how AI can be applied as a transformative tool that can change your entire business – not just as value in one specific area.

Continue discovering what the future will be like. Gartner has provided a good summary for the tech industry. Their latest analysis looking ahead to 2023 lists ten important technologies worth watching next year – and AI is one of them.