Putting people first in the AI revolution will drive your innovation engine

To say that the evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) in the past few years was rapid risks sounding like an understatement. This speed of evolution and deployment has brought with it some important take-aways, from what’s needed for a successful deployment to an understanding of AI’s scope. But one of the clearest lessons is that a people-first approach is not just a noble aspiration but a strategic imperative.

I’ve long thought that the beating heart of accelerated innovation is empowering individuals. AI is no different. The role of tech leaders is to enable an organisation’s people to harness the transformative potential of AI while ensuring trust and security in these tools.

It’s a conversation we’re continuing at this year’s Dell Technologies Forum events, where we’re bringing technology experts across a range of industry together to explore how they are making AI and GenAI work for their organisations — and their people. This includes our co-keynote speaker John Roese, who will be sharing a wealth of knowledge from his role as Global Chief AI Technology Officer at Dell Technologies. We’ll also hear from our partner community, which is at the coalface of innovation, learning and collaborating with customers and identifying opportunities in ANZ for AI to change the way we work.

These discussions are crucial. In our recent Innovation Catalyst Study, 85% of respondents said they think AI tools will augment human capabilities and productivity. But to get there, as business leaders we need to focus on the things that make us and our people uniquely human. Skills such as our innate creativity, our ability to think strategically and join the dots, and our flexibility and willingness to learn new skills and ways of doing things.

We then must work in partnership with our people to put emerging AI tools at the core of our business transformations. Without people, it is just a technology. But with people, it becomes a tool to power your innovation engine and build your competitive advantage.

AI is a business opportunity

Building an innovation engine is a tough challenge, and the reality is that keeping pace without a trusted partner is hard. In fact, the Innovation Catalyst Study found just over half of respondents are already struggling to keep up with disruption, but over 80% understood AI and GenAI will transform their industries.

The good news is you don’t need to do it on your own. For the last 40 years Dell Technologies has been working to democratise technology through open platforms and systems, and we are bringing this same democratisation approach to AI. We work with our partners to provide the industry’s broadest range of AI-enabled software, services and hardware platforms designed to help our customers innovate and stay ahead of the curve.

Take for instance our work with NVIDIA to accelerate AI innovation with organisations of all sizes. Dubbed the AI Factory, this approach speeds adoption by providing comprehensive, end-to-end AI solutions that leverage our AI infrastructure and services portfolio along with NVIDIA’s AI Enterprise software platform. The goal is to simplify AI development, automate workflows, and deliver faster business outcomes, reducing setup time by up to 86%.

AI and digital innovation represent a significant opportunity for Australia to capitalise on its advanced infrastructure and strong economic fundamentals to build its global competitiveness. According to the CSIRO’s Data61, these technologies have the potential to add an additional $315 billion in gross economic value to Australia between 2020 and 2030.

However, for the nation to hit this target, Australian organisations must fully exploit the data they generate to underpin their AI platforms and empower their people.

Data is your differentiator

Data without analytics and insights is just ones and zeros sitting on a server or in the cloud somewhere. Yet only 34% of Australian and New Zealand organisations currently can turn data into the real-time insights they need to support their innovation and business efforts.

However, 79% of those same organisations fully understand the importance of data as a competitive differentiator and know their GenAI strategy rests on using and protecting that data.

Local companies are also sceptical about their valuable data residing in third-party AI platforms, so three-quarters are either in the process of, or planning to, repatriate their data into on-premises or hybrid environments to fuel their AI agenda.

This is where open ecosystems come into play. An open ecosystem is cost effective and avoids platform lock-in. By working with a trusted partner like Dell Technologies, Australian and New Zealand organisations can create the infrastructure they need to build and deploy AI systems designed to fuel their growth and innovation.

This includes building an AI solution that works for your people. One that’s secure, rolled out sustainably and built with a collaborative approach. By doing so we’ll create AI that’s fit for purpose: well-regulated with the right guardrails and protections, but also one that can bring each organisation’s distinct qualities, values and voice, as well as the unique values of its data sets.

GenAI is the next major stepping stone in technology transformation, following the advent of the PC, the development of the web and the introduction of the smartphone. But like all those technologies, the point isn’t the tech itself, but what it empowers people to do. To ride the GenAI curve, Australian and New Zealand businesses must focus on how it helps their people to become more creative and more strategic. Only then will they be able to capitalise on AI’s ability to innovate, transform their processes and create new products and services for their customers.

Join us at Dell Technologies Forum in Sydney to hear how GenAI will benefit your people and your business. We look forward to seeing you.

Register here: https://tinyurl.com/7y5k33f9.

Image credit: iStock.com/BlackJack3D