Walking the talk on AI integration

From the great Alan Turing, who contemplated the potential of artificial intelligence as early as 1950, to its dramatised and often dystopian depiction in literature and film, the virtues and vast potential of artificial intelligence (AI) have been discussed for generations. But gone are the days where we see AI as a mythical and intangible concept.

Today, AI is regularly touted as the saviour for a wide array of challenges affecting organisations across a range of industries. However, the vast potential of AI can only be realised with a considered adoption strategy — one that is informed, reasoned and deliberate in harnessing its capability into deeper, transformative value.

We recently welcomed experts from across business and technology to our Australian iteration of IFS Connect to discuss the challenges faced across multiple industries and share opportunities in the burgeoning Australian market.

We frequently engage with organisations about the challenges they face in an ever-changing business landscape. AI integration is almost always at the forefront of conversation — one which debates the adoption of AI as both benefit and bugbear on how to best move forward.

Work smarter, not harder

In Australia, while our current rates of employment, property vacancy and cost of living suggest that our economy is operating at full capacity, we are falling behind in productivity. What does this mean? While some economies across the world grow, we risk remaining stagnant.

Businesses must look towards building efficiencies to create the capacity needed for growth. With our workforce more stretched than ever, the answer may not lie in working harder but in working smarter. In this instance, the answer clearly lies in AI.

The roots of success

Recent research commissioned by IFS found that while executive and board leadership have ‘bought the AI hype’, there is still a considerable distance between talking about its potential and delivering operationally on expectations. While 84% of executives anticipate massive organisational benefits from AI, 80% state that their organisation lacks a strategic approach to successfully adopt AI, and 43% note the quality of AI resources in their organisations is not where it needs to be.

There is immense pressure to catch up, with businesses already accessing the benefit of cloud services and AI. However, flying blind is hardly a solution. Our research, Industrial AI: The New Frontier for Productivity, Innovation and Competition, suggests business leaders are concerned that a failure to plan, implement or integrate properly will cause AI projects to stall in the pilot stage… not good!

Considerations for AI adoption

Before rushing into AI adoption, businesses must consider the following:

1. Data requirements: Does your operation have the necessary architecture to support AI adoption?
2. Company-wide buy-in: Is there whole-of-company support? Executives may be eager, but without a unified approach, AI will gather dust while employees manually update spreadsheets.
3. Skills access: Do you have access to the necessary skills? Proper AI integration requires new training and resources to prevent regressing to old ways.
4. Infrastructure concerns: Address power, cooling and data security concerns. Taking the time to address these compatibility questions will help define a solution that works best for your business.

AI is akin to a tree of infinite wisdom. Like machine learning, its branches constantly adapt to its environment, growing upward to infinite possibilities.

But any tree requires deeply embedded roots to ensure its foundations are secure and rich in life. End-to-end data infrastructure is much like that: properly integrated AI, fed with accurate and comprehensive data, will bear fruit in intelligent, data-fuelled insights.

Delivering on a moment of service

We need only look at how consumers use AI daily to witness its rapid adoption in everyday life. From voice recognition and chatbots to popular generative AI tools, we already live in a reality where AI delivers what we need.

At an enterprise level, we’re entering an exciting transformative period to see what is possible with AI. However, organisations cannot assume that investment in AI projects is intrinsically good or necessarily means progress. Adoption is only a small part of the story.

Organisations can leverage AI to be a force for good, easing workloads for those delivering their moment of service while making the experience more efficient and intuitive for recipients. The benefits of efficiency and productivity at an enterprise level are clear.

Beyond these surface-level benefits, AI can help organisations achieve their ESG goals. Increased visibility across the entire value chain, coupled with AI-fuelled insights, provides a path to optimise processes for peak efficiency and sustainability.

Turning the potential of AI into the kinetic energy of meaningful integration will be the most crucial decision-making challenge for Australian business leaders in both the short and long term. Proper implementation will determine whether AI can truly deliver on its promise.

So, when it comes to AI, consider this: Are you walking your talk?

*Warren Zietsman is the Managing Director for IFS Australia and New Zealand. He is responsible for delivering modern enterprise systems that create value for IFS’s customers, developing a local business strategy, building the customer base and expanding the company’s network of quality resellers.

Top image credit: iStock.com/Khanchit Khirisutchalual