Artificial Intelligence is transforming the processes of an increasing number of organizations at a rapid pace. Not too long ago, these tools and the necessary infrastructure to utilize them were only accessible to a few, primarily large corporations. As AI becomes more democratized, these tools are starting to become available to a larger number of users, including medium and small-sized businesses.
The reduction in costs related to both processing and storage capabilities allows for the exploitation of these tools at reasonable costs. A proper implementation of an AI solution can provide benefits that far outweigh the expenses required for its deployment and operation, especially in the field of Business Intelligence.
AI Techniques
There are multiple techniques to implement AI solutions, and one relevant example is machine learning. This branch of Artificial Intelligence allows computer systems to autonomously learn from historical data, giving them the ability to make predictions. Other Artificial Intelligence systems enable the generation of content based on the data on which they have been trained. These different systems, as will be seen, can bring great value to existing BI platforms.
The most commonly used models today are neural networks, of which there are different models depending on the type of prediction desired. For example, recurrent neural networks are used for the prediction of time series. Transformers, which have recently emerged, are used in very large natural language processing models such as GPT-3 or LaMDA, or in systems for generating images from text descriptions such as DALL-E or Google Image.
Machine learning includes supervised learning strategies that require data to be labeled beforehand, unsupervised learning strategies that do not require such labeling, or mixed models. Machine learning also includes reinforcement learning, in which the prediction capability is improved through continuous simulation of the system itself. Finally, deep learning uses networks with a high number of layers, allowing for interpretation of very complex data.
The uses or applications of AI are currently present in numerous sectors, and their growth is exponential. They cover sectors such as commerce, industry, or health, for example. In any case, its integration into Data Warehouse systems is becoming increasingly present due to the enormous benefits it brings.
Applications of Artificial Intelligence.
Within the business environment, many AI systems rely on the huge amount of data managed by corporations, establishing a Big Data – AI relationship with numerous applications. These systems allow the discovery of structures, patterns, trends, or non-obvious anomalies to the human eye, and ultimately a meaningful understanding of the data.
AI systems are helping with customer segmentation and retention, payment fraud detection, advertising effectiveness by predicting campaign popularity, conducting predictive marketing, detection of consumption patterns and demand patterns., stock forecasting or the recommendation of relevant products or advertisements for users, among others.
Real examples
Both these and other specific AI systems allow for decision-making support.
- In relation to customers, virtual assistants based on natural language processing AI systems are offering increasingly seamless interaction. These systems accurately identify customer needs and execute corresponding processes with high precision.
- Logistics – there are AI systems that predict areas with high traffic and the most efficient route.
- Security – noteworthy systems include those for person identification and access control.
- Industry – an optimization of production processes is being achieved through AI systems that predict preventive maintenance operations. This allows for the avoidance of downtime due to failure and the minimization of maintenance costs.
- Health – AI systems allow for the early detection of diseases.
Conclusion
In order to achieve some of the aforementioned functionalities, not only are there tools to develop a new system, but there are also pre-existing systems that can be parameterized or retrained to meet the specific requirements of the organization. An example of this can be the multiple AI-based solutions offered as services by major technology companies such as Google, Amazon, or Microsoft.
Pre-trained neural network models with millions of parameters are also being released. This would be unfeasible in terms of time and cost for a small organization, but it can be tackled through partial retraining, which can be achieved with few resources to adjust them to specific needs.
The successful implementation of an AI system requires having a specialized partner in the definition, implementation, and verification of such systems. This helps establish a clear definition of the objectives and success in achieving them.
