AI Existed Before Gen AI

The Enterprise has been using AI and Machine Learning for over a decade, Gen AI is just the latest tool in the box.

AI Existed Before Gen AI

As with many things in life, getting distracted and caught up on the new and shiny elements is easily done.  In reality however, it tends to be the more boring and standard items that are the most important. In this regard, the world of AI is no different.  You cannot read any publication these days and not see a mention of ChatGPT or Generative AI.  Whether it’s a sensationalist article exclaiming how AI will take all our jobs or how a software company has ‘revolutionised’ their product by adding a new assistant or co-pilot, you cannot move without reading about AI.

What you might find interesting, however, is that AI has been with us for some time already.  Not only that, but it’s present in some areas that we consider the most important in our lives, particularly finance, health, and entertainment.  And whilst we think AI won’t make it into highly regulated industries, the truth is quite the opposite. The 1980s saw the start of AI in commercial applications,  and it wasn’t too long ago that the entire globe was willing our pharmaceutical companies to create a vaccine for COVID-19.   I’d wager that every credit card you apply for, insurance claim you make and what you buy from the “Recommended Products” list is all based on a machine learning model.

And this is where most AI use cases still reside. Enterprise businesses mostly want to use AI to improve accuracy, reduce costs, and increase automation. I’d say most organisations are still looking at Generative AI with curious interest. They’re still working out potential privacy issues, user training, and, not least, governance and control.  They’re also walking a tight line between wanting to be the first to steal a march on their competitors, but they also don’t want to be the first brand associated with a huge PR disaster.

That said, this area is evolving at a lightning pace and what will be one or two emerging use cases will turn into a torrent within a matter of months.

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