AI is certainly having a moment. It seems that no matter where you look, discussions around artificial intelligence, its capabilities, risks and impact are dominating the headlines. In a recent OBJ article, Stratford AI experts discuss how you can leverage the potential of AI in your business and why you shouldn't wait to get started.
Companies like Blockbuster and Kodak are proof that, when it comes to adapting your business strategy to technological advances, your biggest mistake would be failing to start. That’s why we sees AI as the next opportunity to integrate powerful technology into your business. Experts from each of Stratford's 3 business units recently sat down with the Ottawa Business Journal to discuss how to leverage artificial intelligence. In the feature, Rana Chreyh (Stratford Management Consulting), Mike D'Amico (Stratford People & Culture) and Natalie Giroux (Stratford Intellectual Property) all share how to sift through the hype and ask the right questions to get your AI strategy started.
For Rana, her advice is to continue asking the questions, “What problem are you solving? What opportunities are you leveraging? What’s the product or service you’re enhancing?” but through the lens of leveraging AI. Look for areas of opportunity in applications designed to improve operational efficiency for any type of business and in industry specific applications that differentiate a core product or service.
Mike stresses that supporting your people throughout the process should be a key consideration during implementation, saying, “Business strategy needs to flow into your people strategy. Are there opportunities to replace some of what people are doing? Are there other ways to change what people are doing? Does AI create the need for new or different capabilities on your teams?”
Natalie's approach to AI is to understand and identify the potential for risks as it relates to sensitive company information. She warns that, “With the personal use of AI tools, individuals and companies may be disclosing trade secrets or other forms of intellectual property without realizing it. Understanding how the tools being used leverage your inputs and data is important in protecting your IP.”
We are at the cusp of significant business disruption as AI technologies accelerate and become a must for all businesses. Leaders will need to sift through the hype to identify the priority opportunities for their business and build their strategies and roadmaps.
While tried and true business principles still apply to adopting new technology, Stratford also knows that for many, AI may feel like taking a quantum leap into the unknown.
Stratford is and will be there to help guide those first steps, to help you look before you leap.
It’s the best strategy for businesses to take action and avoid being left behind.
Read the full profile on the OBJ website.