Using technology to increase business productivity and efficiency isn’t new—it’s essentially the story of countless advances and changes in society. But there’s always a new tool or technique to be implemented to help the daily lives of those working. Artificial intelligence (AI) is no different.
Today, artificial intelligence is a technology that helps people around the world create and use programs that simulate human behavior. Sometimes, these programs and systems can even replace humans in bureaucratic tasks, freeing people to focus on creative or manual projects.
If you think artificial intelligence is something only large companies can use, you’re very wrong. In this article, we’ll explain a little more about what it symbolizes and the advantages of implementing it in small businesses—as well as provide examples of areas where it can benefit your business. Let’s dive in!
What is artificial intelligence?
Also known by the acronym AI, artificial intelligence is a technology that uses computing to create systems capable of simulating human behavior, based on an abundance of data. A good example is the system found in any cell phone that tells you the next word to type: it tries to act like a human being, predicting what you’re going to say, based on sentences written by a large number of people.
This happens because the artificial intelligence in your cell phone’s keyboard has been trained to absorb these phrases, discovering patterns and associations – like the high probability of someone wanting to write “love” after the words “I” and “you.”
This same system can be used to predict commands that will be given in a program, routes in a mapping application, or even help someone choose a movie on a streaming platform.
Whatever the purpose, artificial intelligence’s advantage over humans lies in the volume of data it can evaluate and process, depending on the available computing power and the size of the database it was trained on. Furthermore, there are systems capable of learning on their own over time, evolving gradually, such as generative artificial intelligence—which we’ll discuss shortly.
What is generative artificial intelligence?
There are different types of AI, but generally speaking, they can be divided into two types: narrow and general, also known as generative.
The difference between them lies in the tasks they perform. The narrow-minded one is designed to perform a single function, such as playing chess or making content recommendations. The general-purpose one is designed to multitask, simulating human intelligence, doing several things simultaneously, and acquiring knowledge from its successes and failures.
Among the best-known generative artificial intelligences are ChatGPT, capable of producing text , and DALL-E, which can create images from stimuli and instructions provided by users. Both have become quite popular recently and are already part of the daily routine of even small businesses.
Advantages of using artificial intelligence for small businesses
As we’ve mentioned before, AI has been increasingly used by companies of all sizes and sectors, especially to handle tasks and bureaucratic work.
Among its benefits, it is possible to mention:
- process automation;
- high productivity;
- new problem solutions;
- increased efficiency and agility;
- more time for creative and planning tasks;
- support in decision-making;
- reduction of operating costs;
- reduction of rework;
- better customer service;
- support in the evaluation of performance indicators
- increased efficiency of marketing campaigns and content; among others.
In what areas can small businesses implement artificial intelligence?
Today, many small businesses have not yet embraced artificial intelligence: recent research by the National Confederation of Industry (CNI) shows that 57% of small businesses are unaware of the innovations driven by new technologies.
However, implementing artificial intelligence is simpler than it may seem and can significantly benefit various tasks within your company. Furthermore, it can be a differentiator in your competition. Below, we’ll present some areas where tasks can be automated.
Service and self-service
It may sound like science fiction, but the truth is that we already use AI in our daily lives in many customer service and self-service environments—from chatbots common in e-commerce to ATMs. Implementing a chatbot can significantly help your company solve simple customer issues and reduce service times.
Marketing and Sales
Artificial intelligence systems, when connected to a company’s marketing and sales departments, can learn from customer behavior and purchasing patterns, suggesting insights and ideas for improving daily operations. These insights can lead to ideas for improving sales performance, increasing process efficiency, and creating target audience segmentations—in addition to serving customers, as mentioned above.
Automate processes
Artificial intelligence is also widely used to automate bureaucratic processes, such as filling out forms, spreadsheets, and contracts.
Supply chain and logistics
Artificial intelligence can also be used to improve day-to-day operations in logistics and supply chains—whether by suggesting the best delivery routes, offering ideas for improving logistics processes, or even managing inventory and warehouses.
Finances
Artificial intelligence systems can help business leaders solve a variety of financial issues, including risk analysis, fraud prevention, and financial process automation. Have you ever thought about how much time you’d save using a program capable of reading and scheduling payments from invoices? This is just the beginning.