AI in the New Era: From Buzzy to Beneath the Surface
Every year, Deloitte releases its Tech Trends report, which delves into the past year’s technological landscape and identifies macro industry trends that will play a pivotal role in digital transformation in the upcoming 18 to 24 months. Unsurprisingly, artificial intelligence (AI) was a key area in this year’s edition, released today — just not in the same way as in the past.
AI in Business: A Posse of Special-Powered Agents
When AI chatbots like ChatGPT took the world by storm, the underlying large language models (LLMs) became sought after to optimize business operations. In these case scenarios, a business would have one chat window for all of its needs and all of its curiosities. What we’re starting to see is this fractal explosion where it’s going to be AIs (plural), dozens and then hundreds and eventually, thousands of domain-specific agents trained on domain-specific data.
AI in Hardware
During the past year, there has been an explosion in the amount of AI-centric hardware equipped with more advanced computational power. This hardware can run AI applications on-device and incorporate AI features and workflows. An enterprise and employee physical computer refresh is about to start, the likes of which we haven’t seen in 15 years. For the first time in a generation, physical kit, processors, servers, networking, laptops, they can be the key between getting to the future you want, and being stuck in the past.
Where Can You Get Started with AI?
Although the overall AI landscape has significantly changed from 2023, the advice on what area businesses should start with is the same as last year: data. Ultimately, whether your company is interested in using an LLM or SLM, you will need clean, organized, and up-to-date data to get the right results.
Conclusion
AI is moving from being a buzzworthy topic to becoming an underlying layer for key business operations. As AI permeates nearly all business operations, the initial apprehension about the technology is fading. Instead of wondering if they should go all-in on AI, business leaders now face the new hurdle of determining how to exploit the technology, exploring concepts like upgrading hardware, small language models (SLMs), agentic AI, and more.
FAQs
Q: What is the current state of AI in business?
A: AI is becoming an underlying layer for key business operations.
Q: What is the future of AI in business?
A: AI is moving towards a posse of special-powered agents, with dozens and then hundreds and eventually, thousands of domain-specific agents trained on domain-specific data.
Q: What is the most important aspect of AI in business?
A: Data is the most important aspect of AI in business, as it is needed for clean, organized, and up-to-date data to get the right results.
Q: What is the current trend in AI hardware?
A: There is an explosion in the amount of AI-centric hardware equipped with more advanced computational power, allowing for AI applications on-device and incorporating AI features and workflows.
