Democratizing AI: Getting The Most Out Of Digitization

Artificial Intelligence is everywhere, and if your business is looking to achieve true digital transformation, you’ve likely started to plan out how it can help you and your team. However, simply integrating AI into your current workflow is not enough to make it effective.

Without proper training and access to resources, your team is just as likely to sink in the waves of digitization as they are to swim. For AI to truly make a difference, it needs to be accessible.

What Does Democratizing AI Mean?

Democratizing AI is the term used to describe the process of making artificial intelligence more widely available to the public. This goal is often aimed at making AI accessible to those without technical knowledge or experience in the subject — which happens to be one of the main benefits of the newly-launched StormAI!

It is believed that democratizing AI will increase the use of AI in practical applications, leading to a better understanding of the technology and its potential. In the business world, this means ensuring that everyone on your team understands how AI works and how it can simplify your workflow.

Why Accessible AI Matters

Accessible AI is important for businesses because it can help streamline processes, increase productivity, and provide a competitive edge.

AI can automate tedious, repetitive tasks, which frees up your team’s time for more complex and creative tasks. If you’re looking for a more analytical approach, AI can provide insights into your business operations, helping you to make more informed decisions.

By democratizing AI within your business, you can ensure that everyone has the same access to AI technology, removing any potential barriers to entry. This helps promote a culture of innovation and collaboration, while also increasing the collective intelligence of your team.

If you're looking to tackle Digital Transformation on a wide scale anytime soon, you're likely to face push-back from employees that don't understand AI and are justifiably afraid of losing their jobs. While an ethical approach to AI implementation is vital, many of these concerns can also be curbed by making the technology truly accessible - not just available - to all.

Ideally, this will include teaching less experienced employees about AI and its potential applications within the business. For example, you could offer tutorials and hands-on training sessions to help employees understand how to use the AI implementations that are changing your process.

You could also allow employees to participate in AI-related projects, enabling them to gain first-hand knowledge and experience. This takes automation from something that is encroaching on their way of working to something that they can take pride in.

In addition to promoting a culture of learning and collaboration, democratizing AI can help to ensure that the technology is used ethically and responsibly. By providing access to everyone, you have multiple eyes on the system and a higher chance of noticing any issues or breaches of privacy.

You never know where the next great idea is going to come from, so getting your whole team comfortable and excited about AI can be the key to unlocking a new era of innovation and success.

Augmented Intelligence

Another way to help curb some of the concerns employees may have about AI is to change how it’s perceived in your organization. Augmented Intelligence involves the integration of AI systems with human intelligence to enhance human capabilities and decision-making processes. In this approach, the AI system is designed to work alongside humans, rather than replacing them.

The goal of augmented intelligence is to create constructive collaboration between humans and AI systems, with each complementing the strengths and weaknesses of the other. This approach recognizes that humans have unique capabilities, such as creativity, intuition, and empathy, that are difficult to replicate in machines. At the same time, AI systems can analyze vast amounts of data and make predictions and recommendations with incredible speed and accuracy.

Overall, Augmented Intelligence represents a shift in how we think about AI, from a replacement for humans to a tool that can enhance and amplify human capabilities.

Benefits of Democratizing AI

The power of AI is boundless, but when you have it available to your entire team, the effect has only grown.

Innovation

By providing access to AI tools to everyone on your team, you can encourage them to experiment and come up with new ways to use the technology. This helps to foster an environment of continuous improvement and open dialogue.

It makes sense that democratizing the tools for innovation leads to democratized innovation. When everyone is free to bring forward new ideas, they can tackle issues from fresh perspectives.

Productivity

Another benefit of democratizing AI within your business is that it can lead to increased productivity. Your team will be better equipped to handle complex tasks with greater efficiency.

This can help to free up resources that can then be used to focus on improving other areas of the business. Without repetitive tasks eating up the time in their day, team members can tackle larger projects and create a work environment where they and the business can thrive.

Decision-Making

When your team feels empowered to lean on AI tools, automation, and streams of data, they will be better equipped to decide how to tackle problems and develop solutions. Data-Driven, confident decision-making can transform the effectiveness of your business.

Challenges of Democratizing AI

Accessibility is seldom easy. Accommodating the needs of everyone within your team takes time and dedication. There are several challenges you’ll need to keep an eye on as you start to democratize AI within your organization.

Technical Barriers

Smooth-running, successful AI requires technically-sound machines and networks. This means that your organization’s IT infrastructure needs to be up-to-date and able to handle the demands of AI tools.

If your team’s hardware is not compatible with the most cutting-edge AI technology, then you will be limited to using older, less effective tools. In the fight for accessible AI, this issue is exacerbated because every member of your team needs equal access to the technology.

Lack of Expertise

While AI tools can be powerful, they can also be complicated. This can lead to a learning curve for your team, as they will need to familiarize themselves with new software and technologies.

If your team does not have the necessary expertise to make use of the AI tools, then it may be difficult to get the desired results. This will likely require training and continual learning opportunities for your less tech-savvy employees.

High Cost

In the long run, AI will save your team time and money if implemented correctly. However, the upfront investment can be high, especially if you need to re-train entire teams.

This could end up being a major roadblock for businesses looking to make use of AI tools. If you’re looking to justify the cost to upper management, be sure to remind them of the actual, tangible problems that AI can solve.

How To Democratize AI

If you’ve done any work with accessibility in the past, you know that it can be a complicated process. Luckily, the path to making AI accessible and usable by everyone on your team has some clearly defined steps to get you started.

Step One: Training

As mentioned earlier, one of the largest barriers to AI usage is a lack of skill and fear of the unknown. Setting aside time to bring your team up to speed and get them comfortable with the technology is vital.

This can help them to become more confident and use it more effectively. Training sessions should be tailored to the specific AI tools that you are using, as well as the objectives of your business.

Remember not to overwhelm people by teaching them everything at once. Focus on the things they need to know to integrate AI into their current workflow and expand from there.

Step Two: Access

While it may seem odd to hold off on providing access until step two, this will limit the amount of time your team is faced with new information. If they have already completed - or at least started - training, they will be less overwhelmed by the implementation of the technology.

Make sure that everyone on your team has access to the tools they need to use the AI effectively. This may involve giving them access to the right hardware or software or working together to create a workflow that accommodates everyone’s needs.

Step Three: Ongoing Support

No one wants to feel like they’ve been left in the dust. Make sure your team knows exactly where to go if they need help, and that you’re prepared to support them at every stage of the transition.

This could include providing technical assistance when needed, as well as offering feedback and guidance on how to use the technology effectively. The more they can trust you, the more likely your team will get the most out of AI implementation.

The Bottom Line

There’s no denying that AI has become an essential part of running a competitive business. Taking the time to educate everyone about the use of AI and providing them with the tools they need to make the most of it will allow them to reach heights of productivity and innovations beyond their wildest dreams.

StormAI

Stormboard’s all-new AI system was built on the principles of democratized AI. If your team is looking at investing in AI, StormAI is an excellent first step that requires virtually no training or prior AI experience or expertise. It is easy to use for everyone, and most importantly — it augments the talents of your team rather than attempt to replace them, which can make the introduction and adoption of AI exponentially easier.

About the author:

A programmer by trade, Nick Saraev is a freelance writer and entrepreneur with a penchant for helping people excel in their careers. He's been featured on Popular Mechanics & Apple News, and has founded several successful companies in e-commerce, marketing, and artificial intelligence. When he's not working on his latest project, you can find him hiking or painting.