Artificial Intelligence

Emerging technology makes possible use and management of group storytelling using artificial intelligence.

By recognizing objects, and learning and reacting to speech patterns, artificial intelligence (AI) allows digital devices to assist us in our daily lives. In the near future, AI has the potential to significantly impact industry and business. Along with manufacturing and retail, both the energy and healthcare sectors are investing heavily in AI, in preparation for reaping the many benefits of this once unimaginable technology.

As AI studies usage patterns, retailers and service providers will be able to learn about customers’ use of their products and their preferences for new products. Medical clinics will diagnose health problems or read X-rays via smartphone. In the home, electric vehicles will automatically charge according to need, and energy use will be optimized to benefit both the consumer and the energy provider.

An example of AI’s benefits to business can be seen in the following process improvement example.

AI and Process Improvement

Storytelling can play a role in process improvement, but the results are not as robust when knowledge recollection depends on stakeholders’ memories. Witnesses often know information but are not available to report it, while those who are available for reporting often experience gaps in their recall. Researchers agree that the more contributors to a knowledge recall activity, the more accurate and complete it will be – and this group storytelling is where AI can help.


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Traditionally, process improvement exercises consist of gathering information to determine how a process currently runs. These exercises are more successful when everyone uses common vocabulary, which feeds directly into leveraging AI to improve results. Artificial intelligence can help identify patterns and define current conditions, as well as important signals in a process. It also supports reasoning and planning, and can utilize the standard terms to transform group inputs into customized process models. Building on these knowledge libraries, AI can help develop optimal workflows throughout an organization. But can AI think like we do?

From Turing Tests to Watson

In the early 1950s, mathematician Alan Turing had the foresight to ask whether machines – namely, the computers that had just been developed – could think and learn, in much the same way that we humans do. He even developed a test, known as the Turing Test, to provide the answer. The Turing Test requires a questioner to determine whether answers are coming from a human or a computer. All these years later, machines have still not passed the Turing Test, but that hasn’t stopped the progress and possibilities of AI. In 1997, the computer Deep Blue beat then-world champion Garry Kasparov at chess. A few years later, IBM’s computer, Watson, won against the two best-ever Jeopardy players.

It’s clear that while we can program computers to mimic human behavior and thinking, they can’t yet learn like we do. In the workplace, humans learn to solve problems and deal with unexpected circumstances by asking for help, brainstorming with others and relying on someone else’s experience. In time, AI systems will do the same, learning by making mistakes, and evolving by dealing with the unexpected. In the meantime, AI will continue to surprise us by finding hidden inefficiencies, solving complex problems and improving business processes.

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