Artificial Intelligence "by the hour" – a revolution that will change business and the world

Although artificial intelligence is invariably associated with science-fiction novels, it is worth noting that, according to estimates, the global market for already very real solutions based on AI scripts is set to exceed $2.8 billion by 2030 (Transparency Market Research).

Moreover, it is estimated to grow at an average annual rate of around 29 percent over the forecast period. Even now, however, the clear benefits of implementing AI can already be observed – safer and greener transport or improved healthcare are just a few of them. The possibilities, meanwhile, are endless. Until now, however, to reap the benefits of artificial intelligence, enormous investment in infrastructure and software was required, which limited innovation to only the largest organizations. But what if artificial intelligence could be rented by the hour?

Research by FleishmanHillard shows that nearly 60 percent of respondents still fear the development of artificial intelligence (AI). Nevertheless, it already accompanies us in everyday life, regardless of whether we are its supporters or approach it with caution. What is more, during the pandemic, spending on its development increased noticeably. According to Gartner, recently almost 30 percent of investments in artificial intelligence gained additional momentum, and another 47 percent did not slow down.

- Raymond Kurzweil predicted that before the end of this decade, humans would create a system that possesses a human mind and can think like people. However, seeing how interest in AI is growing and taking into account that, thanks to the cloud, this technology is only now becoming widely available, it appears that this may happen much earlier than in 2029. – assesses Robert Paszkiewicz, responsible at OVHcloud for the Central and Eastern Europe region.

Artificial intelligence and automation mean the end of the world as we know it

Artificial intelligence and automation mean the end of the world as we know it

Data from the World Economic Forum's report The Future of Jobs 2020 report shows that, due to the pandemic, workplace automation is happening even faster than originally assumed. It is predicted that within the next five years, as many as about 85 million jobs will be automated.

Interestingly, however, only 4 out of 10 respondents believed that this would involve a reduction in employment. And although the projected changes may stir extreme emotions, we should not fear the realization of incredible Hollywood movie scenarios. Intelligent machines will not replace people. They will only take over mechanical tasks that are already performed that way and provide support in work that requires constant readiness, e.g., remote customer service.

- By 2022, automation will affect nearly 50 percent of the professions we know. We need to consider how to help people go through the transformation associated with artificial intelligence, which at the same time will unlock demand for new professions – notes Robert Paszkiewicz, OVHcloud

During this time, demand will grow for roles using "human" skills, such as abstract thinking, versatility, creativity, or soft social competences based on intuition and relationships. The report shows that as many as 41 percent of surveyed companies plan to expand the use of contractors for specialized tasks, and as many as 34 percent plan to increase the number of employees due to technology integration. So instead of bringing the end of the world, the "robo-revolution" is expected to bring about 97 million new jobs in other sectors, and although some will require different competences than before, everyone can benefit from this. These are changes resulting from the implementation of automation, but artificial intelligence is not just robots.

How can artificial intelligence change business and the world?

- We do not need to look far: various institutions around the world have used artificial intelligence-based solutions to meet the challenge of answering questions about the accelerating pandemic, and thanks to machine learning, models are being created for the spread of infections and the behavior of the economy in these difficult times. – says Robert Paszkiewicz – but artificial intelligence is also the Holy Grail of entrepreneurship. Intelligent data analysis enables faster and better business decisions, and that translates into profits.

Artificial intelligence is an entire, still developing set of solutions with extremely broad applications. Contrary to popular belief, artificial intelligence is also no longer a solution aimed only at large companies. Thanks to the cloud, building and implementing this type of solution no longer requires huge outlays. AI scripts can support both sales itself and companies' back offices – departments where tedious processing of large amounts of data is necessary, such as accounting, will benefit most from minimizing potential errors resulting from the human factor. Moreover, the report The Practice of Now 2020: The Future of Accounting clearly shows that accountants themselves want technological support. 45 percent of more than 3,000 surveyed accountants would like to automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks, and as many as 40 percent want to automate at least invoicing processes.

However, implementing AI can optimize the operations of even the smallest shop with its own website. And it is not only about chatbots, thanks to which customers no longer have to wait for consultants' responses. Automatic recommendations based on AI scripts will easily suggest products or services matched to customers' current search results, thereby increasing the company's turnover. Moreover, the use of AI scripts can help personalize the customer's shopping experience, which is especially important for e-commerce stores that cannot rely on a physical salesperson guiding the customer through the entire purchasing process. The seventh annual Evergage study (2020 Trends in Personalization Study) shows that personalization has a strong impact on developing customer relationships. As many as 92 percent of respondents say that customers, both current and potential, expect a personalized experience – from recommendations displayed on the site that align with their interests to sending users direct messages to increase their engagement.

- Artificial intelligence allows for more than just optimizing operations. Of course, automating processes enables cost reduction, and that is extremely important for small and medium-sized enterprises, but the combination of artificial intelligence and human creativity opens up a range of possibilities for us. Delivering solutions that perfectly meet needs is important not only in terms of increasing company revenue, but above all because of the ability to provide customers with the highest level of satisfaction. Combined with a reliable product or offer, this translates into creating lasting business relationships – adds Robert Paszkiewicz

He who lives by the sword…

He who lives by the sword…

How artificial intelligence by the hour is revolutionizing business

Great hopes are also associated with artificial intelligence in the context of cybersecurity. As indicated by the report from the 2020 Cost of a Data Breach Study, IBM Security among organizations that had to implement remote work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, 76 percent declare that such a work model extended the time needed to identify and contain a potential breach. Any private devices connected to the network can be a target for botnets, which then use them to distribute malware or launch DDoS attacks. Experts say that thanks to the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence, bypassing classic security measures is no longer a challenge for hackers.

Fortunately, artificial intelligence can also be used to defend against attacks. Conducting advanced threat analysis using AI and the information provided on that basis can help shorten response time to an attack. Artificial intelligence can also make it harder for cybercriminals to access networks by automatically assigning roles and permissions to selected users without the need for constant identity confirmation. Available algorithms and the almost unlimited, thanks to the cloud, computing power of infrastructure offer hope for improving security in organizations that attract particular interest from cybercriminals.

- The growing use of the cloud for data storage and the greater availability of "bare metal" servers mean that carrying out complex computational tasks in it is no problem at all. Progress in cloud computing architecture can undoubtedly trigger faster adoption of artificial intelligence across various industries. Therefore, although building AI systems is a complex process still requiring specialized knowledge, it is undoubtedly a technological trend worth looking at more closely in the coming years. – summarizes Robert Paszkiewicz.

Artificial intelligence "by the hour," or the democratization of AI

Artificial intelligence "by the hour," or the democratization of AI

Initiatives such as AI4EU aimed to create a leading AI platform for Europe and to bring the worlds of science and business closer together in the context of work on artificial intelligence. The project's goal was to promote a European vision of artificial intelligence – responsible, governed, and for everyone.

The democratization of artificial intelligence takes AI out from under the exclusive control of experts from startups and the R&D departments of large organizations. Admittedly, this requires organizational changes in the structures of companies and institutions – someone has to supervise the operation of given AI-based solutions or create them from scratch. However, it enables a greater influx of creative potential into technology that was previously reserved for the chosen few.

Additionally, thanks to the use of the cloud, it becomes possible to scale artificial intelligence solutions and ensure the security of gigantic sets of processed data. All of this further accelerates the development of this technology and its implementation.

What is also important is the social democratization of artificial intelligence, so that the benefits of universal access to a new, powerful tool extend beyond markets and IT departments and also encompass society as such, bringing it closer to prosperity and reducing exclusion. In practice, however, the social postulate only adds further fields of AI development to the list of topics that must be addressed and resolved. But it would not be discussed if not for the general trend of democratizing artificial intelligence.

Summary

The global market for AI script-based solutions is set to exceed $2.8 billion by 2030, growing at an average annual rate of around 29 percent. Although the pandemic accelerated automation, which will affect 85 million jobs within five years, as many as 97 million new positions requiring typically human competences are forecast to be created: creativity, empathy, and abstract thinking.

Thanks to cloud computing, artificial intelligence is becoming widely available – even the smallest e-commerce stores can use it to personalize their offer or automate customer service. As Robert Paszkiewicz of OVHcloud notes, combining AI with human creativity opens new possibilities, and progress in cloud architecture may accelerate its adoption across various industries, including cybersecurity.