How firms can kickstart their journey of AI adoption

IT'S NO secret that organisations are increasingly looking to adopt artificial intelligence. In fact, forecasts by IDC (International Data Corporation) see the region's cognitive and AI spending reaching US$1 billion in 2018.

Yet, while organisations recognise the important role AI plays in supplementing business today, many still struggle to implement sound AI strategies due to a lack of know-how. For example, a common misconception is that AI presents a one-size-fits-all solution to otherwise complex and layered problems. But the reality is that AI can be adopted in a multitude of ways, depending on organisational needs and business intelligence (BI) insights derived from data gathered. From mining social data to driving engagement in customer relationship management (CRM), the flexibility of AI provides organisations with the freedom of choice to best address their most pressing needs.

Therefore, introducing AI into an organisation can often be a daunting task - much like how cooking can be stressful for those who do not know their way around a kitchen. However, understanding the technology-specific building blocks needed can help organisations kickstart their journey of AI adoption, just as how using a recipe to understand the cooking process can often increase the success rate of amateurs in the kitchen.