Mar 24, 2018

The Companies Making the Most of Futuristic AI Technology

by Digital Marketing Institute

Artificial intelligence is changing customer service, digital marketing, and the future as we know it. The modern business landscape is a collection of industries rich in future-forward technology, innovative experiments, and evolving strategies for business success.

We can already see and experience the marketing practices of the future demonstrated in the digital transformation of various leading brands around the world. Read this blog to find out how these companies are using AI technology to their advantage.

What Is AI Technology?

In some modern businesses and homes, AI technology is already present. For example, although AI is still a work in progress, millions of people are using it in the forms of voice-based assistants like Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant, and Amazon’s Alexa.

Originally, the term “artificial intelligence” was used by Minsky and McCarthy, who described AI as “any task performed by a program or machine that, if a human carried out the same activity, we would say the human had to apply intelligence to accomplish the task,” according to ZDNet.

In short, AI is a tool used to support intelligent tasks carried out by humans. The current state of AI technology isn’t quite ready to carry out tasks that require creative or common-sense thinking, but it is capable of processing large sets of data much faster than humans can alone. In turn, this ability to process so much data is complemented by the fact that some AI technology can provide valuable insights and next-steps in a way that is accessible and actionable for human use.

From a business perspective, AI will be the way of the future, as its current implications help greatly to streamline processes and give professionals much-needed time to optimize other areas of their strategies and tasks.


For digital marketing professionals, AI tools are already available for use in some marketing automation tools such as predictive analysis and personalization engines. These tools are effective in helping marketers get more from their efforts so that they can focus on creating high-quality content and marketing materials that AI will help them use to their fullest potential.

Companies Making the Most of Futuristic AI Technology

Although AI is still a relatively new concept in business, there are come large-scale organizations and brands implementing AI tools into their marketing practices, quality content creation, and even optimized storytelling.

Netflix: When it comes to utilizing available AI capabilities, Netflix is ahead of the curve. To refine the recommendations that appear on your Netflix profile, they ut ilize an algorithm that acts as a predictive analysis tool. This technique means that your viewing recommendations are more personalized than ever before.


However, Netflix doesn’t stop there. With the use of another AI algorithm , they’ve optimized high-quality streaming, even at lower bandwidths. Netflix is a global provider of entertainment video content, but because of the way some viewers consume their content, the quality was not as great on mobile devices. This algorithm helps them get around data caps while optimizing the quality for mobile viewers.

Sephora: Makeup and beauty retail giant Sephora shifted into the world of AI technologies relatively early. For their purposes, utilizing chatbot technology that interacts with customers via quiz surrounding their needs and preferences. Once the quiz is complete, Sephora’s chatbot will share product suggestions and helpful content to the customer. After a successful use case, Sephora has introd uced more chatbots on Facebook Messenger.

Disney: Dis ney is a company that has mastered the art of online and offline marketing, so it only makes sense that they’re already using AI technologies. Currently, AI technology helps them organize their product SKUs. Additionally, they’re actually training artificial neural networks that have been modelled after animal brains, according to Click Z.

Disney is hoping that this incredible implementation of AI technology will eventually copy human brains to provide insights as to what makes stories most appealing to a person.

Starbucks: When it comes to AI technology, the Starbucks team is obviously a big fan of voice recognition tools. They have their own voice assistant, known as My Starbucks Barista. This voice assistant exists in the Starbucks app and helps with processes such as taking your order and sending your order to the correct location.

The Future of AI Technology in Business

Like most aspects of life, it’s near impossible to tell what the future holds. Even with its predictive analytics capabilities and data processing abilities, even AI technology can’t predict exactly how it will shape businesses as we move forward.

However, with the above brands leading the way by taking advantage of futuristic AI-enabled technologies, it’s easy to see that only adaptable and passionate companies will be able to make the most out of AI. These organizations are often invested in driving their business forward and trying out every technological innovation that has the potential to make their business better.

According to the Harvard Business Review, the most effective way for businesses to utilize AI to its fullest potential is “to be willing to experiment and learn quickly.” They state that AI and machine learning is “the most important general-purpose technology of our eta,” which is no small statement to make.

It takes a lot of trial and error to get any technology 100% functional, and AI is no different. To drive this industry forward to make business processes easier, more companies must begin to try and optimize the technology for their own benefit.

How to Prepare for the AI Transformation

A global AI transformation is businesses of all sizes is on its way, so it’s vital that your brand or business prepare for the range of implications that AI technology will provide. Advancements in technology are inevitable, so it’s important that digital marketers and other business professionals educate themselves on the technology.

While the future likely won’t have a robot knocking on your office door, it’s time that professionals in organizations start discussing how their business will be affected by AI technology, and get creative with how it may help make their lives easier.

By 2025, the AI market is estimated to pass $100 billion. It may sound like a long distance away, but remember, the market is growing each and every year. AI technology will soon be a normal part of every business and industry, even if in subtle ways at first. But don’t fret; AI technology still requires people to keep them functioning, growing, and thriving.

Conclusion

The once futuristic concept of AI technology is estimated to create an estimated 2.3 million new jobs by 2020. Already, AI is present in a variety of industries, including smartphone creation, aviation, automobile development, and digital marketing. With millions of people already using voice recognition AI tools, it’s a technological revolution that’s just beginning.

With brands like Sephora, Disney, and Starbucks aligning themselves with this revolution, it’s inevitable that other large brands will soon follow suit. This cross-industry implementation of AI-based tools and technologies will help streamline processes, potentially on a global scale.

So, what does all of this mean for digital marketers? Ideally, you’ll begin thinking about artificial intelligence as the next step to help your business thrive, rather than a futuristic potential outcome. At a business level, it’s time for departmental leaders to consider how they’ll start considering how AI will impact their processes and strategies.

For those looking to upskill and potentially specialize in AI integration, now is the time to start doing your research. Best-in-class AI integration will require specialized human attention to make sure that any tools or technologies are compatible with a department’s needs.

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