The Waves of AI in the Modern Workplace

If there is one clear, global trend in the corporate world in 2024, it is the growing focus on artificial intelligence (AI). According to McKinsey research conducted among more than 100 organizations with more than $50 million in annual revenue, 63% of the large companies identify focus on generative AI as a "very high" or "high" priority.
Generative AI is just one of the many applications of artificial intelligence that companies are investing in. Here are some other fields where companies invest.

Employee Productivity

Office workers in large international enterprises, as well as those of small, local companies, may be losing as much as one-third of their time on repetitive, administrative tasks globally, according to Businesswire. That is approximately 69 workdays in a year. Some of these can include navigating internal systems and intranet, finding important work resources, filing reports and documentation, and preparing for and following up on meetings.

Many of such tasks can be made more efficient with AI. Companies can implement internal chatbots, which could make finding relevant resources easier and faster — rather than navigating internal repositories, simply describe to the AI assistant on the intranet system what you need, and they will direct you exactly where you need, and may also provide instructions for completing some of the tasks.

Another important productivity tool comes in the form of Microsoft Copilot — a personal AI assistant, available on employees' personal devices. This tool can help with scheduling, summarizing long-format text into bullet points, creating meeting transcripts, finding information online, and generating text, which can be used in communications. Many new business laptops from ASUS, such as the ASUS ExpertBook B9 OLED come with a dedicated Copilot button on the keyboard to allow employees to access the tool in a single click.

For hybrid workers, video conferencing is the daily reality, and that can also be enhanced with AI. Proprietary ASUS technologies were created with efficient remote communications in mind. These include the ASUS Two-Way AI Noise cancellation or the ASUS AiSense camera.

Customer Service

Another popular use of AI in the enterprise world is the implementation of AI-powered chatbots as the first line of contact for customers seeking support. In fact, according to Forbes, as much as 56% of businesses are using AI for customer service. Additionally, 73% of companies plan to implement AI chatbots at some point.

Marketing and External Communications

Another important application of AI — generative AI, in particular — is in marketing and external communications. Employees of relevant departments use generative AI tools to support the creation of external-facing content. Examples can include the creation and fast, easy editing of video or graphic content, support with text content creation, and text-to-voice applications. AI-generated content or content whose creation was supplemented with AI can then be shared via social media, email, and PR releases, and can be used as part of webinars and other online activities. It is important, however, to remember to treat AI as a source of inspiration and support rather than a complete creation tool. At the moment, there are still many questions to be answered regarding intellectual rights protection, as well as concerns over the accuracy of the AI-generated content (which can lead to legal implications or damage customer trust) to be taken into account before leaping into generating content with AI completely.

Predictive Analytics for Better Decision Making

Some companies utilize the predictive analytics capabilities of AI to help inform their decision-making. A good, real-life example is venture capital firms using AI predictive analytics to flag most promising startups to invest into. This is where Machine Learning comes into the picture. To provide enough data to "teach" the algorithm accurately enough, however, large data processing capacity is paramount. This can mean that before companies can take advantage of machine learning, they may need to invest in strong server capacity or purchase enterprise-grade cloud services. Once these requirements are met though, large amounts of data will be "fed" to the artificial intelligence, which will then be able to observe patterns to help predict further developments for your company. This will happen much faster and often more accurately than with human analysts — who are, unfortunately, prone to human error. Armed with such analysis, business executives can make more informed decisions related to financial forecasts, strategies, demand planning, inventory management, logistics, and many other key fields.

Security and Surveillance

AI is also a great support when it comes to ensuring the cybersecurity of companies and boosting surveillance capabilities. One way artificial intelligence supports IT departments with cybersecurity is by identifying the weak points in the company's current cybersecurity infrastructure and informing the areas that require more attention. ASUS cooperates with IBM to protect users against malicious cyber activity, such as ransomware attacks, with the IBM Security QRarad EDR tool. It uses AI and intelligent automation to quickly identify and remediate known and unknown endpoint threats.

Another use of AI for security can be in the physical surveillance of company premises. AI-powered facial and voice recognition capabilities can help identify employees with utmost accuracy, which can make restricted access management easier and boost the physical security of company terrains by identifying unauthorized presence.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, the significant influence of AI in the modern workplace is undeniable. From enhancing productivity and customer service to revolutionizing marketing strategies and bolstering decision-making with predictive analytics, its applications are diverse and impactful. However, it's crucial to approach AI implementation with caution, considering legal, ethical, and accuracy concerns for sustained success and trust in these technological advancements.

Should companies take a systematic approach to the implementation of AI and invest in the necessary infrastructure to allow employees to take advantage of the latest developments, such as upgrading personal devices to AI-ready business laptops, investing in secure, fast networking systems, boosting the server capacity, and more, they have a chance to come out on top in the competitive markets of today's business landscape.

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