Did you know that there are close to 100 million people using artificial intelligence (AI) on a regular basis?
You might know them as Netflix's customers. Artificial intelligence is about creating smart machines and software that work and react like humans. AI tech permeates computers, smartphones and business at large and the reason is entirely practical. AI tech is the perfect answer to those mind-numbing, dull tasks that humans no longer want to do. What's more, AI can handle the tasks like scheduling meetings and answering customer service questions better and faster than humans can. AI is revolutionizing the way people think and work across all industries.
Software is cheaper than employees. It doesn't need health insurance or impose tax requirements. Even if you use subscription-based software-as-a-service (SaaS), odds are good that it's less expensive than hiring a person. What makes AI different is that the software performs the actual work, rather than assisting employees with their work. That makes AI an obvious choice for cost-cutting measures. For instance, Swedbank uses a bot named Nina to field customer calls and answer questions, which she does successfully 80 percent of the time.
The research firm ABI, has predicted that AI technologies used by businesses worldwide will grow from 7,000 this year to a staggering 900,000 by 2022.
As an avid AI user and developer, here are some of my favorite AI tools for businesses:
Need real-time data about prospects to assist with sales? Look no further than Nudge.ai. Nudge uses AI to provide you with the latest personal mentions, company news, social activity and relationship insights on your buyers as you write emails. Nudge for Chrome will automatically scan Web pages you visit, such as news articles and blog posts, to show you the latest insights on the contacts and companies mentioned.
Not sure what you are worth in your current job? Considering relocating, but aren't sure where you should go? Anonymous service Woo.io uses AI to help people find out how much they're in demand in the tech industry so they can make smarter decisions about their career. Woo bills itself as a place for top performers in the tech industry who aren't actively looking to change their jobs, but are curious to see what else is out there.
Is spell check failing you? Check out Grammarly for Chrome. Grammarly's proofreading and plagiarism-detection resources check more than 250 grammar rules. Grammarly will scan emails to make sure that you are using proper sentence structure, adjectives and adverbs, and of course, spelling words correctly. It hasn't integrated with Google Docs yet, but you can use their online platform to paste documents into.
Barring some freak disaster that makes it impossible to use computer technology on planet earth, AI is here to stay. By 2022, it will manage countless business processes and mind many of our personal calendars. AI will take over a variety of tedious professional tasks. What are some of your favorite AI applications for business? Let us know in the comments below!
About the Author
Vincent Jacques is the founder of Meet Sally, an AI-powered personal assistant that automates meeting scheduling from the email chain. An AI expert, Vincent loves to work in international environments, create new ventures and deliver great products.