Artificial intelligence is nothing new, this term was used for the first time by the computer scientist John McCarthy in 1956. But, despite being among us for many years, nowadays it is experiencing a great revolution that brings innovations that continue to improve. Since the arrival of generative models such as ChatGPT, Dall-e or the new Sora, we are witnessing an unprecedented advancement in the machine's ability to think, learn and make autonomous decisions. However, AI is not just ChatGPT, but also many other everyday technologies of which we are not aware, such as chatbots, Alexa’s voice recognition, Netflix recommendations, automatic translation, and more. These AI applications demonstrate that it has been among us for several years now.
In La Lonja de la Innovación we are conscious about the opportunities this technology offers to entrepreneurs, that’s why we try to encourage its use to our startups so they can enjoy its advantages.
The fear of losing jobs
Since their emergence in late 2022, the development of these new AI models has continued to grow, with new tools appearing, improvements to existing ones, and achieving incredible quality in their results. This sparked fear among many professionals who wondered if they would end up losing their jobs. This fear of machines replacing us is nothing new; in the 19th century, Luddism emerged, a movement of English craftsmen who protested against mechanization and demanded the destruction of machines. What is happening now is similar; there are calls to halt the development of these artificial intelligences for fear of being replaced. History teaches us that this fear of change has accompanied us throughout our existence, but the truth is that technological advances cannot be stopped; instead, we must adapt to them.
Furthermore, studies such as the one conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) demonstrate that the cost of implementing AI technologies in a company is so high that it is more profitable to hire people. This is further evidence that artificial intelligence does not seek to replace us but to enhance human capabilities. And while it is true that some jobs may end up disappearing, many others are beginning to emerge. In conclusion, AI brings more opportunities than threats, and these opportunities must be seized.
The advantages of AI
All of this explains why more and more companies are incorporating it as an everyday tool, among them, renowned companies such as Coca-Cola or Netflix, among many others. But, let's start with the basics, what exactly is artificial intelligence? This is a concept, framed within Industry 4.0, which refers to the ability of machines to think similarly to humans. This allows them to understand our behavior, analyze the environment, reason, learn, and make decisions without human control. How do they achieve this? Through data. For AI to learn and grow, it needs large volumes of data to make it smarter. For example, ChatGPT improves with every interaction from each user, as this provides more information to analyze and further understand humans.
The advent of generative AI is influencing almost every sector thanks to its great utility. It can be employed in education, healthcare, sports, fashion, etc. And the companies that use it are adding value to their company, increasing efficiency and productivity, as well as quality in all areas: marketing, sales, logistics, finance... Therefore, resisting this adaptation to new times and not adopting it in your company would only mean a delay, as we know that every technological and innovative company should be up to date with the latest trends and take advantage of them.
Using artificial intelligence for entrepreneurship brings numerous advantages, whether through large systems integrated with this technology or with simpler and cheaper tools. First of all, AI can take on basic functions, simple tasks that are low in added value, which consume productive time from human labor, thereby freeing up employees and their talent to perform other more important tasks. But that's not all; among its main advantages, we find:
- Streamlining administrative tasks: It allows increasing productivity in administrative tasks and routine processes, all without compromising the quality of work. An example of its use is the implementation of virtual assistants in customer service, or the automation of payment processing…
- Improved decision-making: Thanks to its ability to analyze large volumes of data in real-time, AI enables anticipating market trends and responding to them swiftly, as well as identifying problems in advance to address them before they become critical.
- Recruitment: Through the use of objective algorithms, AI can assist in selecting resumes that best fit your company's demands, aiding in the human resources department and setting aside possible human biases in the selection process, as AI is impartial.
- Personalization of experiences: It allows offering personalized experiences to customers, enhancing customer satisfaction and increasing retention rates. For example, AI has the ability to identify patterns of actions and predict future events, which comes into play with typical recommendation systems like Spotify's.
- Product and service development: AI helps with creative blocks and can assist in identifying new opportunities and innovative solutions.
After this overview of artificial intelligence and its applications, it is clear that it is more of an ally for companies than a threat. Therefore, it is time to start implementing it in your company and not fall behind in the latest technological trends. Additionally, if your startup operates in the logistics sector, we recently discussed on our blog how AI is entering this sector, so be sure to check it out and take advantage of it!