The Truth About AI and Enterprise Software: How to Make Smart Decisions in a Changing World

AI is coming…  (I kind of miss Game of Thrones)  I mean AI is here…

I was asked by a couple of people why I don’t write a lot about AI. It seems to be everywhere and you write a lot about software.

There are 2 reasons I don’t write much about AI: 

I have not studied it enough to talk about it. 

I would not advise customers to choose enterprise software based on AI capabilities.

I believe AI will be incorporated into enterprise software over time and become a big factor in the enterprise software decision. But for right now, the decision is based on the features and workflow of the software and how it matches critical business processes.

My view is that most businesses can benefit from having a solid technology base and then expanding on it, rather than chasing the latest technological trends.

There are some things that are exciting with AI.  I also have some concerns.

I believe AI will change the world, similar to the effect of the internet. It is the natural progression of the information age. I also wonder if we are creating the next killer bee. But that is for another discussion.

Its true AI is starting to hit the mainstream. Being in the industry I have heard about AI, well since I started. The first real article about AI was presented in 1950. How did I find that out?  …You guessed it, AI.  I asked Chatgpt for the 1st article written about artificial intelligence. 

The response:

The first article specifically about AI (artificial intelligence) was written by Alan Turing in 1950. The article, titled "Computing Machinery and Intelligence," was published in the journal Mind. In this influential paper, Turing proposed the concept of the Turing Test, a test to determine a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior indistinguishable from that of a human. This article is considered a seminal work in the field of AI and has had a lasting impact on the development of the discipline.

The point is AI is not a novel idea, it has a long history. I was curious about the details, so I asked AI instead of googling it. How is AI transforming the world? Google, the innovative and world-shaping company, will replace the phone book. Do you remember those?

I know Google is pressing on AI as well.  I just don’t know much about it. I then ask AI what are the top 3 concepts from the article:

The response:

1. The Turing Test: Turing introduced the concept of the Turing Test as a means to evaluate a machine's intelligence. The test involves a human evaluator engaging in natural language conversations with both a machine and another human, without knowing which is which. If the machine can convince the evaluator that it is human, it is said to have passed the test and demonstrated human-level intelligence.

2. The Imitation Game: Turing proposed the "imitation game" as a practical way to illustrate the Turing Test. In this game, a human interrogator asks questions to both a machine and a human, attempting to determine which one is the machine. The machine's goal is to convince the interrogator that it is the human, while the human's goal is to accurately portray themselves. This game serves as the basis for the Turing Test.

3. Machine Intelligence and Thinking: Turing explored the idea of machine intelligence and its potential to mimic human thinking. He argued against the idea that machines can only do things that humans can explicitly instruct them to do. Turing proposed that machines could possess an "unconscious mind," enabling them to learn and exhibit intelligent behavior without explicit instructions, much like human thinking. He discussed the potential for machines to learn from experience and improve their performance over time.”

 My point of including this is to show that AI can be helpful. I just don’t think it is the decision maker in the enterprise software space. Considering the rate of change in technology, I could be writing another article tomorrow saying. If AI is not included in your enterprise software solution, upgrade now.  It could literally be a release a way from becoming a thing. We are actively creating user cases for our customers. Most of this relates to analyzing large amounts of data to make more informed decisions around supply change management, inventory management, and production management.  Process automation is a thing too but you can automate without the use of AI.

With all this being said, there are many other practical ways to use AI now. 

I am no expert but AI added valuable information to this article. It served the role of my research assistant to track down information on the creation of AI. I also learned The first AI software was created in the late 1950s.  It was called the logic theorist, created by Allen Newell and Herbert A. Simon in 1955. Deep Blue, remember this one created by IBM in 1997. Deep Blue beat the reigning world chess champion, Garry Kasparov in a 6 game match.

We as a business are starting to add AI to help us create more value for our customers.

We use AI as a:

✅research assistant.

✅Article idea creator

✅Proofreader

✅Editor

✅Article analyst

✅Manage newsletters

✅Manage basic customer communication

✅Process automation

✅Copywriter

Notice I used the word “As” instead of “To” deliberately. I think choosing software should be like hiring a new employee. Of course, this assumes you have a good hiring process. If you have a high turnover rate, you might want to fix that before investing in software.

AI is taking software more in the direction of an employee. Instead of using software to perform a task. We are now asking software to serve a role. Think about that for a moment…

Do I think AI is coming to change the workforce?  Without a doubt! 

He provides daily lessons on how AI is impacting work now and in the future and teaches you how you can harness the power of AI today.

I was confident in my AI prompting skills, being a software expert, and all. I almost skipped the class, thinking I knew enough. But I’m glad I joined because I realized I had so much more to learn. His class took me from a beginner to an intermediate level. Well, maybe not quite intermediate. But still, if you want to learn how to use AI effectively right now… Follow Jordan.