Are you using Artificial Intelligence in your business yet?

[Elite Ai]

Hi Everyone,

Hope you're all doing well. I wanted to kickstart a casual, yet insightful discussion on a topic that's been making waves across various industries – Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Have you integrated any AI elements into your business operations? Whether it's experimenting with chatbots, exploring data analytics, or venturing into predictive insights, I'd love to hear your experiences and thoughts.

AI, once considered futuristic, is now a part of our daily lives, impacting how we work and connect. For those who haven't dived into the AI pool yet, what's holding you back? Is it the technicalities, the uncertainty, or perhaps just finding the right starting point?

Let's make this an open and engaging conversation - a chance to learn from each other. Feel free to share your thoughts, questions, or even your reservations about AI. It's a journey we're all navigating, and your insights could spark new ideas for others.

Looking forward to hearing your unique perspectives on AI and how it's shaping your business endeavours.

Cheers!
Ollie

 

[fisicx]

No. Almost all my work is custom plugins for clients around the world. Lots of database tables, api integration, JavaScript and CSS. I did some testing with a coding tool and it just couldn’t deliver anything that worked without a lot of bug hunting. It’s quicker for me to just use my existing tried and tested modules.

 

[Mark T Jones]

It's almost like the OP was written by AI!

Anyway, no. As lazy people default to AI, we will target the genuine ones who want to deal with people

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

I have an imaginary friend called Derek Washup who works here

 

[MRQ]

Have you integrated any AI elements into your business operations?

No, not at all... if we require Absolute Idiocy we phone the local council.

 

[MRQ]

...Is anyone else reminded (by all this AI hype) of how, a few years ago, 3D printing was being 'pushed' to the great unwashed as (a) something actually new and (b) akin to Star Trek replicator technology?

 

[WaveJumper]

Yes ……. But this thread sounds like a school project

 

[fisicx]

...Is anyone else reminded (by all this AI hype) of how, a few years ago, 3D printing was being 'pushed' to the great unwashed as (a) something actually new and (b) akin to Star Trek replicator technology?

Nanobots were going to turn us into a grey goo and robots were going to make us all redundant.

 

[WaveJumper]

Nanobots were going to turn us into a grey goo and robots were going to make us all redundant.

All ready feel like grey goo cant rely on NHS was hoping the nano-bots could put me back together ?

 

[fisicx]

Most of us won't ever be aware of AI adoption. Businesses will use it to improve processes and all we will see is the outcome. This has been the case with technology since the stone age.

Grok in his cave discovered a better way to knap flint tools giving him more time to ponder on his existance. The users of his tools didn't know or care about his new skills as long as the knives were sharp. And so it has been ever since.

 

[MOIC]

Me thinks virtually all the above posters (OK, not Graham) will be using AI tools in one form or another to help with reports, sourcing and generally streamlining their business information.

Time is money.

It's gonna happen.

 

[fisicx]

If the AI tools could build me a plugin that worked I’d use them. But they can’t.

Im sure loads of businesses will be using the tools once they discover what they can so. What will fall by the wayside are the likes of ChatGPT. It’s churning out so much junk that those using it now will see their businesses suffer.

 

[MRQ]

Me thinks virtually all the above posters (OK, not Graham) will be using AI tools in one form or another to help with reports, sourcing and generally streamlining their business information.

Aye... well right enough; DaVinci Resolve is waving the 'AI' hype flag in its latest iteration. Point is though... it's not new and its no great shakes. I once got an 'R-Reg' Volvo 'addicted' to Easi-Start when it 'learned' this was tasty stuff, one harsh winter.

We're hearing much about chatbots and deep fakes and how actors can be replaced... mainly from chancers, 'script kiddie' types and rote managers looking for the next bandwagon. - And it's all being sooked up mainly by people that need the 'Just Eat' advert explained to them.

I cited 3d printing earlier... the general concepts of which were first floated in the 1940s/50s and first patents in the early 70s. - I saw (filmed) an example of a resin based 3d printer in the early 90s. ...And yes; the technology can do amazing things these days; generally as part of a suite of CAD/CAM processes in the hands of highly-skilled people... those things again; people.

...And here we go again; another day, another untraceable 'limited company' running off a mobile phone number - they haz the AI beanz! Buy buy buy! Buy? - Troy McClure lives! ?

 

[thetiger2015]

Me thinks virtually all the above posters (OK, not Graham) will be using AI tools in one form or another to help with reports, sourcing and generally streamlining their business information.

Time is money.

It's gonna happen.

Only if it's forced - like with Google Ads, where it's set-up to try and force you to use the automated option, you have to scroll down for manual setup and they make it overly complex, to encourage you to click on the little wand tool instead.

I'm still not seeing anything that is revolutionary. Traffic lights are effectively AI. They work by themselves. They stop and start traffic depending on certain criteria...we've had them for decades.

I have noticed a few companies advertising for marketing people who use things like ChatGPT. I imagine they're trying to get one person to do all the jobs, using AI software. One employee, replacing 5 employees. Less reporting time, less copywriting time etc. The problem is, the quality of that work is going to be rubbish, because it's cheap/free. Anything of any quality has to be paid for, because it takes time. It's like with the auto generated web templates, they're OK but, they're just not that good. They look like templates. You have to shoe-horn content in to the spaces, instead of actually working on the structure and layout from scratch.

 

[MBE2017]

I’m experimenting with it, more out of curiosity than anything else, the more I can automate my business of boring tasks the better. I’m working on an AI chat box for a FAQ to reduce out of hours phone calls ATM.

I have also used AI to generate the bulk of web copy for various web pages, but they still need a human touch to improve them at the end, even so a good time saver overall.

Just about to experiment with computer generated images next, my mind is very open to the possibilities but I would concede AI still has a fare way to go before it replaces humans as seen in films etc.

I think in 2-5 years it will be seen as essential in use as email is today.

 

[fisicx]

I'm working on a project for a client in Norway. All their energy data is pulled using an API and contains details of all suppliers, type of contract, region, postcode and multiple pricing data. It's very complicated and took a lot of explaining on how it works.

The plugin needed to extract the necessary data using the API then build a new array and save to the custom database each day.

The plugin then had to display the data filtered by post code and contact type then do a set of calculations to show how the monthly bill was broken down.

Despite tasking an AI company to generate the code they just couldn't do it. The calculations were wrong and it didn't filter properly.

Me with my boring old manual methods had the plugin ready for testing in two days.

It seems the AI is great if you can properly explain what it needs to do then it can churn away and spit out the data. What it's not very good at is one off tasks.

Hopefully @Elite Ai will return and show some example of the work they have done.

 

[Elite Ai]

Me thinks virtually all the above posters (OK, not Graham) will be using AI tools in one form or another to help with reports, sourcing and generally streamlining their business information.

Time is money.

It's gonna happen.

I agree, there is much more to AI than ChatGPT, huge efficiency benefits for all types of industries.

 

[MOIC]

The naysayers are perhaps expecting too much from AI in its current form. It's not meant to replace humans. It's not meant to cut down on employing staff. It's there to save time on specific information and this will grow exponentially.

Think computers 60 years ago . . . . . . . the internet 40 years ago . . . . . . . . has technology advanced?

It'll be there to make your life and business that much easier and quicker to gather information and make decisions.

Use it, or don't, you'll still live!

 

[fisicx]

I agree, there is much more to AI than ChatGPT, huge efficiency benefits for all types of industries.

I'm sure there are. What would be great is if you could give some examples of the work you have done. I'm particularly interested in how AI can help with software development.

 

[Elite Ai]

I'm working on a project for a client in Norway. All their energy data is pulled using an API and contains details of all suppliers, type of contract, region, postcode and multiple pricing data. It's very complicated and took a lot of explaining on how it works.

The plugin needed to extract the necessary data using the API then build a new array and save to the custom database each day.

The plugin then had to display the data filtered by post code and contact type then do a set of calculations to show how the monthly bill was broken down.

Despite tasking an AI company to generate the code they just couldn't do it. The calculations were wrong and it didn't filter properly.

Me with my boring old manual methods had the plugin ready for testing in two days.

It seems the AI is great if you can properly explain what it needs to do then it can churn away and spit out the data. What it's not very good at is one off tasks.

Hopefully @Elite Ai will return and show some example of the work they have done.

I agree, when properly set-up (and maintained) AI can be a powerful tool for businesses.

You mentioned examples, I'll share a couple of simple projects we are currently working on to illustrate some of the ways businesses could utilise AI...

1. Internal Training Assistant - We are currently working with a medium-large sized construction business here in the UK. Their intake of new operational staff is approx 50-75 per annum, many of which are apprentices and post-grads. Huge amount of training docs, SOP's etc that new staff need to consume, learn and eventually be tested on. The deliverable for this client is an 'AI Digital Assistant' that is given to all new staff - The functionality of this assistant will allow staff to ask any question about the business, training, SOP's etc and receive an instant response 24/7. It's placed within their staff training portal and is also available to be accessed by staff on WhatsApp. The solution also has additional integrations i.e it's connected to the main business info-portal so that it automatically ingests any newly added (and relevant) docs to it's own knowledge-base.

2. Healthcare Patient Support & Booking System (w/ additional integrations) - We are rolling out a number of these projects at the moment and they have been taken to very well by the market. Again, relatively simple project: Customer-facing chatbot on the clients site, this chatbot is ingested with all relevant business info (procedures, surgeons, prices etc.) and paired with NLP to provide well-articulated responses to web-users 24/7. The bot will provide all info to users and push for the conversion goal (usually making an appointment) - users can make an appointment within the chatbot interface. Loads of additional integrations we add to these type of products such as lead capture > email marketing flows (utilising automatic AI produced email copies, specifically tailored to the chat history of that user, their lead info etc)

Two super simple examples of projects we are working on at the moment, we also have a few high-level projects we are working on however I will withhold these out of respect to our NDA's.

 

[Elite Ai]

I agree, when properly set-up (and maintained) AI can be a powerful tool for businesses.

You mentioned examples, I'll share a couple of simple projects we are currently working on to illustrate some of the ways businesses could utilise AI...

1. Internal Training Assistant - We are currently working with a medium-large sized construction business here in the UK. Their intake of new operational staff is approx 50-75 per annum, many of which are apprentices and post-grads. Huge amount of training docs, SOP's etc that new staff need to consume, learn and eventually be tested on. The deliverable for this client is an 'AI Digital Assistant' that is given to all new staff - The functionality of this assistant will allow staff to ask any question about the business, training, SOP's etc and receive an instant response 24/7. It's placed within their staff training portal and is also available to be accessed by staff on WhatsApp. The solution also has additional integrations i.e it's connected to the main business info-portal so that it automatically ingests any newly added (and relevant) docs to it's own knowledge-base.

2. Healthcare Patient Support & Booking System (w/ additional integrations) - We are rolling out a number of these projects at the moment and they have been taken to very well by the market. Again, relatively simple project: Customer-facing chatbot on the clients site, this chatbot is ingested with all relevant business info (procedures, surgeons, prices etc.) and paired with NLP to provide well-articulated responses to web-users 24/7. The bot will provide all info to users and push for the conversion goal (usually making an appointment) - users can make an appointment within the chatbot interface. Loads of additional integrations we add to these type of products such as lead capture > email marketing flows (utilising automatic AI produced email copies, specifically tailored to the chat history of that user, their lead info etc)

Two super simple examples of projects we are working on at the moment, we also have a few high-level projects we are working on however I will withhold these out of respect to our NDA's.

Just wanted to add some tangible figures to these examples to actually highlight what's important - the numbers.

1. As this project is in the making we don't have tangible data to understand the ROI - however whilst working with the client we expect this to not only increase accuracy of new staff's knowledge (that's a given!), but also to see a 5% daily time saving for line managers across the company.

2. Avg. of 15% increase in appointments & a Circa 20% increase in receptionist/admin staff efficiency due to the time-saved from customer queries (whether that be phone/email/previous manual chatbot)

 

[Paul Carmen]

@Elite Ai I don't mean to come across as negative, but did you use AI to construct your website?

Just to cover off why I ask:

• it does not list the company number (you're supposedly a limited company)
• it does not have your registered office/trading address (a legal requirement to trade in the UK)
• it has no real detail about who you are, the people involved etc; e.g. who are the "visionary founders"
• it is illegal from a privacy/data/GDPR perspective; e.g.
  • it has no T&Cs
  • it has no cookie or data policy
  • it has no cookie notice to opt in/out
• it ranks for no keywords in Google, not even your brand/company name bring up your site

Please point us to your limited company details and I'd suggest you correct your websites trading position online.

 

[WaveJumper]

Perhaps they just exist out there in the ether, taken over by their own AI ?

 

[MRQ]

The naysayers are perhaps expecting too much from AI in its current form. It's not meant to replace humans. It's not meant to cut down on employing staff. It's there to save time on specific information and this will grow exponentially.

Think computers 60 years ago . . . . . . . the internet 40 years ago . . . . . . . . has technology advanced?

There will be a few of us around who well remember the emergence of both the internet and the World Wide Web... and many more who don't know the difference. - It's not the naysayers who are expecting too much from AI; but those who have 'bought into' the rhetoric of those that have oversold it.

And of those 'oversellers'... which among them is themselves fooled and which disingenuous; or is there simply a combination of both?

- This is nothing new... for example, what about the World Wide Web of thirty years ago? Not unrecognisable to what exists today. Discussion boards (very like this one) were common place. - And many would contest; better places as they lacked the sheer imbecility that is so often what defines modern 'social media'. - A term that in itself describes something which predates the WWW and was one of the first uses found for a relatively inexpensive hobby computer and a modem.

I still hear people banging on about 'digital transformation'... as if it were a new hermetic mystery that can be opened only with their special 'guru' skills. - In reality the world went digital long before the end of the last century.

...We were putting videos up 'online', embedded in websites, serving them for download (precursor to streaming) in the mid-late 1990s. We shot our very last piece of analogue footage (on what would be considered then as 'vintage equipment) out of sheer bloodymindedness, in June 1999 before 'retiring' said kit to a display cabinet. ~It's 29 years since we (as a tiny family business) moved to 'non linear' (computer based, digital) editing.

'R' Reg... when was that? 1997 when Volvo put an 'intelligent' engine management system into a diesel car; one that would 'learn' the driving style, local conditions and fuel quality - and adjust it's programming to suit. 'AI'... Many machines 'learn', adjust, adopt adapt and improve; this has been going on for decades now. - It's not new; just part of the scenery.

has technology advanced?

Yes... but has the end result improved; or has it simply been (as the Americans will insist on putting it) 'dumbed down'? What was once a big box with a CRT monitor on top, tied to the mains and a telephone line is the size of a thick leaflet and portable... and the world is full of Candy-Crushed morons with their noses stuck to things straight out of Orwell's nightmares.

Never mind the quality - feel the bandwidth! AI 'as she is spoke' is simply this weeks iteration of something that has been going on pretty-much since the dawn of modern computing; it hasn't changed the basic rule of rubbish in, rubbish out.

 

[MarkOnline]

Just started using Chat GTP, its a good tool and has so far saved me hours of work time.

 

[Paul Carmen]

Just started using Chat GTP, its a good tool and has so far saved me hours of work time.

How, in what way?

 

[Mark T Jones]

The naysayers are perhaps expecting too much from AI in its current form. It's not meant to replace humans. It's not meant to cut down on employing staff. It's there to save time on specific information and this will grow exponentially.

Think computers 60 years ago . . . . . . . the internet 40 years ago . . . . . . . . has technology advanced?

It'll be there to make your life and business that much easier and quicker to gather information and make decisions.

Use it, or don't, you'll still live!

It's not really a question of whether it will exist, what is important is to keep an impartial eye on how it might affect you - either negative or positive.

My memory awareness of the internet really goes back about 25 years, mostly from a funding perspective. I mostly remember the mad swing, from wary discussions like this one into a mad frenzy to buy into anything .com related.

Many believed that if they weren't actually buying stuff on the internet that it was irrelevant to them. The fact that we are online talking disproves that. They may have lost out a bit by holding back. Many more got excited, believed that they had to be in the 'internet' whatever it entailed (I recall small businesses paying upwards of £200K for what was essentially a brochure website) - that's where the BIG money was lost - and made of course, by the metaphorical shovel-sellers.

My advice would be to watch with interest, but to avoid any kind of FOMO in diving in.

 

[Newchodge]

The functionality of this assistant will allow staff to ask any question about the business, training, SOP's etc and receive an instant response 24/7

Any question?

 

[MRQ]

Any question?

Indeed...

I refer the forum to concerns raised (somewhat flippantly, I admit) by myself in post #13 and more directly by Paul, in post #22... Quite a few issues there. ...Especially if the site, brand and general presence is an example of 'AI' at work.

If the end result doesn't stand basic scrutiny then it presents risk; who do we sue when the operation of the business is compromised by Machiavellian Intelligence? - Artificial or otherwise? ...Whether intentionally emplaced by the 'on the ground' proponents or not.

 

[ctrlbrk]

Any question?

Cyndy, the reality is that this topic is a blatant attempt at self promotion which, IMO, should be not allowed on UKBF, even in this form.

Technically, OP did ask a question in the form of 'Have you integrated any AI elements into your business operations?' but, if we all did this, the quality of UKBF content would dip overnight.

I mean, Mark Jones could very well open a topic about financing for business or Jeremy Hawke could open a topic asking who's struggling with UK deliveries. But they don't do that. Why? Because they understand that's not the way to promote their business.


Moderators here should have more leeway in swiftly closing down topics such as this that don't really add any value to UKBF.

 

[MRQ]

Cyndy, the reality is that this topic is a blatant attempt at self promotion which, IMO, should be not allowed on UKBF, even in this form.

I'm inclined to agree ctrlbrk: However, it's a fine balance for the moderators to strike. We've all seem forums where participants 'talk at' each other; cliques with claqueurs promoting fantasmes du jour, just to generate (largely vacuous) traffic. Some such platforms become monstrously large; but inevitably come in and go out with the tide...

Though I concur with the opinion that the O/P's original intentions were disingenuous... to promote what is a service of (again opinion) dubious provenance; does that actually render the actual question invalid or irrelevant? ...And just because some wizened old cynics (yes, I speak only for myself ?) crack out the 'Statler and Waldorf' routine... is that enough to de-platform someone who might merely be callow?

Give 'em enough rope... you never know; they might climb it!

 

[Elite Ai]

Cyndy, the reality is that this topic is a blatant attempt at self promotion which, IMO, should be not allowed on UKBF, even in this form.

Technically, OP did ask a question in the form of 'Have you integrated any AI elements into your business operations?' but, if we all did this, the quality of UKBF content would dip overnight.

I mean, Mark Jones could very well open a topic about financing for business or Jeremy Hawke could open a topic asking who's struggling with UK deliveries. But they don't do that. Why? Because they understand that's not the way to promote their business.


Moderators here should have more leeway in swiftly closing down topics such as this that don't really add any value to UKBF.

As a new member to the Forum I deemed it sensible to begin a topic on something of which I can confidently discuss. I completely understand the suggestion that this may be deemed self-promotion, but that begs the question: 'Can no one on the forum discuss topics in which they are in the business of without it being cited as 'self-promotion'?

I would also like to add that I only brought up examples of our work when asked it was asked for by another member.

After a few days on this forum I can see why it is such a useful tool for UK business owners and I look forward to getting involved (without self-promoting)!

As I learn the ropes, and understand what is and is not allowed on the forum (I have of course ran through the forum rules once more after this post), I look forward to helping others on topics that I am fit do so on - and also look forward to learning from others in areas where I am not so competent.

I do apologise if this thread has not been of benefit to the community - this of course was not my motive.

Cheers,
Ollie

 

[Elite Ai]

Any question?

Yes, the AI has multiple levels of 'answer-generation' to ensure the most accurate answer is given - in simple terms, it will prioritise certain areas of it's knowledge-base, before looking for an answer elsewhere in it's ingested database of info - If for whatever reason an answer cannot be provided, we build automations so that the POC within the business automatically receives questions that the bot could not answer for them to provide the correct answer and it to be automatically ingested back into the bots knowledge-base.

 

[ctrlbrk]

that begs the question: 'Can no one on the forum discuss topics in which they are in the business of without it being cited as 'self-promotion'?

Again, if we all did it, UKBF would be nothing more than a giant digital billboard.

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

Ironically my 9 yo granddaughter has been showing me some basic AI this morning its bleedy good ?

Although young she has been coding for 3 years and has a good basic understanding of things

It was possible to watch Saturdays Wales V England match played out the front of Buckingham palace
I will have to monetise this

 

[MarkOnline]

How, in what way?

I can ask it questions which would take hours of research to summarise. I have answers to questions which appear much faster than trawling through a google search never mind the time to sort out cookie preferences and then try and wade through the padding to find what I am looking for.
It has other uses for me too.
It doesnt have some industry specific info, I would imagine it doesnt give me the recipe for KFC's coating mix. Hang on I will ask it.......20 secs later....no it wont tell me "its a closely guarded trade secret" but it does give me an alternative list of ingredients and how to blend them.
I would say thats fairly impressive.

 

[fisicx]

Great. But how are you verifying that the answers ChatGPT provides are correct. There is increasing evidence that the responses are misleading and inaccurate. ChatGPT makes things up.

 

[japancool]

Again, if we all did it, UKBF would be nothing more than a giant digital billboard.

I think we should have a casual and insightful conversations about the business benefits of giant mecha plastic model kits.

 

[johndon68]

Great. But how are you verifying that the answers ChatGPT provides are correct. There is increasing evidence that the responses are misleading and inaccurate. ChatGPT makes things up.

There was an article last week where Google were saying that you should use a Google Search to verify the answers given by Google's Bard AI

 

[fisicx]

There was an article last week where Google were saying that you should use a Google Search to verify the answers given by Google's Bard AI

ChatGPT study suggests its LLMs are getting dumber

Behavior of OpenAI models about as consistent as Office 364's uptime

www.theregister.com

Consider also that the more AI generated content is published the dumber the LLM will get as it will use it's own generated junk as source material.