Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the world in unprecedented ways. From healthcare to education, business to entertainment, and even staff augmentation, AI enables new possibilities and opportunities for human creativity and productivity. But how can you harness the power of AI for your success? 

How can you leverage AI to enhance your skills, solve problems, and achieve your goals? 

This article will provide tips and best practices for becoming an AI-enabled organization. We will also share some examples of how AI is used in various domains and industries, and how you can learn from them.

But first, a quote from our resident AI genius Ryan on the most important consideration you should have from the start:

"Thoroughly understand what AI can and can’t do for your specific use case; most importantly, implement it responsibly. AI is an accelerant of unprecedented magnitude, and an organization needs to be on stable footing before applying it in a material way. If you add a large motor to a boat with a strong rudder, it will achieve superior performance. If you add a large motor to a boat with a weak rudder, it will capsize."

- Ryan Burns - Economist & Chief Data Officer @ MSH

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With all of that wisdom in mind, let's begin.

What is AI Enablement?

AI enablement empowers yourself or your organization with the knowledge, skills, tools, and resources to use AI effectively and responsibly. True AI enablement is a very difficult thing, which is why it’s so valuable.

AI enablement is the combination of proprietary data and bespoke tooling that drives the logical synthesis of vast amounts of information to accelerate business processes, augment decision-making, and improve quality.

Ultimately, unlocking human creativity at an exceptional level.

AI enablement involves:

• Understanding the basics of AI, such as what it is, how it works, and what it can do.
• Identifying the opportunities and challenges of applying AI to your domain or industry.
• Develop a strategy and a roadmap for implementing AI solutions that align with your vision and values.
• Acquiring the necessary data, infrastructure, and talent to support your AI initiatives.
• Evaluating your AI systems' performance, impact, and ethics and ensuring their quality, reliability, and safety.
• Learning from the best practices and experiences of other AI-enabled individuals or organizations.

Why is AI Enablement Important?

It comes down to controlling the technology in ways that serve your organization; as opposed to letting the technology control and guide your strategic decision making.

"The essential first step is to confirm that your core systems and data are organized to accommodate AI; if the data isn’t accurate and well-structured, all AI will do is produce the wrong answers faster. Any time there is an emerging technology, an explosion of superficial expertise follows; the inherent power of AI increases the magnitude of this risk. Deliver AI to your custmers and team members in the way they need it and chart a steady course for growth with the appropriate training and change management."

- Ryan Burns - Economist & Chief Data Officer @ MSH

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At the end of the day, well implemented AI enablement progrms help you:

• Enhance your capabilities and competitiveness in a rapidly changing world.
• Solve complex problems and generate novel insights that would otherwise be impossible or impractical.
• Create personalized and engaging experiences for yourself and your customers or stakeholders.
• Improve your efficiency and productivity by automating repetitive or tedious tasks.
• Innovate and experiment with new ideas and solutions to create value and social good.

How to Achieve AI Enablement

AI enablement is not a one-time event, but a continuous journey that requires commitment, curiosity, and collaboration. When implemented correctly thorughout an organization, it can have profound positive effects. Ryan, our internal AI expert who you heard from earlier, has great perspective on this:

"The universe of opportunity is expansive and accelerating; today’s benefits will become a small subset of tomorrow’s benefits. The enduring benefit, however, is unlocking the infinite potential of human creativity by providing resources that shorten the time between the creation of new ideas and their implementation."

- Ryan Burns - Economist & Chief Data Officer @ MSH

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Here are some steps that your organization can take to make AI enablement a reality:

1. Educate Yourself on the Fundamentals of AI

You don’t need to be an expert, but you should understand what AI is, how it works, and what it can do. 

You can start by reading some introductory books or articles on AI, taking some online courses or workshops on AI, or attending some events or webinars on AI.

2. Explore the Applications of AI in Your Domain or Industry

You should have a clear idea of how AI can benefit your field or sector, current trends and developments in AI, and best practices and standards for using AI. 

You can do this by researching some case studies or examples of how AI is used in your domain or industry, talking to experts or practitioners with AI experience, or joining some communities or networks focusing on AI.

3. Define Your Goals and Objectives for Using AI 

You should have a clear vision of what you want to achieve with AI, the specific problems or opportunities you want to address with AI, and the expected outcomes or impacts of using AI. You should also consider the ethical implications of using AI, such as how it will affect your values, principles, and responsibilities. 

You can do this by conducting some needs assessment or gap analysis, setting some SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goals or objectives for using AI, or creating ethical guidelines or principles for using AI.

4. Develop a Plan and a Roadmap for Implementing AI Solutions

You should have a realistic plan for executing your AI initiatives, what resources and requirements you will need for using AI, and what milestones and indicators you will use to measure your progress and success. 

You should also consider the risks and challenges you may face when using AI, such as data quality, security, privacy, bias, explainability, accountability, etc. 

To prepare for implementing AI solutions, start by creating prototypes or pilots, then determine the data sources and tools you'll utilize, and establish metrics for evaluating their performance. 

This structured approach will ensure a successful AI deployment.

5. Execute Your Plan and Monitor Your Results

You should implement your plan according to your roadmap, test your solutions in real-world scenarios, and collect feedback from yourself or your users. 

You should also monitor your results regularly, analyze your data, and evaluate your performance, impact, and ethics. You should also learn from your mistakes, celebrate your achievements, and share your learnings with others. 

You can do this by deploying your solutions in production environments, conducting user testing or surveys, generating reports or dashboards, or communicating your results with stakeholders.

Examples of AI Enablement

To inspire you, here are some examples of how AI is used in various domains and industries, and how you can learn from them.

Healthcare

AI improves diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and management of various diseases and conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, etc. AI enhances patient care, satisfaction, and engagement through chatbots, telemedicine, wearables, etc. 

Other exampes include using AI to detect skin cancer, predict heart failure, or personalize medication.

Another way that medical organizations are utilizing AI is to improve their recruitment process.

Also Read: People-First Onboarding Best Practices For New Healthcare Employees

Education

AI enhances learning, teaching, and assessment through adaptive learning systems, intelligent tutoring systems, gamification, etc. AI also improves access, equity, and inclusion in education through translation, transcription, captioning, etc. 

You can learn from how educators and learners use AI to improve learning experiences and outcomes, such as by using AI to teach math, assess writing, or support language learning.

Business

AI optimizes operations, processes, and decisions through automation, analytics, forecasting, etc. AI also creates new products, services, and business models through personalization, recommendation, generation, etc. 

You can learn from how businesses and entrepreneurs are using AI to create value and competitive advantage, such as by using AI to optimize supply chains, recommend products, or generate content.

Conclusion

AI enablement is a key skill for the 21st century that can help your organization succeed. By following the tips and best practices we shared in this blog post, you can become an AI-enabled r organization that can use AI effectively and responsibly. 

Or, enable you to properly partner with a trusted advisor.

We hope this blog post has inspired you to start or continue your AI journey. If you're looking for someone to partner with to build out your AI strategy, learn more about our technology consulting solutions.