Best practices for launching AI in enterprise environments

Learn the best practices for launching AI in enterprise environments. Explore strategies to address challenges, build trust, and ensure a successful AI implementation.

Implementing AI in enterprise environments is no longer a matter of if but how. Despite the enthusiasm around AI, many enterprises face obstacles during their AI journey. To achieve successful AI adoption, you must understand best practices, common pitfalls, and strategies to navigate the complexities of AI deployment.

Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. Understanding the Current AI Landscape in Enterprises
3. Common Challenges in AI Implementation
   1. Lack of Talent and Training Resources
   2. Data Readiness and Siloed Information
   3. Privacy, Legal, and Trust Concerns
4. Best Practices for a Successful AI Launch
   1. Prioritize Speed: Start Small, Scale Later
   2. Demonstrate Quick Wins and ROI
   3. Emphasize Privacy and Compliance
   4. Ensure Explainable AI for User Trust
   5. Adopt a Model-Agnostic Approach
   6. Keep the Human Expert in the Loop
5. Strategies for Overcoming AI Challenges
   1. Building Data Strategy for Small Wins
   2. Addressing Trust and Transparency Concerns
   3. Change Management and Building a Governance Framework
6. Real-World AI Success Stories in Enterprises
   1. True Story 1: Car to the bar on cruise ships
   2. True Story 2: Field services platform
7. FAQs

Key takeaways

• Speed and small wins: Start with quick, small wins to build trust and show ROI, then scale.
• Privacy and trust: Prioritize privacy, ensure compliance, and build trustworthy AI systems to gain user confidence.
• Explainable AI: Transparency in AI outcomes is crucial to mitigate user concerns about AI as a “black box.”
• Model agnostic: Stay flexible in adopting different models to keep up with evolving AI capabilities.

Trustworthy AI

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Understanding the current AI landscape in enterprises

AI adoption in enterprises is still relatively nascent, with only about 30% of companies fully embracing AI solutions. The gap between AI interest and successful implementation stems from challenges related to talent, data readiness, and trust in AI systems.

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Common challenges in AI implementations

Lack of talent and training resources

Enterprises often struggle with the lack of skilled AI talent and training resources. Implementing advanced AI systems like Generative AI or machine learning models requires specialized knowledge, which can be a roadblock for many organizations.

Data readiness and siloed information

Data issues, such as incomplete or siloed data, prevent AI models from achieving reliable results. Organizations frequently find their data scattered across departments, complicating the implementation of AI use cases.

Privacy, legal, and trust concerns

Fear of data breaches and compliance issues often hinders the adoption of AI in enterprises. Many businesses worry about how AI systems handle sensitive information and how outcomes are generated, creating a trust deficit in AI systems.

Best practices for a successful AI launch

Prioritize speed: start small, scale later

Speed is a significant factor in successful AI launches. There are numerous AI tools that can accelerate (safely) every part of the product development process. We wrote the playbook for using AI in the product development process.

Demonstrate quick wins and ROI

AI projects often fail because they set overly ambitious goals. Instead, focus on small wins that yield measurable ROI. Showcase how AI can save time, reduce costs, or improve customer experiences to convince stakeholders of its long-term benefits. And show these business wins to the business and your leadership early and often. 

Emphasize privacy and compliance

AI models must handle data responsibly to prevent privacy breaches and comply with regulations. Consider tools that de-identify personally identifiable information (PII) in real time to maintain data privacy during AI processing. Hosting models locally can also enhance data security by keeping sensitive information within the enterprise.

Ensure explainable AI for user trust

AI’s inherent “black box” nature can be a concern for users. By providing explainable AI, enterprises can demystify AI decision-making, making it easier for users to trust and adopt AI solutions. Explain to your users how decisions were generated by non-deterministic systems so that things don’t appear to be such a black box. Transparency in how AI systems work, what data they use, and how outcomes are generated is key. 

Adopt a model-agnostic approach

The AI landscape evolves rapidly, with new models outperforming previous ones in various domains. A model-agnostic approach allows businesses to pivot as newer, more effective AI models become available. This adaptability is crucial to staying competitive.

Keep the human expert in the loop

AI should complement human expertise, not replace it. By incorporating a human-in-the-loop strategy, organizations can ensure that AI outputs are reviewed, fine-tuned, and used effectively. Human oversight is essential, especially in situations where AI models may hallucinate or produce an incorrect answer.

Strategies for overcoming AI challenges

Building data strategy for small wins

Data challenges are often cited as significant hurdles in AI implementation. Develop a data strategy focused on smaller, attainable use cases can help build momentum. By demonstrating success in these focused areas, organizations can gradually gain access to more data and expand their AI initiatives.

Address trust and transparency concerns

Building trust in AI is an ongoing process. Enterprises should focus on transparent communication, including setting expectations for AI performance and limitations. User testing and feedback loops are critical in refining AI models to align with user needs.

Change management and building a governance framework

Successful AI adoption requires effective change management. Establishing a dedicated governance team separate from the core AI project team ensures unbiased oversight. The size and scope of the governance framework should be tailored to the specific risks associated with the AI use case.

Real-world AI success stories in enterprises

True Story 1: Car to bar on cruise ships

We worked with Royal Caribbean to improve customer experience by getting people from the car to the bar faster. We used AI-driven facial recognition to expedite boarding processes. Starting with a quick proof of concept (PoC) in the first week of the project, the team demonstrated early success and gradually expanded the project’s scope. We then had a successful press event, only 5 weeks after the project kickoff. This agile approach showcased the project’s potential, leading to widespread excitement within the company and ultimately to the roll out across ports.

True Story 2: Field service platform

We worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers and Google to build a field services platform that decreased return trips by 80% and increased CSAT by 15% in our pilots. One of the keys was to test our prototypes with the dispatchers who would be using the tool to understand what they were most nervous about and what they were most confused about. We iterated on this feedback to ultimately improve their efficiency and trust.

FAQs

1. What is the most significant barrier to launching AI in enterprises?
   The main barriers are trust, talent and data. This often includes data readiness, including access to quality data and managing privacy concerns.
2. How can enterprises ensure AI projects are successful?
   By starting small, focusing on quick wins, and building a data strategy that aligns with business objectives.
3. Why is explainable AI important?
   Explainable AI fosters trust by providing transparency in decision-making, helping users understand and feel confident in AI-generated outcomes.
4. How does a model-agnostic approach benefit AI implementation?
   It offers flexibility, allowing businesses to switch models as newer, more effective AI solutions emerge.
5. How do you address privacy concerns in AI projects?
   Employ data anonymization tools and choose models that can be hosted locally to maintain control over sensitive information.
6. What role does change management play in AI adoption?
   Change management is critical to addressing concerns around job security and ensuring smooth integration of AI into existing workflows.

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Conclusion

Launching AI in enterprise environments requires a strategic approach focusing on speed, small wins, privacy, transparency, flexibility, and human oversight. By adhering to these best practices, organizations can navigate the complexities of AI implementation, build trust, and drive successful outcomes. Remember, AI is a tool to enhance human capabilities—when deployed thoughtfully, it can bring transformative value to any enterprise.