Driving business agility and resilience in the age of AI
We’ve seen technology driving business transformation faster than ever before, with companies looking to quickly adapt and build resilience as we emerge from the crisis. In fact, our CEO Satya Nadella observed during our last earnings call that we’ve seen two years’ worth of transformation in two months.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly at the heart of business transformation and is changing how organizations make decisions and develop better products, services and customer experiences. As AI helps organizations discover, learn, and make decisions it is also playing a key role in the economic response: navigating the now, planning for re-booting and re-inventing to shape the ‘next normal.’ But how do you ensure your company gains business value from AI?
AI expert and producer of Exponential View Azeem Azhar eloquently observed, “Firms gaining the most from AI have invested in skilling their employees and building a positive innovation-oriented culture. It is that human capital, in tandem with AI technologies, that is the magic in the mix.”
To help business leaders effectively align skills, company culture and AI to drive successful transformation, we undertook a piece of international research among enterprise organizations in March 2020 (during the pandemic). We found that companies seeing the greatest value from AI are the ones that are cultivating a broad range of skills among their workers — and are also focused on how AI can support and augment their employees.
To provide some color around these findings, I recently took part in a discussion with Azeem and a panel of experts from AI-leading companies. I was thoroughly inspired, and wanted to share some of their insights as I think they can help any business looking to use AI to adapt and return to growth.
Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy. A firm that recognizes the ingenuity of its people as its most important asset, Mott MacDonald has taken on projects from helping deliver four of the UK’s COVID-19 emergency response hospitals, to replacing a double-deck road with an expansive tunnel in Seattle.
In looking to drive the most value from its AI deployments, Mott MacDonald stays focused on how AI can directly empower both its staff and its customers.
For example, they’re using an AI enabled tool from Microsoft called Project Cortex. The technology automatically connects and organizes the knowledge generated by its 16,000 worldwide employees – making it easily discoverable to teams across the organization. Simon Denton, business architect at Mott MacDonald noted during our discussion, “This is one of those sort of silent AI partners that’s really helping connect the organization and bring it together to help us achieve our mission of opening opportunities through connected thinking.”
When tasked with helping develop new infrastructure like roads and bridges, Mott MacDonald uses AI based scenario testing and schedule planning to help support clients globally make informed strategic decisions, achieve operational efficiencies and reduce risk when delivering complex major projects and programmes. Their MOATA digital twin platform combines device, social and environmental data with advanced analytics and machine learning enabling clients and citizens to see the unseen. For example, in Auckland, NZ, the platform is enabling swimmers to know where it’s safe to go into the sea, overcoming the uncertainties caused by heavy rain and wastewater overflows through predictive modelling.
Simon offered practical advice for businesses at the early stages of AI implementation: “It’s about building confidence and trust in AI.
