Get Your Business Moving With AI

In this Episode: Ram Ramamoorthy, Director of AI Research at Zoho, shares his wisdom and experience with Rieva and Brian on why AI is not just for enterprise companies. He also gives specific examples of how small businesses can use AI TODAY in their companies.

Highlights from the Podcast: 

Soft Launch of AI: Zoho’s AI-based features were initially integrated quietly, with customers unaware of the AI-driven enhancements. By 2015-2016, they began informing customers of the advanced techniques in use.

Transition to Mainstream: Generative AI went from generating images snd summaries to playing a pivotal role in technology, where it’s not just a differentiator but a baseline expectation in software products.

Hello Zia: Zoho’s AI brand, Zia, launched in 2017, primarily through Zoho CRM. Zia’s integration across Zoho’s product suite, with features that lower the entry barrier for small businesses to utilize AI. This includes models that work with minimal data and emphasize explainable AI.

Evolution of Software: Just as software exhibits superhuman capabilities, like searching through a million records in less than a second, AI further enhances these capabilities by understanding emotions, natural language, and reading text from images.

AI and Jobs: While AI may automate certain tasks, it will not eliminate jobs entirely. Instead, AI will transform industries, creating new roles and opportunities.

Deployment Strategy: Before implementing AI at the core of a business, deploy it in allied areas first, like customer support chatbots. This parallel deployment allows businesses to measure how often AI decisions overlap with human decisions and adjust accordingly.

Unified Software Platforms: AI performs best when it can access data from multiple areas. Therefore, finding a software platform where all data is integrated and available for the AI engine is preferable over disparate, siloed systems.

AI in Supply Chains: AI will enhance supply chains, making them more efficient and addressing challenges that have arisen, especially in the post-COVID era. The level of digitization in an industry determines how quickly it can embrace and benefit from AI.