Generative AI is here ... The future is now!

Keeping with the spirit of?this article, I asked ChatGPT—a generative AI language model that helps you create content in response to a user prompt, on how it could create a context. My prompt to the system:

Write an opening paragraph for LinkedIn article on ‘Generative AI is here… the future is now’ in Microsoft style.

“As the world continues to move towards a more data-driven and automated future, the potential of generative AI is becoming increasingly apparent. At Microsoft, we are committed to driving innovation and pushing the boundaries of what is possible with AI. With our cutting-edge technology and unparalleled expertise in the field, we are proud to be at the forefront of the generative AI revolution. From natural language processing to computer vision, our advancements in generative AI are poised to transform the way we work, live, and interact with technology. The future is now, and with generative AI, we are paving the way for a new era of innovation and possibility.”

Pretty impressive huh!

What’s most exciting about this innovation is that it takes just one prompt to see the power of generative AI in action. And the impact was seen in the numbers, it took just 5 days since launch of ChatGPT to get to 1 million downloads ??

ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot as well as many AI models like (DALLE-2, GPT-4, Stable Diffusion) that are the backbone of these systems are helping technology to exhibit with prowess creativity and ingenuity, a trait considered as superpower for humans. ?You can now get original content responses to queries, develop blogs, perhaps even write this article, draw an image, write code, and even give you starting points to solve complex problems including hypothesis to explore why things are broken i.e. conversion rates are low.

The brilliance of this latest breed of AI systems is that it has been built on deep learning models which have been trained on an infinite pool of unstructured data sets of text and image and it’s on perpetual learning loop which keeps making them better as time progresses.

?The parameter gain from GPT-2 to GPT-3, while massive at the time, was only 116x. The parameter gain from GPT-3 to GPT-4 is estimated to be 571x.

Just to give you a sense of this scale, if GPT-3 is walking around the entire diameter of earth, GPT-4 is walking around the diameter of the sun – which is 100 times bigger than the earth - 5 times!

So, this is not an evolutionary update, it’s revolutionary in terms of scale!

Whilst these models are in the early stages of scaling, it’s imperative for organisations to pave the path for Applied AI.

Applied AI can be a powerful tool and we can leverage the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to solve specific real-world problems and create practical applications that can be used in a variety of fields.

Here are some five inspiration use cases for eCommerce, not exhaustive:

1.????AI Generated Product Descriptions

Generative AI can create marketing copy and persuasive descriptions of products that also optimizes for SEO.

Example: ?One of the most time-consuming activities for new merchants is preparing their store for launch. And one of the most important factors for a store’s early success lies in well-crafted product pages and descriptions.?Shopify launched “Magic” to support generation of product listings. Millions on the platform have no description today.

?2.????AI Assisted Personalized Product Search

Taking it to the next level, utilize buyer intent and preference to deliver dynamic descriptive product content that resonates with shoppers.

Example: With help from?Microsoft Azure Open AI Service, CarMax has streamlined the creation of text summaries for its car research pages based on customer ratings and reviews, quickly providing customers with meaningful content that also boosts the pages’ search engine rankings.

?3.????AI Assisted Instant Shopping

Leveraging AI to get recipes from my fav Martha Stewart.com to create shopping lists and even ordering groceries from Instacart.

Example: Instacart has rolled out ChatGPT plugin in collaboration with Open AI. By combining ChatGPT’s ability to enable people to express their needs in natural language, with Instacart’s ability to make those needs instantly shoppable. The Instacart plugin lets ChatGPT users turn the ever-present “dinner dilemma” into an instant inspiration and ultimately, instant gratification with ingredients delivered to their door in as fast as an hour so they can get cooking.

?4.????AI Virtual Concierge

Leveraging Open AI for an open-ended conversational engagement with a virtual assistant.?Speak just announced it is a?launch partner?for OpenAI’s new automatic speech recognition API, which builds on?earlier “Whisper” models?the team previously open-sourced. Highly performant speech recognition is an important driver of Speak’s product experience, which helps users learn new languages through a focus on speaking and listening. You can learn more about Speak + OpenAI Speech Recognition here and here’s an illustrative example for In-N-Out Burger Speak-app on Vimeo

?5.????AI Powered Avatar Videos

Use ChatGPT to generate content for digital avatars for customer engagement

Example: Deepbrain.AI creates professional-quality videos with human like AI avatars. The advantages of AI video generation tool with ChatGPT video function are two-fold: First, ChatGPT?allows you to generate scripts with just a few clicks. Then, the tool uses advanced AI technology to come up with content ideas, generate natural and human-like language scripts without any grammatical errors, saving you time and effort. Second, the AI avatars are designed to look and move like real humans, providing a more engaging and immersive experience for viewers. With a wide range of customization options, we can create avatars that match brand persona or message.

?With this kind of innovation, there is an opportunity for all of us to create an AI-First organisation, it not just about “hard” aspects of having access to AI technology like ChatGPT but focusing on “soft” aspects of culture, talent, leadership, and capabilities to maximise the impact from AI. Essentially, I see three key plays.

1.????Creating an AI-First Learning Culture

Digital is an ever-evolving space and especially with AI, we need to embrace an “always on” learning culture across teams rooted in a “learn-all” mindset. This can be done by creating learning moments like AI Masterclass, including experiential learning – getting team members signing up for GPT4, self-paced learning courses and certification programs not just for technical teams but non-technical teams as well. The real value of AI comes from translation, having the business user work in partnership with AI experts which means non-technical teams also need to have an appreciation of what models can do.

2.????Bringing in AI-Savvy Talent

We all will need to become AI Talent scouts – attracting, retaining, and nurturing talent including AI/ML Experts, Data Engineers, Data Scientists and perhaps a new role of AI Translators who bridge the gulf between AI technology and business problems. Building AI capability needs to be embedded in people plan and development strategies across all levels.

3.????Thoughtful testing and learning before scaling

Especially in the current times where we need to “do more with less”, we need to be thoughtful in terms of testing and learning by leveraging AI to solve chronic problems that have outsized impact and starting small to limit the radius blast of impact whilst having the bold ambition to rapidly scale.

Three years after the pandemic forced most companies to stop dragging their feet on digital transformation, it’s now a given that AI is a key pivot that will drive the future of innovation. The future is now and it’s here!

If you got this far, thank you for reading and I would love your comments on how you plan to leverage Generative AI to transform your business and build an AI-First organisation.