Applications of Artificial Intelligence

The applications for artificial intelligence are endless. The technology can be applied to many different sectors and industries. AI is being tested and used in the healthcare industry for dosing drugs and different treatment in patients, and for surgical procedures in the operating room.

Other examples of machines with artificial intelligence include computers that play chess and self-driving cars. Each of these machines must weigh the consequences of any action they take, as each action will impact the end result. In chess, the end result is winning the game. For self-driving cars, the computer system must account for all external data and compute it to act in a way that prevents a collision.

Artificial intelligence also has applications in the financial industry, where it is used to detect and flag activity in banking and finance such as unusual debit card usage and large account deposits—all of which help a bank's fraud department. Applications for AI are also being used to help streamline and make trading easier. This is done by making the supply, demand, and pricing of securities easier to estimate.

AI cloud services

On a larger scale, AI capabilities are working in the business cloud computing environment to make organizations more efficient, strategic, and insight-driven. Cloud computing offers businesses more flexibility, agility, and cost savings by hosting data and applications in the cloud.

Artificial intelligence and cloud computing have merged to improve the lives of millions. Digital assistants like Siri, Google Home, and Amazon’s Alexa blend AI and cloud computing into our lives every day. With a quick verbal cue, users can make a purchase, adjust a smart home thermostat, or hear a song played over a connected speaker. A seamless flow of AI and cloud-based resources make those requests a reality. Most users never even realize that it’s a customized blend of these two technology spheres—artificial intelligence and cloud computing—that make these connections, intuitive experiences possible.

On a larger scale, AI capabilities are working in the business cloud computing environment to make organizations more efficient, strategic, and insight-driven. Cloud computing offers businesses more flexibility, agility, and cost savings by hosting data and applications in the cloud. Artificial intelligence capabilities are now layering with cloud computing and helping companies manage their data, look for patterns and insights in information, deliver customer experiences, and optimize workflows.

Powering a Self-Managing Cloud with AI

Artificial intelligence is being embedded into IT infrastructure to help streamline workloads and automate repetitive tasks. Some have gone as far as predicting that as AI becomes more sophisticated, private and public cloud instances will rely on these AI tools to monitor, manage, and even self-heal when an issue occurs. Initially, AI can be used to automate core workflows, and then, over time, analytical capabilities can create better processes that are largely independent. Routine processes can be managed by the system itself, further helping IT teams capture the efficiencies of cloud computing and allowing them to focus on higher-value strategic activities.

Improving Data Management with AI

At the cloud level, artificial intelligence tools are also improving data management. Consider the vast repositories of data that today’s businesses generate and collect, as well as the process of simply managing that infrastructure—identifying data, ingesting it, cataloging it, and managing it over time. Cloud computing solutions are already using AI tools to help with specific aspects of the data process. In banking, for example, even the smallest financial organization may need to monitor thousands of transactions per day.

AI tools can help streamline the way data is ingested, updated, and managed, so financial institutions can more easily offer accurate real-time data to clients. The same process can also help flag fraudulent activity or identify other areas of risk. Similar improvements can have a major impact on areas such as marketing, customer service, and supply chain data management.

Getting More Done with AI–SaaS Integration

Artificial intelligence tools are also being rolled out as part of larger Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms to deliver more value. Increasingly, SaaS providers are embedding AI tools into their larger software suites to offer greater functionality and value to end-users. Let’s explore one popular example: the customer relationship management platform Salesforce and its Einstein AI tool. The value of a CRM is that it captures a significant amount of customer data and makes it easier to track customer relationships and personalize interactions. But the volume of data can be overwhelming.

Salesforce introduced Einstein to help turn data into actionable insights businesses can use to sell more, improve their sales strategies, and engage with customers. The tools can help a business look for patterns in customer interactions, for example, to help advise sales on what method–like phone, email, or an in-person meeting–is more likely to drive a conversion. It can also be used to make “next step” recommendations based on the buying signals the tool is perceiving.

Utilizing Dynamic Cloud Services

AI as a service is also changing the ways businesses rely on tools. Consider a cloud-based retail module that makes it easier for brands to sell their products. The module has a pricing feature that can automatically adjust the pricing on a given product to account for issues such as demand, inventory levels, competitor sales, and market trends. Sophisticated analysis that’s based on modeling–pulling on deep neural networks–can give businesses much better command of their data, with important real-time implications. An AI-powered pricing module such as this ensures that a company’s pricing will always be optimized. It’s not just about making better use of data; it’s conducting that analysis and then putting it into action without the need for human intervention.

AI and cloud computing are transforming business at every level. From deeper learning to near-complete automation of key processes, the potential is promising. While there are some examples of this in the market now, a look at the landscape suggests that this will only continue to grow in the years ahead. Begin to explore how AI and cloud computing together could help you deliver better experiences, work more efficiently, and capture the maximum value from the data and insights you collect in the market.