Roundtable Recap: AI Transformation & Productivity
On the 2nd of October, Hitachi Solutions hosted an intimate roundtable in Greater Manchester to discuss: “Can AI Transformation Drive Organisation-wide Productivity?”
led by Jack Murphy, AI Capability Lead at Hitachi Solutions, and Darragh Kelly, Senior Advisory Consultant, the event brought together representatives from various commercial organisations to explore this interesting topic.
The discussions on the day covered a variety of topics, which I will explore further in this blog. We also shared insights from our own experience at Hitachi Solutions on how we benefit from leveraging AI to enhance our processes!
Keep reading to discover the key takeaways and the valuable insights shared during the event.
Corporate productivity issues?
A common challenge in the modern workplace is how long people spend in meetings or on calls, catching up on emails, making notes etc. and not on their actual work which presents a huge productivity issue. With Microsoft pushing for AI integration across various sectors, there are countless opportunities to enhance productivity and streamline workflows.
Jack shared his personal experience of how AI has affected in his role, saying, “I hate coming back from holiday and spending two weeks catching up on everything I’ve missed. It’s not just about returning to tasks but also potentially missing opportunities because key stakeholders aren’t available to provide updates.”
The Hitachi Solutions AI case
Jack Murphy further highlighted several AI use cases that Hitachi Solutions has implemented to drive productivity. These included automating repetitive tasks, enhancing collaboration, and improving learning and development processes.
At Hitachi Solutions we like to…what do they call it? ‘eat our own dog food’… so our experts showcased five key experiments within Hitachi Solutions, as customer zero where AI is actively deployed:
- Meeting Notes and Actions: AI can significantly speed up the process of capturing and summarising meeting notes and actions.
- Project Management: AI helps manage project backlogs and import them into Azure DevOps (ADO).
- Document Summarisation: AI can quickly generate summaries of lengthy documents.
- High-Level Estimates: AI assists in generating high-level estimates for projects.
- Customer Understanding: AI helps understand customer projects and agendas more efficiently.
The debate floor then opened for the thoughts and contributions of external experts so let’s explore these…
Q: What are the common pitfalls with AI implementation and how to overcome them
The roundtable discussed the challenges organisations encounter when adopting AI, with one major concern being the fear of job displacement.
While many believe that AI will enhance productivity by handling repetitive and mundane tasks, an interesting point was raised: some people actually enjoy these tasks, and AI could potentially replace these roles.
However, the conversation emphasised that AI is primarily about enhancing human capabilities and automating repetitive tasks, which allows employees to concentrate on more creative and strategic work. It’s important to remember, though, that we must also consider those who prefer routine tasks.
Q: How important is an AI culture for AI implementation especially for SME’s?
For AI to be truly effective, a supportive culture is essential. One key point discussed was that larger enterprises often have more resources, making it easier for them to foster innovation. In contrast, small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often struggle to integrate AI because they lack the time and energy needed to build a culture that encourages agility and curiosity. Without this supportive culture, it becomes challenging for SMEs to make AI innovation stick.
The conversation then shifted to the need for smaller businesses to receive guidance in creating an environment where AI can thrive, even before they are fully ready for large-scale integration.
Q: Does AI need a Human Element?
A key topic of discussion was the extent to which AI can operate independently and the role of humans in enhancing AI. It was emphasised that AI should serve as an assistive tool, as it is not perfect.
Jack illustrated this with an insightful analogy from a Google hackathon: three teams were tasked with building a project. The first team used ChatGPT, the second used Google, and the third relied solely on their own ideas. While the first team completed their project the fastest, they came last in terms of project quality. This highlights how speed can directly correlate to seemingly more efficient work, but the cost can often be quality and although it was helpful the aim was not to finish first it was to understand what they were building. Ultimately, AI cannot be a direct replacement for people it needs that human element!
Q: How can AI be responsibly used?
The event also touched on the importance of responsible AI use. Organisations need to consider compliance and regulations when implementing AI projects. The discussion highlighted the risks of using AI tools like ChatGPT without proper oversight, which can lead to misinformation and potential legal issues.
Let’s Round up this Roundtable! – Key takeaways
The main takeaway here is that AI serves as an assistive tool, not a one-size-fits-all solution. While it has great potential to boost organisational productivity, successful implementation requires understanding your business’s unique needs, identifying pain points, cultivating a culture of AI innovation and so much more!
At Hitachi Solutions we encourage organisations to embrace AI’s potential for driving productivity and innovation, we’ve seen the benefits, and you can too!
Contact our experts today to start your AI journey.
