Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become such a huge talking point nowadays. It is not surprising, given that everyone uses AI directly or indirectly. How AI has blown up in the past two years has been remarkable. I, like many others, have always envisioned AI becoming a thing in the future. However, we never quite thought it would be this big sooner. Looking forward, AI is projected to contribute immensely to the global economy. Projections are being placed at around US$15.7 trillion in 2030. So much to talk about, but today let us look at how you can use AI tools to improve your productivity.
Learning And Research
Do you wish to learn about anything? Do you wish to research on any subject? Well, this is something you can do using AI. The most commonly used large language models (LLMs), e.g. ChatGPT and Bard, are central to this. It is important to appreciate that there are many options for such chatbots. They are conversational, making learning and research even more engaging. Incorporating ChatGPT-4 in the search engine Bing is a game changer.
The same applies to Bard in that it returns results from the internet in real time. This greatly reduces the time it takes to learn or research something. Playing around with Bard, I noticed it even provides references when it returns results. This significantly improves your productivity. Imagine you want to prepare a presentation on a particular topic. In a matter of seconds, you can get a comprehensive outline and talking points. You can gather knowledge and insights for any topic, even with tight deadlines.
Using Chatbots In Business
Effective customer service and engagement are essential for businesses and startups nowadays. However, doing such often entails monotonous work. That is why most businesses tend to be slack regarding customer relationship management. One way to deal with that area is using chatbots. Chatbots can be incorporated into websites, social media, or instant messaging platforms. You can use generic ones, or you can have custom ones done for your business. There are different types of chatbots. Rule-based chatbots are the most basic and common, i.e. that use predetermined responses. This will enable you to focus more time and effort on the core business. That way, you become more productive.
Content Creation
This is now a huge use case for AI. However, it should be handled with moderation. The thing is, you can now create all sorts of content using AI. For example, you can create any piece of writing using AI. You can even create images and videos. That significantly reduces the effort needed to create content. We cannot deny how that surely improves one’s productivity. Regardless, it should not get in the way of human creativity and originality.
This is one of the reasons why in my writing, I have never used AI. This is because I am big on coming up with work solely from my efforts, thinking, and creativity. However, I know there are many areas where it can be okay to use AI to generate content. The bottom line and inevitability is that you can use AI in content creation, and it is much faster. I have just mentioned the bare minimum here, but there is so much AI can do in content creation.
Optimizing Workflows
I am including this as an umbrella because it does cover many things. After all, a workflow is a process or procedure by which tasks are completed. This typically entails people, actions, results, decisions, and action paths. This all can refer to anything involved in the business. For instance, it can be hiring, onboarding, data analysis, marketing, lead generation, etc. The use of AI can optimize all these workflows. Of course, LLMs can be used in that, but there is more.
One can choose countless AI-driven tools for various types of workflows. For example, you can use an AI-driven customer relationship management (CRM) system. You could also use an AI-driven content management system (CMS). You can use an AI tool to analyse and filter resumes during hiring. These are some of the many examples of optimizing workflows using AI.
Automation
I started computer programming early on – when I was only 15. One thing I quickly grasped was that anything done manually could be automated. At that time, I appreciated that reality from the angle of developing computerized computer systems. For example, one could develop a library management system for a manually-run library. The first ever computer software I developed was a library management system. Fast forward to now, literally, anything can be automated. Now automation has its anchor in AI.
This is because AI systems have the capacity and capability to process lots of data – big data. For example, you can purchase or install an Internet of Things (IoT) system at home. Such systems can enable you to automate many mundane home processes or activities. Such IoT systems can also be used in agriculture, mining, etc. Automation significantly increases accuracy and productivity. No wonder you find returns on investment (ROIs) of around 250 percent or more when you use AI-driven automation.
These are 5 of the core ways you can use AI tools to improve your productivity. AI can improve your productivity. However, you need to exercise caution. Being too dependent on AI can be detrimental. One particular challenge I often see is the increasing absence of the human touch. The number of things you can now do without needing another human keeps growing. Mostly you can now do many things without your input per se. This whole dynamic creates biases and leaves people at the mercy of AI.
