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By Michael Gossie, AZ Big Media
Artificial intelligence does not mean pushing a button and waiting for a robot to jump out.
“When you say ‘artificial intelligence,’ some people jump to the worst possible scenario that technology and computers are going to take over the world,” says Erica Sietsma, COO at Scottsdale-based Digital Air Strike. “What they don’t realize is how many really kind of basic functions that artificial intelligence helps us with every day.”
As artificial intelligence (AI) adoption grows in Arizona, Az Business sat down with three experts from the world of technology for an AZ Tech Talk panel discussion about how AI is impacting the state’s business community, what companies can do to stay ahead of the competition, and how artificial intelligence can make businesses better — and more efficient — at what they do.
Joining Sietsma in the discussion is Robert Brown, managing director of BDO Digital; and Dr. Dwight Farris, professor at Grand Canyon University.
Az Business: How do you define artificial intelligence as it pertains to your business?
Erica Sietsma: We use artificial intelligence, but we’re not building robots or anything like that. Since we’re trying to engage with consumers, we use a myriad of different functions of artificial intelligence. We use cognitive services to digest and analyze any of the natural language communications that we’re having with consumers to give us better analysis of what the consumer really wants and their intentions. Then, we build out predictive analytics so that the next time we engage with that consumer or someone similar to that consumer, we know how to better engage on behalf of the business. Especially now during COVID, it makes it tough to truly provide that great customer experience when everything is virtual. So we help power that and a huge part of that is leveraging artificial intelligence.
Click here to read the full transcript from the event and to watch the pre-recorded panel.
