What is AI adoption?

AI adoption refers to using artificial intelligence to improve workflows and decision-making processes. By integrating AI technologies, organizations can automate tasks, analyze data, and gain valuable insights, leading to enhanced efficiency, accuracy, and productivity. Companies are rapidly recognising the benefits of using AI. For example, Gartner predicts that 75% of enterprise software engineers will be using AI code assistants by 2028. AI processes can be as simple as doing easy tasks automatically. Advanced AI can be used for big decisions or looking at data.

What are the key steps involved in AI adoption?

Understanding the key steps involved in AI adoption is crucial for successfully integrating artificial intelligence into your organization and maximizing its benefits.

Understanding the benefits

The first step is recognizing how AI can improve processes and solve specific problems. This means identifying where AI can make tasks easier, faster, and more accurate. It’s important to see how AI can help by automating repetitive jobs, analyzing data, and giving helpful predictions.

Assessing readiness

Check if your organization is ready for AI. Look at your current technology, the quality of your data, and the skills of your employees. Make sure you have the resources and knowledge needed to support AI.

Setting clear objectives

Set clear, achievable goals for your AI projects. These goals should match your overall business plan and address the specific needs you identified. Clear objectives will guide your AI adoption process and help you measure success.

Choosing the right AI solutions

Pick AI technologies and tools that best fit your needs. Decide whether to use ready-made AI products or create custom solutions. Think about how easy they are to integrate, how scalable they are, and the support you’ll get from vendors.

Implementing and testing

Start by integrating AI into your existing systems. Begin with small pilot projects to see how well AI works in real situations. Watch the performance closely and make adjustments to improve results.

Training and change management

Train your employees to use AI tools effectively. Address any concerns and create a positive attitude towards AI-driven changes. Good change management is important for smooth adoption and long-term success.

Monitoring and evaluation

Continuously watch how AI solutions are performing and check their impact on your organization. Use key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure success and find areas to improve. Regularly review and update your AI strategy to keep up with new technology and business needs.

AI adoption vs. AI adaptation

AI adoption and AI adaptation both focus on the use of artificial intelligence, but in slightly different ways.

• AI adoption is the process of using artificial intelligence as part of business operations
• AI adaptation is the ability of artificial intelligence systems to adjust, learn and improve over time

Here’s a breakdown of how the two terms differ:

AI adoption	AI adaptation
Definition	Using AI in a company’s workflows or decisions	When AI systems learn and get better over time
Focus	Putting AI in place to make processes better	Making sure AI keeps working well over time
Techniques	Picking AI tools and teaching people to use them	AI systems learning from new data or getting better with practice
Goals	Using AI to make business better	Keeping AI useful as situations change, making it smarter over time
Examples of use	Using AI for customer service or predicting sales	Recommendation systems that learn from what people like

Use cases for AI adoption

AI adoption in business

Here are three examples of how AI adoption can help organizations.

Chatbots for quick help

Stores are using smart programs called chatbots to answer easy questions like “Where’s my package?” or “How do I return this?” Store workers therefore have more time for harder problems, making customers happier and saving the store money.

Predicting machine repairs

Factories are using special computer programs to guess when machines will need fixing before they actually break. This helps keep the factory running without unexpected stops and makes machines last longer.

Personalized ads

Companies that make ads are using AI to figure out what people might like to buy. They look at what consumers bought before and what they do online. This way, they can show people ads that they’re more likely to be interested in, which can lead to more sales.

Advantages of AI adoption

AI adoption works well for businesses. Here’s why:

Saves time and effort

AI does repetitive tasks for people, saving time and energy.

Helps make better choices

AI quickly looks at lots of information to help employees make smart decisions.

Makes customers happier

Tools like chatbots provide help quickly, making customers happy.

Saves money

Using AI to perform tasks saves money and makes businesses more profitable.

Finds new opportunities

The technology finds patterns in data that can lead to new ideas or markets.

Handles big workloads

AI can do a lot of work without needing lots of people, making it easier for businesses to grow.

Competitive edge

Using AI early on helps businesses stay ahead by being faster and better at adapting to changes.

Challenges of AI adoption

While AI adoption is exciting, it’s important to be aware of challenges like the following:

Data quality and privacy

If the data used for AI isn’t good or isn’t private, it can cause problems.

Skill gap

Finding people who know how to work with AI can be tough.

Regulatory compliance

Following rules and laws about using AI, like protecting people’s data, can be hard.

How can DAPs help with AI adoption?

DAPs like WalkMe help businesses to automate their processes and speed up decision making. Here are some examples: Workflow automation: WalkMe helps companies automate tasks and processes, cutting down on clicks and making sure jobs get done right the first time. Error prevention: WalkMe stops mistakes by doing repetitive tasks automatically, keeping data accurate and reliable. Conversational interfaces: WalkMe offers easy chat interfaces for common tasks, so employees can finish jobs faster and with fewer mistakes. ActionBot: With WalkMe’s ActionBot, people can talk to a bot to get things done, making tasks simpler and reducing confusion. In-app guidance: WalkMe’s help within apps includes:

• checking to make sure actions are carried correctly.
• automation to make better decisions, perform well, and reach business goals.

The platform’s features also make use of AI capabilities to further streamline workflows. These include: AI-driven recommendations: WalkMe’s AI suggests ways to make using apps better. It focuses on areas where people:

• Don’t use them much
• Make lots of mistakes
• Take a long time

Auto-generated user experiences: The platform uses AI to make content and experiences automatically. This makes it faster to create help inside apps. The technology can create visuals, charts, and pictures. Conversational automation: WalkMe’s AI makes it easier to work by letting people talk to software like they’re talking to a person. As a result, completing tasks becomes smoother and faster. AI-powered insights: The AI gives helpful ideas that make using technology easier. It guides where to invest effort, making workflows better and saving time.

Success stories with AI adoption

Nestle x WalkMe

Many organizations are responding to AI tools by creating their own platforms for internal use. Indeed, Gartner predicts that 80% of large enterprise finance teams will be using internal AI platforms by 2026. One company leading the way with this trend is Nestle, who worked with WalkMe to roll out safe AI adoption in the business. They created a digital adoption solution for both ChatGPT and the internal compliant version (NestGPT). People received reminders not to share personal information with SmartTips and ShoutOuts. On NestGPT, they were given in-app guidance for writing the best prompts based on their role. This helped employees to get the most out of the technology. To monitor AI adoption, Nestle made use of WalkMe’s Shadow AI applications. They were able to see how AI tools were being used across the business. Furthermore, they could ensure AI strategy was safe and effective.

Future of AI adoption

AI adoption presents a big opportunity for businesses to use advanced technology to work better. As more companies see the benefits of AI, its future looks promising. Digital adoption platforms (DAPs) will be an important part of making AI adoption easier. They provide easy-to-use interfaces and help people learn how to use AI well. This will accelerate AI use in various industries. In the future, we’ll see more AI being used. DAPs will make it easier for businesses to harness their full potential. This will help organizations to stay ahead of the competition in a digital world.