What Can AI Applications be Used for in the IT Business?

The generative AI landscape is growing by leaps and bounds. In fact, Bloomberg Intelligence estimates that generative AI could potentially account for 12 percent of total technology market spend by 2032.

Clicking on our article, you’re among the IT leaders learning more about how to put AI to use in business settings. Many are looking into new and innovative ways that AI can help to achieve departmental and organizational goals. Whether that’s employing AI for improving customer relationships, real-time fraud detection or something that hasn’t even been discovered yet, more people are seeking reliable AI and machine learning tools.

Your IT team in particular could be well suited for implementing AI and using it in their everyday work. Today, we’ll go over some highlights of the AI market and our thoughts about the use of AI for IT teams.

Here are the topics we will cover:

• What is AI?
• How is AI being used?
• Limitations of AI
• Recommendations for the use of AI in IT
• Future of AI

What is AI?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a machine that’s programmed to learn how to perform cognitive functions commonly associated with human thought processes.

How is AI Being Used?

AI is expanding throughout the business world and our personal lives. AI has proven to be quite useful in a wide range of areas, such as self-driving cars or even space exploration. More down-to-earth and common examples of AI functions and use cases include:

• Decision making based on reason and evidence
• Perceiving patterns in order to make connections
• Forming responses according to human values
• Automating repetitive tasks
• Analyzing large amounts of data
• Improving efficiency and productivity
• Informing better product recommendations
• Hiring AI-powered virtual assistants to improve the customer experience

And that’s just to name a few. In fact, those last two points are so common that many people may not even realize artificial intelligence is helping them.

For example, chatbots are an early form of AI that you have likely seen in social media or other customer service experiences. Plus, many word processing programs offer predictive text and spelling/grammar checks as you’re writing. Additionally, advanced websites and email software are now designed to track your clicks and send follow-up communications tailored to your preferences.

Even at home, AI is assisting you on a near-daily basis. Streaming services will offer AI-enabled suggestions for new programs to watch based on what you’ve already watched in the past.

AI platforms are constantly learning about your preferences and thought processes to provide more natural interactions and a better user experience. In business, however, AI has commonly been used for process automation to save money by reducing the need for human labor.

Recommendations for the Use of AI in IT

IT teams typically have a lot on their plates and could use some help to conserve efforts and streamline their resources. AI has so far proven to be a nimble IT team assistant.

Here are some areas for your IT team to consider when evaluating the use of AI to increase their efficiency:

• Process Automation – Businesses have used AI in many forms to automate processes. The Help Desk ticketing process is an excellent use of AI to ask questions in order to determine the type of problem a user is having, document it and route the ticket to an IT team member who is knowledgeable in the subject
• Data Security – Managed Detection and Response (MDR) is an AI tool for 24/7 monitoring of network traffic patterns. MDR can detect anomalies that might indicate a cyberattack
• Coding – AI coding tools are available to assist with completion, explanation, debugging and other repetitive processes. More complex coding is better left to humans

You may also want to consider working with a Managed IT services provider to perform a needs assessment and recommend solutions. That could include certain AI solutions designed to increase team productivity.

Limitations of AI

While AI works well to monitor networks, sort data, predict patterns and send alerts or messages, there are limits to when this technology should be used.

If complex decision making and/or creative problem solving are necessary, this is when humans should get involved.

Here’s an IT-related example:

Your AI-based MDR is monitoring network activity at your organization. It detects an anomaly that looks suspicious and could be a possible indication of compromise. The MDR quarantines the affected area and sends an alert with its findings to the human CIO for further review and action.

Future of AI

AI is poised to be a game-changer for many industries. It’s expected to transform how the world does business. While this new version of technology could potentially make some job functions obsolete, AI is also expected to create a need for different types of IT jobs that are not currently available.

Elevate Your Approach to Technology Management

Wondering how to best leverage the power of AI for your business? Elevity’s approach to Technology Management contains the expertise and attention to detail you’ll need for a healthy IT environment.

Ready to elevate your technology? Take the first step and request an initial consultation where we’ll help you explore options and address key questions. Or if you’d like to learn more about optimizing your IT Help Desk, download a copy of our free resource, Creating a Help Desk: 10 Best Practices.