Align your business with developing trends

In a column written for our sister magazine, Exeter Tomorrow, Jack Warne, Head of Digital at Optix Solutions, argues there’s more to the future of tech than Artificial Intelligence...

It’s likely that 2023 and 2024 will be remembered as the years that AI started to change the way that we interact with tech.

AI has been around for longer than many of us realise. But there has been a turning point where it’s not only data scientists and tech gurus who have access to powerful technologies, but anyone with a computer, or even a phone or tablet.

The power of AI has been democratised. 

Looking towards coming trends in the next six months, we can see both how people will continue to leverage their new found access to AI and also the likely further developments that are linked to this growing trend.

One area that we can see growing in interest is the ‘Dataverse’, not to be confused with ‘Microsoft Dataverse’. The Dataverse is leading a lot of tech conversations and is seen as the next evolution in data management, where data is easier to access and leverage faster to improve business efficiencies and processes.

Similar to concepts like the Metaverse, the Dataverse is a vast online data repository and an all-in-one platform for managing data. It gives organisations a structured central location where users can store, share and work together on data.

To clarify, Microsoft Dataverse is a Microsoft product that realises the concept of the Dataverse and allows users to securely store and manage data used by business applications. 

With ChatGPT fast becoming a household name, many businesses are now looking to custom GPTs. A custom GPT is essentially a custom trained ChatGPT.

You can train the AI model on very specific instructions, feed it detailed knowledge and add a variety of skills to create a custom GPT that can be used in very niche areas.

For some, this is far more valuable than basic ChatGPT. Some examples are personal workout plans, developing new year's resolutions (and support on sticking to them), and project management to advise on timelines, resource allocation and teams.

Businesses are now racing to find ways to build their own GPTs to use internally. Some are even working on developing, repackaging and selling custom GPTs as a product to other businesses or potentially everyday consumers.

Cybersecurity continues to be a concern in tech. In 2023, UK businesses lost £21bn to cybercrime (gov.uk) and that figure must be increasing

The widespread, open-armed adoption of AI by businesses is creating new concerns around cybersecurity, particularly the additional risk around data privacy, a lack of transparency over how data is obtained and managed, and insufficient understanding on how AI models are trained and the algorithms they use.

Ultimately, there is a heightened realisation of risk. Businesses must evaluate the impact that their adoption of AI has on governance, compliance, security and risk, to maintain best practice and keep their stakeholders safe.

The biggest shift we can see this year is AI being adopted by the general public. The uptake of new technologies will be higher than it has been in previous years and its widespread acceptance and utilisation will continue to grow.

What these trends ultimately point to is businesses finding ways to use AI to improve efficiencies and productivity. There is a big push by businesses with their finger on the pulse to uncover how they can leverage AI to make improvements to their businesses and then monetise AI as a product that others can purchase. 

My advice is to review how your business is working to be aligned with these trends so that you continue to be relevant, without putting your business or stakeholders at risk to potential new cybersecurity risks.'

Sources:

https://abouttmc.com/glossary/dataverse/

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a78e882e5274a2acd18ab84/THE-COST-OF-CYBER-CRIME-SUMMARY-FINAL.pdf

• Optix Solutions,delivers across a range of digital marketing disciplines including SEO, email marketing, PPC, social and content marketing. 
• If you'd like to contribute an article to Exeter Today or Exeter Tomorrow, email Marc Astley at marc.astley@clearskypublishing.co.uk