In a recent discussion with Steven Karan, VP of Capgemini Canada, we delved into the nuances of generative AI’s growing presence in Canada’s corporate sphere. Karan highlighted findings from a new Capgemini report, noting that generative AI is under discussion in a staggering 92% of Canadian corporate boardrooms. He emphasized the core motivations driving these organizations towards AI investments and predicted transformative impacts on their operations. Addressing concerns raised by 40% of executives regarding AI fairness, Karan outlined effective measures to ensure unbiased AI outputs and build confidence. He also shared strategies for successfully integrating generative AI amidst challenges. Projecting into the future, Karan envisions a dynamic shift in how Canadian firms embrace generative AI and believes they will strategically harness its potential for enduring benefits.
You can find the full report here: https://prod.ucwe.capgemini.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Final-Web-Version-Report-Harnessing-the-Value-of-Gen-AI.1.pdf
Q: Can you provide an overview of the new report released by Capgemini that highlights the adoption and perception of generative AI among Canadian executives?
A: Our latest report titled Harnessing the value of Generative AI: top use cases across industries is an industry focused Generative AI report. In this report we explore the transformative potential of generative AI for organizations across a number of industries, including: automotive, consumer products, retail, financial services, telecom, energy and utilities, aerospace and defense, high tech, industrial manufacturing, and pharma and healthcare.
This report also unpacks how technology can kick start innovation in organizations and we drew from industry-specific use cases with the greatest potential for generative AI.
Q: The report indicates that generative AI is a topic of discussion in boardrooms across 92% of Canadian organizations. What factors do you think have contributed to such widespread interest and engagement with generative AI?
A: AI is a powerful tool that can be used to accelerate growth, enhance capabilities and unlock new opportunities, without drastically changing business models. This reduces the barrier for adoption for AI amongst organizations which is likely why we are seeing such widespread interest.
The discussion around generative AI has also tapped into mainstream conversations so you have interest from individuals and consumers coming together with the expectations of the business community – all of which is driving it to the top of boardroom agendas.
Businesses are buoyed by another recent report from Capgemini that 73% of Canadian consumers trust content generated by AI.
Q: What are the primary drivers behind organizations’ decisions to invest in generative AI, and what impact do you anticipate this will have on their operations?
A: Our research tells us that organizations are finding generative AI increasingly relevant and 74% of executives say generative AI will completely revolutionize the way we work. The most relevant generative AI tool that we are seeing used, which has been adopted by organizations for years, is chatbots. Generative-AI-driven chatbots are being used by organizations to improve their customer service as well as improve internal knowledge management.
Executives believe that technology will allow organizations to widen the scope of the roles of knowledge workers. Generative AI has the potential to be a transformative force across all aspects of the value chain, in addition to the customer and employee experience.
Q: Implementing generative AI comes with its own set of challenges. The report highlights that 53% of executives find the lack of clarity on underlying data used to train generative AI programs as a significant challenge. How can organizations address this issue and ensure transparency in the training data to build trust in generative AI systems?
A: Implementing AI does come without its own set of challenges. Our research tells us that the majority of organizations (68 percent) are looking to establish employee guidelines for generative AI. This includes training around tools for safe usage, how to validate outputs to eliminate biases and which data is permitted to upload in order to protect data and confidentiality. Upskilling and reskilling employees in AI will be crucial to ensure organizations are using AI tools responsibly. Through training, employees can learn the ethical use cases for AI and understand how the technology might be regulated moving forward.
Building trust around AI systems is critical. The key to success, as with any AI, is the safeguards that humans build around them to guarantee the quality of its output: the content generated by the Generative AI assistant must be reviewed and tuned before being used. It is an iterative process.
Businesses can also apply lessons learned from early adopters of Gen AI. Organizations that have successfully deployed Gen AI have focused on 4 elements.
- Focusing on security from the get-go. Establishing guardrails from the application of Gen AI. Determining tolerance for open frameworks vs customized within firewalls.
- Investing time into improving the quality, lineage and availability of data
- Ensuring that humans are kept in the loop and empowered to review and intervene with output generated by AI.
- Seek to apply the technology to ethical use cases.
Q: Another challenge mentioned in the report is the lack of confidence in the fairness of generative AI programs, as stated by 40% of executives. How can organizations overcome this concern and ensure that generative AI programs are fair and unbiased in their outputs?
A: Concerns around bias and an inability to explain results are significant issues cited by executives in our survey. Fifty-three per cent of respondents cited lack of clarity on underlying data used to train generative AI programs as a challenge for implementation. Additionally, 33% said that bias in the generative I models can lead to embarrassing results when used by customers/clients.
Generative AI is a powerful technology which can offer significant benefits for society but there are risks when used improperly. The key to success, as with any AI, is the safeguards that human experts build around them to guarantee the quality of its input and output. The majority (68%) of Canadian organizations agreed that they must establish their own guidelines and policies on the appropriate use of generative AI tools by employees to ensure they are used ethically, legally, and in alignment with the organization’s values and mission. More broadly, there is an urgent need for governments, public institutions and the tech industry to participate in education, information and upskilling so people can benefit from it while being aware of the associated risks.
Q: What strategies or recommendations do you have for organizations looking to implement generative AI successfully while navigating these challenges? Are there any best practices or frameworks that can help organizations leverage generative AI effectively?
A: Generative AI has taken the world by storm and is undoubtedly top-of-mind for leadership across industries globally. The speed with which the technology has become mainstream is fascinating. Generative AI has applications across different functions and in different sectors. As a result, we have found many organizations experimenting with the various use cases. We suggest a few key areas for organizations to focus on to accelerate their generative AI journey amid a rapidly evolving landscape:
- Integrate generative AI into organizational and strategy operations
- Drive a human-centred approach to scaling generative AI
- Focus on sustainable development
- Build trust and responsibility in the AI systems
- Establish guidelines around usage
Organizations must consider risks such as data leakage, “hallucinations” causing errors that may be overlooked by the users, and underlying data exhibiting biases or even having been sourced in unethical ways and create a framework that works for their individual organization that aligns with the organization’s vision and mission.
Q: Looking ahead, what trends do you foresee in the adoption and application of generative AI in Canada? How do you think organizations will maximize the benefits of this technology in the long run?
A: Generative AI has the potential not just to improve productivity of the teams and move into higher value-added roles, but for businesses to create more personalized products and customer experiences.
It is not yet clear how Generative AI will impact the future and what the benefits will be. What is clear is that generative AI technology is part of the future and organizations should prepare for it.
