Week 7
https://www.pwc.com/us/en/tech-effect/ai-analytics/ai-predictions.html
Instructions
Week 7 Assignment: Final Project
Signature Assignment: This assignment aligns with all course COs.
Recommendation: Print complete Assignment to fully read and reference in preparing your paper! Paper outline is included.
Prompt:
Background
For your final project, you are creating your own hypothetical scenario within the following parameters and applying the concepts covered this term.
- The INDUSTRY:
First, select one of the following industries for this project and research the use of AI in this industry. (This has been covered in the Lessons also.)
- Agriculture
- Transportation
- Healthcare
- Finance
- Aerospace
- Education
- The COMPANY:
Now, for this project,
- Create a hypothetical U.S. private for-profit civilian company of 200+ employees that is in business in the industry you have selected. The company is a C-corporation owned by multiple unrelated shareholders.
- Give your company a name.
- You might research current businesses in the industry for ideas, but the assignment is to create a hypothetical company.
- You are the VP of Innovation of this company.
- The AI:
Next:
- Imagine a new AI application that might help productivity, ensure the business’ continuity, streamline efficiency, and thus free up time in tasks that humans now perform in the company.
- This can be a potential AI app you completely dream up, or it can be a new one just being released on the market that you find in your research.
- Identify which of the six (6) AI subfields is the primary AI type (see Week 2 Lesson) of this new AI. There are potential new apps in a variety of areas to consider for any industry now or in the future. To help your ideas for creative research for this paper, you could look at—for example—AI assistance in such areas as AI-robotics, wearables, financial applications, cybersecurity, safety, product upgrades, customer support, medical diagnostics, supply chain, or transportation.
- **NOTE:
You are looking at the company’s acquisition and use of a proposed new AI app that might support/enhance the company’s business in some way—NOT a new product for the company to develop, sell or manufacture. Here is an analogy: It’s like acquiring a new broom to sweep the company’s production floor, not a new broom to create, develop, market, and sell to customers for their floors. Your company is not creating or building the AI app. It is considering if it should acquire and use it in its business operations.
The Assignment Task & Format Instructions and How to Organize Your Content :
The following provides an outline for your paper’s content with explanatory notes about what you should cover for each section. Use the APA Sample Student Paper you have used in prior Assignments for a template of how to structure your paper.
The Project:
Having imagined and created the hypothetical company in the selected industry and a new AI application as directed above, here is the Project Assignment:
1. You are the company’s Vice President of Innovation.
2. The CEO and Board have asked for your research and recommendation about the new AI app.
3. Prepare an APA7 paper that covers the points outlined below for the hypothetical you have created.
4. Write this paper in the third person—NOT using “I”, “we”, “us”, “you”, or “your”.
5. Use the following outline for your content, which incorporates the Lesson material we have covered for the Course Objectives.
**TIP: Embrace the hypothetical as if it were a real business and mentally immerse yourself as the VP advising the CEO and Board. Use the company name where appropriate. Use the AI app name where appropriate. In other words, make it real.
**Paper Content Outline (Follow APA7 format as in prior Assignments):
Suggested title: Executive Report on the [Company Name]’s Use of [Name of AI Application]
Introduction
In this section, you setting up your paper and introducing your topic. Describe the industry, the company, and the company’s particular business in the industry. Explain what the company does (examples: services, manufacturing, retail, etc.), which will in turn drive the type of AI application it would be using. Summarize how AI is transforming business and how a new AI app—named [app’s name]—is being considered for the company. There are pros, cons, and other issues to consider in making the decision.
How AI is Transforming Business
In this section, summarize how AI has transformed business in general and how it is transforming, in particular, the company’s industry that you selected for your topic. Briefly summarize how this transformation is affecting the company’s need to advance.
Proposed New AI Application
In this section, explain the company’s interest in a new AI application named [app’s name] and the potential benefit this AI might bring for the business. Describe the AI application of interest (as you have imagined it—as indicated in PROMPT/Background above).
NOTE: This does not require a detailed technical description of the AI. What is the main AI subfield involved, and what will be the AI’s function for the company? For example: “[Name of the AI app] will use natural language processing to [description of app function]” OR “The company is considering a new AI wearable device called [name of the AI app] which machine learning [description of app function].” Then describe what it does. In these examples, it is not necessary to explain how NLP or ML itself works, only correctly align the subfield with the proposed AI app for the company. The function and benefit of the AI app for the company’s operations is the focus of your description. In short, what is the AI, and what does it do?
Pros, Cons, and Benefits of AI
In this section, first describe the general issues—pros and cons—of AI in business, including the benefits of AI. What are the benefits? What are the issues? Issues should include legal/ethical issues, change issues (e.g. work force disruption), concerns such as bias and corruption, and future implications. This provides a baseline for discussing the specific AI for your business.
Evaluation of AI for a Business
Summarize the pros, cons, and benefits for the (1) specific industry and company of your hypothetical, and (2) how they apply to the proposed new AI app the company is considering. What is the CEO/Board going to want to know? What is the benefit of this AI for the company? What are the downsides? The issues of concern? Explain the considerations and steps your company should cover in evaluating whether to implement the proposed new AI application for the future.
(Utilize Week 6 Lesson & eReserve readings as part of your research for this section.)
Recommendation for [Company Name]’s Implementing [Name of the AI Application]
What is the recommendation: use the app or pass on it? Why? Also in this section, assuming the business decides to use the AI application, recommend and explain at least three (3) steps the company should employ in its implementation. (Refer to Week 6 Lesson and eReserve readings as part of your research.) These should be three (3) main general steps important to cover.
Conclusion
Wrapping up: Summarize the benefits and considerations of AI and the business using this AI application and recommendation.
References
This is a separate page listing the APA7 citations of your supporting research. All should be cited in text in the paper.
You must use a minimum five (5) credible sources.
*How Do I Know if a Source is Credible? [Purdue webpage] and How Can I Find Credible Sources? [article]
All references listed on the References page must also appear as in-text citations in the paper, correctly supporting your narrative.
Paper Structure:
- Prepare your paper in Word in APA 7th Ed. Style. See the APA Help module in Course Content.
- Write in third-person.
- NO abstract. NO table of contents.
- Length: 2,100–2,300 words (excluding Title Page and References Page).
- References — Minimum of five (5) credible References; all sources listed on the References page must be cited in-text, supporting your narrative.
- See help sources below and Grading Rubric for further guidance.
- TIP: Use the Grading Rubric/Exemplary standard as a checklist for proofing your final paper draft. For grammar and spelling, Turnitin provides feedback if you submit a draft in advance. Word also has a grammar/spelling/usage app you can run on your draft.
- Your paper will automatically go through Turnitin with your submission and is also subject to review for misuse of generative AI. Assignments are setup with unlimited submissions so you can check your work through Turnitin multiple times before the due date. Strive for a Turnitin score below 20%. Scores above 20% indicate there may be an issue your instructor is more likely to penalize.
NOTE: For the Weeks 3 and 5 Assignments, you had Word templates for guidance. This Assignment follows the same APA format. Set up your paper using subheadings. Suggested subheadings are provided in instructions above.
Submissions
There is one (1) submission for this Assignment.
In the Assignment dropbox, please attach your paper as a Word file. Do not copy and paste in the Assignment box.
Submit your work by 11:59 pm ET on the assigned due date.
Week 6 Notes
Key takeaways
- AI can boost productivity if implemented correctly. Businesses that identify specific ways their team can use AI—and then bring in the help of skilled AI consultants—can see greater long-term productivity gains and success.
- Everyone can use AI. Technical and non-technical teams alike leverage AI at work with the use of chatbots, AI agents, and no-code tools that make it easy to blend generative AI with essential business tools.
- Hands-on practice helps. Professional instructional designers shared on Reddit that they’ve had success training team members by creating scenarios and tasks that require everyone to use real company data to create podcasts, solve Excel formulas, and more with AI.
- AI governance matters. Many free AI tools use user data to further train the model; a paid plan may be required in order to keep data out of the training algorithm.
Before adopting new AI technologies, enterprises need to consider the following.
What is AI?
Artificial intelligence is the science and engineering of enabling machines (like computers) to process information intelligently (like humans). Artificial intelligence gives computer systems the ability to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence like visual processing, language processing, and decision-making.
The term AI was first used in the 1950s, when computer scientists first began exploring questions about training machines to think. Since then, the field has grown and expanded to include four common varieties (reactive, limited memory, theory of mind, and self-awareness) and robust subfields like machine learning and deep learning.
Advances in AI have been driving digital transformations across industries for some time, but the recent movement to generative AI has turbo-charged these transformations.
What is Generative AI?
Traditional AI is typically focused on solving specific problems or completing specific tasks. It is often based on machine learning algorithms, which are trained on large datasets to learn patterns and make predictions or decisions based on those patterns. Traditional AI models are generally built to perform a specific task, such as image recognition, natural language processing, or predictive analytics.
Generative AI, on the other hand, is focused on creating new content or generating new outputs that were not explicitly programmed into the model. Generative AI models are typically based on deep learning techniques, such as neural networks, and are trained on large datasets of examples to learn patterns and generate new outputs based on those patterns.
Generative AI can be used for a wide range of applications, including image and video synthesis, music and sound generation, natural language generation, and even creating new artwork. Generative AI models are often used in creative applications or to generate new ideas or possibilities in fields such as design, marketing, and advertising.
In summary, the main difference between traditional AI and generative AI is that traditional AI is focused on solving specific problems or completing specific tasks, while generative AI is focused on creating new content or generating new outputs based on patterns learned from large datasets.
Read more at: https://alwaysai.co/
AI Provides Companies with a Competitive Edge
AI technologies promise to help boost productivity, streamline data analytics, and make it easier and cheaper for businesses to deliver their products and services to the right customers.
However, realizing that potential requires deploying new technologies that have AI capabilities as widely as possible, which can be a hurdle, especially for global companies with hundreds of employees.
AI’s success in the business world relies not just on choosing the right technology, but also on ensuring deployment goes smoothly. This is why change management may be the key to successfully leveraging AI in the business world.
A Quick Definition of Change Management
Change management is a set of processes designed to help organizations and individuals successfully implement new initiatives, including launching new AI solutions and managing reorganizations. The goal of change management is to ensure the success of new initiatives by creating a comprehensive plan to launch and track the impact of new technologies.
The steps of change management in AI deployment may shift based on the solution and organization, but generally include:
- Obtaining buy-in from stakeholders
- Outlining who is responsible for completing specific tasks
- Implementing team training
- Ensuring high adoption rates
- Securing the long-term success of the new solution
Change management doesn’t end once the new system is deployed. It also ensures that employees at all levels understand the value of the AI solution and view it as a tool to help them work more efficiently in the long term.
AI Pros & Cons
Summary of Pros & Cons of AI in Business
This table summarizes the pros and cons of AI in business. These have been covered in previous lessons. For further discussion explaining these pros and cons, please read AI in Business: The Pros & Cons (The HR Booth, 2023) [webpage](this link opens in a new window/tab) , from which this table is created, in part.
|
Table |
|
|
PROS |
CONS |
|
Increased |
Job |
|
Enhanced |
Ethical |
|
Improved |
Inaccuracy |
|
Mitigation |
Lack |
|
Business |
Initial |
Implementing AI in a Business
This week’s eReserve’s readings provide guidance for implementing AI in business.
There will be several steps—phases even—a business might need to accomplish in implementing an AI application. These will depend on the nature of the AI functions and the breadth of change in the company’s operations. For example, some processes might need a trial period, such as running a pilot program, before the AI is fully launched. Employees will likely need training. Who are the other stakeholders affected? How will the implemented AI be communicated to stakeholders?
Considering such questions reveals there are three main phases with subsets that will be driven by the nature of the AI and the situation. Generally, these are the following. In a given AI adoption, specific steps will be derived from these checklists for each phase.
- Acquisition of the AI
- Business need met
- ROI established
- Stakeholders input
- Managing change – plan
- Expertise needed
- Timing
- Data required
- Cybersecurity requirements
- Legal/ethical issues identified
- Training requirements identified
- Effect on workforce, other stakeholders (disruption)
- Communication, Training & Change Management
- Communication with employees and other stakeholders
- Training components and timeline
- Who does the training
- Training modalities
- Evaluating training
- Reallocation of skills, assignments
- Maintenance & Monitoring
- Security & privacy
- Who is responsible for oversight and reporting
- Troubleshooting
- Updates
- Managing accuracy and troubleshooting
- Is it meeting the benefit and need