Businesses hear bold claims about AI revolutionizing industries, yet many leaders struggle to separate hype from reality. What can AI actually do? Where does it deliver value, and what misconceptions should be avoided?
The challenge starts with how AI is discussed. It’s often portrayed as a single, all-powerful technology, when in reality, AI is an umbrella term that encompasses multiple specialized fields. To understand AI’s true capabilities, it’s important to break it down into its key categories, each with distinct functions and applications.
Machine Learning is a subset of AI that enables systems to learn from data and make predictions or decisions without being explicitly programmed. Before the rise of generative AI, the term AI was often synonymous with machine learning.
Generative AI is a type of machine learning that produces new content rather than analyzing data for predictions. These models generate text, images, audio, and code based on the patterns they’ve learned from vast datasets.
Natural Language Processing (NLP) enables computers to understand, interpret, and generate human language. While NLP powers AI chatbots and virtual assistants, it relies on machine learning and other AI techniques to function.
Unlike the other AI subsets, RPA is not artificial intelligence. Instead, it is a form of automation that mimics human actions in software environments, following predefined rules without learning or adapting.
While AI has the potential to drive significant business impact, most organizations need to lay the groundwork before it can be applied at scale.
AI is powerful, but it is not a magic wand. Most organizations need to slow down and focus on the fundamentals—building a strong foundation of integrated processes and data while enabling teams to apply modern analytics that shift the business from reactive to proactive decision-making.
Whether you are just starting your modernization journey or have reached a plateau, Ascent Innovations can help you develop and implement a strategic plan that unlocks immediate value and drives game-changing business impact—building executive confidence and support for continued investment.
John Bruhnke is Managing Director at Ascent. He has 25 years of management consulting experience focused on system implementation and, for the last 7 years, modern analytics in the manufacturing industry. He collaborates with executive and management teams to drive alignment on strategic goals and develop a collective vision for modernization that balances both immediate business needs and long-term strategy.
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Woodfield Corporate Center
475 N. Martingale Road Suite 320
Schaumburg, IL 60173-2435
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