You may think that generative AI is the greatest thing since cloud storage. But you may be getting the wrong idea.
Some adopters are praising the time-saving, innovative, and cost-saving benefits of ChatGPT and generative AI as businesses and industries continue evaluating pros and cons. Others are reluctant to trust the technology. Where gen AI will go is a topic of ongoing discussion.
Talkdesk In January, a report was released warning that bias and inaccurate data continue to seep into retail experiences which already integrate AI and impact consumer attitudes towards this new technology. This belief has been fueled by the stories of AI-powered interaction gone awry, as well as concerns about businesses using facial recognition, data from customers, and other unethical AI uses.
Shoppers, already dissatisfied with their customer experiences, are ready to leave behind any brand not practicing responsible AI use, according to the Talkdesk Bias & Ethical AI in Retail Survey. Corporate officials are raving about their targeted AI results and clapping each other in delight that everything is going well.
The mixed feelings may not be good for the accelerated growth of gen-AI this year as some predict. Shannon Flanagan told E-Commerce Times, the report reveals some shocking, negative attitudes in consumers’ perceptions of AI.
Her company is a cloud-based platform that provides AI-powered customer support.
“I’ve definitely noticed a shift in attitude. Some shocking facts about the use of gen AI for product recommendations are revealed. “There are also high expectations that shoppers have about data security and transparency, which are not met”, she said.
AI and Gen AI – What’s the Difference?
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been quietly deployed for almost a decade with limited capabilities. In recent years, its use cases have improved gradually thanks to advances in machine learning (ML), and the combination of robotic process automation.
ChatGPT, released in 2013, was a breakthrough for automating repetitive rules-based tasks requiring little human involvement. AI has become more capable with this development.
All AI programs are different species. The traditional artificial intelligence is based on classification and analysis. Generative AI (or gen AI) is a subset artificial general intelligence that uses complex neural networks and algorithms to simulate the creativity of humans and create new content using models. These models can include text images sounds animation 3D models and other types data.
Gen AI is able to recognize subtleties in language, and then generate output based on patterns that it has been trained on. Its models remember past interactions, providing users with a more coherent and relevant conversation experience.
However, the gen AI can’t make decisions that involve many complex factors. It’s not there yet. It is excellent at making data based suggestions, but inept when it comes to including and dealing with the most crucial human factor.
AI in Productive Practice can fall short
Research indicates that there are disconnects in the way businesses integrate Gen AI skills safely and accurately into their business cycles to avoid unintended outcomes. Customers in call centers and retail are not all on the same page about AI’s impact on their CX.
Flanagan has noticed a shift in attitudes among users since the Talkdesk platform was upgraded to include Gen AI capabilities. The company’s many surveys revealed that not all of the changes were in favor of AI.
Some of our pre-holiday AI studies discussed how shoppers feel about AI in comparison to retailers. “A large part of them don’t do it,” she told E-Commerce Times.
Big brands like Walmart are legitimately using gen AI. Flanagan claims that many of the clients at her company do not understand how to use it.
“Product descriptions are a piece of cake. In some cases, customer service uses are obvious. “But there is still a great deal of hesitation,” she said.
Consumer Sentiment Toward AI
Recent Talkdesk research reveals startling results on AI in product recommendations. The majority of individuals surveyed do not use them. In addition, consumers made unexpected demands regarding data security and transparency.
Flanagan stresses the urgent need to rethink the strategy in order to engage customers more effectively. He points out the obvious use cases.
She warned that AI still has some issues to resolve. This fix should be simple, particularly for uses that are used as agent assistants and not customer-facing integration.
“Now, the reality of doing it is in anything customer-facing. Flanagan explained. “It should be seamless, but I think that’s more risky than some back office uses, like a marketing operation, and then of course like the agent assistant in the self-service world,” Flanagan said.
Talkdesk’s report on AI in the shopping environment provides examples of:
- 79% shoppers do not purchase AI-powered product suggestions because they are not tailored to their needs;
- 71% never purchase a recommended product, because it makes them think that a brand is tracking them.
- Only 28% believe that retailers are smart and secure with their data.
She said, “In terms of AI, there is a lot of mistrust.” What we need to do this year is to take a step back and think about our strategy.
AI is Paying Off in Another Study
A second prominent AI study offers a different viewpoint. According to a recent study by MessageGears99% say that AI has helped them better understand their customers’ preferences and behavior.
In the survey, the enterprise marketers of companies with at least 500 employees found that the vast majority are using AI in their marketing. It is working. The goal of today’s marketer is to make real connections with the customer. This will strengthen brand recognition and build trust.
Bottom line: Enterprise leaders surveyed said AI was particularly helpful in boosting engagement with customers.
Will Devlin VP of marketing for MessageGears told E-Commerce Times: “AI algorithms are the secret sauce that allows marketers to dive deep into their customer data.”
Then, with this inside scoop, marketers can adjust messages in real-time. AI-powered campaigns can make real-time adjustments to content, timing and more. This ensures that the brand’s connection with its audience is meaningful and accurate.
AI Assessments are distorted by results that contradict each other
MessageGears surveyed 53% of marketing professionals who said that they had a very good connection with their customers. This statistic shows that there is still a lot of room for improvement.
Another 53% are interested in using the technology to determine more accurately which customers will be most likely to purchase. AI could help half of companies pinpoint the best channels to reach their customers.
In the MessageGears study, 58 percent of respondents use AI to create targeted advertising campaigns. Nearly half (49%) of marketers use AI for personalized email campaigns, customer service and support, and customized product suggestions.
Further, 97% enterprise marketing experts who use AI reported that they delivered personalized content and made recommendations. 39% said their experience was exceptional. And 99% said AI makes a huge difference when it comes to determining customer preferences and behaviors.
In 2024, a critical application of Gen AI in marketing will be to fix the problem of customer engagement. Devlin said that customer engagement is about providing value to customers and communicating this value in a manner that makes them feel appreciated and connected.
Your customers should be enthused about the service they receive from you. The message should be relevant, timely and delivered through the channels most important to you. He told the E-Commerce Times that businesses already know about this but often it is a manual guessing-game to get it done.
Devlin also said that marketers will be using predictive AI to identify the best communication strategies for customers. They can eliminate guesswork by using this technology. Marketers can pair these insights from predictive AI with generative AI in order to refine and personalize their message.
AI Enterprise Growth
Priya Vijiarajendran (CTO, CTO of gen AI) said that ChatGPT’s 1st anniversary is a remarkable milestone in the rise of generative AI. ASAPP. She highlighted that the democratization of technology and its ability to bring together talents from different corners of the landscape allows for the brightest and best to use their skills in collaboration to “get things right.”
“Moving ahead, responsible data usage and investment in AI privacy assurance and security are essential to unlocking the potential of generative Al. This innovation has to continue. She told the E-Commerce Times that there is no stopping now.
She spoke of the progress expected this year. Data will continue to be the main differentiator. LLMs are being applied to a hybrid domain to improve accuracy, speed to value and scale.
“These vectors joining together will unlock exponential value [of Gen AI] Vijayarajendran concluded, “for enterprises.”
