The corner store can have a chatbot

Introduction

Apart from cost, a considerable impediment to smaller businesses adopting any form of AI is access to skills. Many small to medium-sized businesses lack the in-house expertise needed to implement and manage AI solutions effectively. These businesses often struggle to find and afford skilled professionals such as data scientists, machine learning engineers, and AI specialists. This skills gap can lead to difficulties in understanding AI technology, integrating it into existing systems, and leveraging it to its full potential. Consequently, the lack of skilled personnel can be a significant barrier to AI adoption, preventing smaller businesses from reaping the benefits of advanced technologies that could enhance their competitiveness and operational efficiency.

Demand for skills

Recent research from Deloitte has shown that headcount in enterprises is bound to increase significantly before any slowdown in hiring sets in.  Three-quarters of survey respondents (75%) anticipate changing their talent strategies within the next two years due to Generative AI. Among organizations with "very high" Generative AI expertise, 32% are already making these changes. This aligns with Deloitte's broader observation that these organizations are aggressively scaling up their initiatives compared to others, resulting in more significant and immediate impacts on talent management.

Back to the corner store

This leaves SMBs with a challenge in terms of finding the necessary skills to implement Generative AI in their organizations. This leaves SMBs with a challenge in terms of finding the necessary skills to implement Generative AI in their organizations. Many SMBs often lack the budget and resources to attract highly skilled AI professionals, such as data scientists, machine learning engineers, and AI developers, who are in high demand and command premium salaries. Additionally, these businesses might not have the internal infrastructure or knowledge base to support AI initiatives, making it difficult to train existing staff or upskill their workforce. This skills gap can hinder their ability to effectively integrate Generative AI into their operations, limiting their competitiveness and ability to innovate. As a result, SMBs may struggle to leverage the full potential of AI technologies, missing out on opportunities to enhance efficiency, improve customer experiences, and drive business growth.

XO express

XO Express bridges the skills gap by enabling anyone to build their own conversational assistant powered by Generative AI. XO Express guides users through an interactive onboarding experience, gathering all necessary information. This information is then utilized by AI behind the scenes to create the conversational experience. Below are the four starting points for users to kick their process off.

Question answering

Considering the image below, this option allows you to create a conversational question answering solution from scratch. Makers can start by giving their app a fitting name and selecting the default language it should support. Select from the dropdown list the purpose for which you are creating the app. While we can automatically generate a description, you have the option to customize it. If you are building a chatbot, the AI can suggest use cases for automation. Simply click the "Generate Use Cases" button for recommendations. Once you hit "Create App," the Kore.ai AI engine will generate your new app. You can always customize and configure the settings within the app.