AI for all: How anyone can create AI solutions

Martech is flooded with solutions. You name a problem, and there’s likely a software promising to solve it. But what happens when you find a unique challenge that doesn’t have a ready-made answer? 

You don’t have to be a Silicon Valley prodigy to harness the power of AI. From mom-and-pop shops to global conglomerates, anyone with the will to innovate can leverage AI to solve problems and revamp antiquated systems.

Could a healthcare company develop an AI model to predict patient outcomes and individualize treatments? Absolutely. Could a small business use AI data analytics to forecast inventory needs or optimize customer experience? Why not?

The technology’s applications are boundless, from agriculture leveraging drones for precision farming to education employing AI for personalized learning pathways. With the digital acceleration advancements over the last three years, AI is more accessible than ever.

We don’t need to wait for someone else to develop AI-enabled solutions to our problems. The technology is accessible, and the platforms are versatile. The only limits are those of your imagination and will to innovate.

Limitations are increasingly becoming launchpads for transformative innovations. The preconceived notions of what a company should be or what industry it should operate in are now as archaic as a rotary phone in an era of smartphones.

Dig deeper: Artificial Intelligence: A beginner’s guide

Our case study in in-house innovation

What are the fruits of embracing the notion that we can be the architects of our AI solutions? At my agency, we were faced with just that question. We’ve all questioned how AI can be leveraged in our respective fields, the risks of using it and how to blend the human with the artificial.

AI is undoubtedly propelling the world of marketing forward. From content generation and editing to graphic design, there is immense value in the AI already out there. But as we tested new tools, strategy — specifically press release strategy — presented a gap in the AI landscape. 

Now, there are some really great preexisting tech tools for PR. Muck Rack has a pitch tool that helps PR professionals write pitches, write pitch emails and track pitch progress. Other tools like Brand24 can be used to track brand sentiment and conversations happening about your brand. 

But no current tool on the market helped brands understand the concept of “newsworthiness,” specifically how to ensure that a press release is newsworthy before it’s sent out on the wire. You’ve probably heard the saying, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” In our case, it was more like “realization was the spark for innovation.” 

We trained generative AI with PR knowledge and created a testing ground for press releases, Snooze or News. By copying and pasting a press release into the tool, you can see how newsworthy it is based on four criteria: 

• Clarity.
• Novelty.
• Spelling.
• Grammar.
• Compliance with AP style guidelines. 

Along with a score, the AI provides recommendations on improving the release and tips on which publications to pitch it to. 

It was not easy to create our own AI tool. We are a marketing and PR agency, not a development firm. But knowing the outcome we wanted and having the human intel, we were able to blend human expertise with generative AI.

Dig deeper: It’s time to teach AI about your brand

Technology is the future of business

It’s no longer a requirement to be a computer science expert or engineer to create valuable technology. There are a host of low-code and no-code app builders available. Just as DIY has taken over the home improvement industry, it’s time for business leaders to look at AI as an opportunity for in-house innovation. Machines can manage data at a scale and speed that no human could, freeing business leaders to focus on those irreplaceable human-centric tasks.

For those of you running companies and facing challenges that don’t seem to have a solution in the market, remember this: you already have the building blocks for innovation within your own organization. Don’t wait for the tech giants to hand you a solution on a silver platter.

In today’s world, smaller, agile teams often have the advantage. They can act quickly, pivot when needed and implement changes without wading through layers of corporate red tape. Sometimes, the answer lies within your own team and creativity.

Dig deeper: Here’s how we did it with MarTechBot