The Growth of AI: Beyond the Hype and into Transformation
Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, AI has seen a surge in attention and innovation. But with this, we’ve also witnessed a clear “bandwagon effect” in much of the online coverage, leading to excitement, confusion, and a sense that everyone needs to jump on board - whether they understand AI’s true potential or not.
This topic regularly comes up when we meet with prospective clients at Rocketmakers.
Everyone is asking the same questions:
How will AI transform their industries?
How are their competitors using it to gain an advantage?
How can their own businesses leverage this technology?
When these conversations arise, we always emphasise two key points:
1. AI isn’t new: While transformative tools like ChatGPT and large language models (LLMs) are revolutionising industries and grabbing headlines, the foundation for these technologies has been in development for decades. What we’re seeing now is the maturation of AI, finally reaching the point where it can be applied more broadly and powerfully.
2. AI’s reach is broader than most people realise: AI is already woven into many aspects of daily life, whether we notice it or not. From fraud detection in banking to personalised recommendations on streaming services, AI is quietly enhancing our experiences. And it’s certainly capable of making businesses more efficient and innovative today.
AI at Rocketmakers: Real-World Applications
At Rocketmakers, we’ve been integrating AI into projects for years - we even wrote a comprehensive Guidebook about it in 2023.
For example, we designed and developed a system that uses AI to analyse data from water pipes, enabling the prediction of leaks before they happen - an innovation that can save significant resources.
Another project we’re excited about involves AI-driven insights into advertisements, helping companies optimise their marketing strategies based on data analysis, improving effectiveness without human intervention.
If your reference point for AI is only ChatGPT or other conversational bots, these projects might not sound like AI. But that’s the beauty of AI - it’s not about robots replacing humans; it’s about systems working in the background to enhance productivity and make smarter, faster decisions. This is where AI’s real potential lies: Digital Transformation through increased efficiency and smarter decision-making.
The Rise of Apple Intelligence
More recently, the landscape of AI has continued to evolve with major tech players like Apple delving further into the scene. In June during the WWDC 2024, Apple officially introduced Apple Intelligence, an AI-driven suite integrated into its ecosystem, leveraging vast amounts of data to deliver personalised user experiences and optimise device performance.
Although Apple Intelligence (or AI for short - wait…) has a broad list of features, the main selling point seems to be its promises in the realm of generative AI. Generative AI, as defined by Wikipedia, “is artificial intelligence capable of generating text, images, videos, or other data using generative models, often in response to prompts.”
New features include proofreading and rewriting abilities, summarising text, Genmoji for making your own emojis, and an Image Playground app for manipulating images.
To deliver many of these features, Apple is granting Apple Intelligence extensive access to your data. It will be able to read your messages, monitor your calendar, track your Maps usage and location, record phone calls, view your photos, and analyse other personal information - while still sharing the least amount of information possible with any third parties, including Apple itself. We know, that sounds like a modern day riddle. How will they achieve this, you ask? We’ll leave that up to them to explain - but we are glad to hear the repeated mention of data and privacy, because even though we are fully aware this isn’t the appealing side of AI, it is, however, the backbone of this technology.
Want to know more about the role of data in AI? Grab your copy of our second guidebook where we cover this topic and what it means for your business when implementing AI into your product and business.
Navigating the AI Hype with Rocketmakers
As AI continues to grow in prominence, it’s crucial to look beyond the hype and identify real, tangible applications for your business. Not every AI tool is a fit for every problem, and not every business needs a chatbot or a virtual assistant. The real question is: where can AI have the biggest impact for you?
At Rocketmakers, we’ve been working with AI for years, and we understand how to navigate this rapidly changing landscape. We’ll help you pinpoint where AI can make a meaningful difference, whether it’s optimising your operations, providing insights from your data, or transforming how you engage with your customers.
If you’d like to explore how AI can give your business a competitive edge, get in touch with us. We’re here to help you discover the real opportunities and steer clear of the noise.
