Up until a few years ago, sophisticated artificial intelligence was limited to stuff of science fiction and researchers’ dreams. Artificial intelligence (AI), which simply means intelligence possessed by machines, rather than humans. AI is adaptive, making adjustments according to the circumstances of a given situation and not simply following programmed protocols. Although AI can’t approach human intelligence at this point, it’s getting “smarter” every year, and being used in a wide range of applications.

AI has changed the face of many different industries and has made the idea of robots doing the jobs of humans a very real possibility. The tech industry, which thrives on new advances and is always on the cutting edge of AI, is experiencing changes thanks to rapid advances in AI technology. Here are just four of the many ways AI is changing tech and business in the United States and around the world.

1. Quality Consumer Service

Now that we have access to technologies that allow for instant communication, it’s safe to say that we have begun to expect businesses to respond almost instantly to questions and issues that may arise. Keeping up with these new demands of customer service takes new technology, and AI is helping organizations of all sizes to serve customers.

Chatboxes are becoming a very common way to provide customer service all day every day, even when staffing isn’t possible. Using machine learning and advanced algorithms, these automated, AI-powered customer service aids can often answer a customer’s question or escalating the issue of required. This cuts down on a lot of manual work and helps customers get the help they need quickly.

The success of AI in rideshare services like Lyft shows that customers don’t always need human interaction to get the support they want. Customers are happy to use AI services to get answers when they need them. In the healthcare industry, two out of three people say they would use AI-based after-hours services. A business can distinguish themselves from competitors by putting an emphasis on excellent service, and AI can help them lower the cost to provide this type of service.

 2. Better Communication

High volumes of calls are a problem for overwhelmed staff, and by using AI to optimize call routing, logs, and automating calls, companies can better cope with these high volumes. The AI can also generate reports and pull up all the relevant information about a caller as they ring in. This leads to enhanced communication, less time on the phone, and fewer questions for the caller—many of them will have been answered by the data provided by the system.

3. Increased Need for Data Scientists

We are at the point where big data is almost a necessity for many businesses. However, for data to be useful, it needs to be analyzed. This has spurred a huge demand for data scientists, who ask questions and use predictive analytics to come up with insights and strategies. In order to know which artificial intelligence applications should be invested in, companies need to know what the data indicates. This has increase the need for people with computer science backgrounds, and people with analytical skills who can accurately comprehend data well. Where are employees spending the most time, and are there AI solutions that can cut down on those activities? With the growing demand for data scientists, there may be a shortfall of qualified applicants in the future.

4. Marketing Advancements

Digital marketing has reinvented itself significantly in the last few years, and advances in AI are shaking things up yet again. When digital marketing was new, just being online meant lots of eyeballs on content and increased sales. Today, marketing success and performance is based on numbers, analysis, and data. Organizations of all types can use the power of AI to optimize their campaigns and personalize the marketing experience for customers.

AI is The Future

Not many companies have begun to use AI to optimize their business and outperform their customers yet. However, most leaders in the tech industry recognize the potential benefit in adopting this powerful technology within their organizations. In the future, we can expect to see AI take a similar path to big data—becoming more a necessity than a luxury. AI is the future—and the tech industry knows it