While many companies are beginning their digital transformation to avoid losing ground compared to their competitors, certain technological developments today bring as many perspectives as they raise questions. This is particularly the case of generative AI which conveys many fantasies, both positive and negative. But how can businesses take advantage of the opportunities generated by AI? To find out more, interview with Benoît Minvielle, CEO of Ahead Digital and Sami Safraou, Director of the practice dedicated to AI and web 3.0.
Why is digital transformation so important for businesses?
Benoit Minvielle : “Today, digital is present in all professions and all functions of the company. Having the best tools is therefore a form of evidence, but it implies knowing how to use them and having the ability to evolve processes according to the possibilities offered by these tools. However, many companies, often leaders in their markets, still refuse to carry out this transformation, out of habit, inertia, or quite simply because they do not perceive the added value of solutions which can generate significant time savings, and cost optimization. Continuing the development of their digital tools is however a necessity for them, if only to maintain a competitive advantage, and it is this reason that motivates many of our clients. »
Sami Safraou: “We must also keep in mind that this transformation is not limited to the deployment of tools at a given moment, it is a continuous process, which requires permanent developments, but also to disrupt habits that are sometimes very anchored. A common example of collaboration is sending documents by email: V1, then V2, etc. This increases the risk of errors, loss of information and extends the deadline. Today, it’s easier to share a document via the cloud, thereby maintaining a single source of truth. More than a matter of tools – even if the latter are of course important – processes and especially people are key; including and especially in terms of AI. »
Exactly, what about AI, which raises so many questions today?
BM: “AI is a subject often poorly understood by companies and individuals alike and which requires a paradigm shift: instead of thinking in terms of professions, it is appropriate to think in terms of tasks to be accomplished, which could be fulfilled or facilitated by AI. It is essential not to give in to alarmist speeches: of course, certain tasks will be automated or transformed, and certain professions will disappear, but new tasks and new professions will emerge. The issue of data protection is also important, and there is a need to monitor the deployment of AI to protect sensitive company data, as the use of the tools expands. The subject remains complex overall, and requires support to truly acculturate employees, which is one of the major axes of Ahead Digital’s approach. »
SS: “Let’s also point out that AI is not new. It has been present in companies in other forms (such as machine learning) for a long time. Regarding generative AI, the revolution lies in the fact that the technology is now sufficiently mature for concrete uses, serving all employees and the different departments of a company. I regularly see that, through the possibilities it offers, AI is often a revelation for companies, showing them what they can gain by embarking on a digital transformation process. However, the crucial point is to obtain user buy-in, and this requires acculturation. »
How does Ahead Digital work, what about this acculturation?
SS: “It is essential to obtain the support of everyone, managers and users alike, in complete alignment. For this, listening is an essential prerequisite. To implement AI, the process is established in four steps. First of all, the meeting of management and people from all the professions concerned, in order to demystify AI by responding to their concerns. Then, to be in line with the realities of each company, we carry out an audit to identify how AI could concretely help them in their functions and businesses, in particular by identifying pain points where the positive effect of AI will be maximum. The principle is to save time and quality by using AI to simplify the management of time-consuming and boring tasks but also to do better. This will also be relevant for more creative professions, where AI does not necessarily provide miracle solutions but allows an interesting iteration process. Then, with the teams, we prioritize relevant uses, based on cost and potential added value, before supporting companies in the effective deployment of AI – both with no-code tools, such as ChatGPT, or APIs, for which we develop ad hoc solutions, personalized for each company, in the form of co-piloting or not. Training in the use of these tools is also important, because a query is not written in the same way on ChatGPT as on Google, and writing a relevant prompt cannot be improvised. »
BM: “With Sami, we recently supported the RAJA Group, leader in the distribution of packaging, industrial equipment and office supplies in Europe. The mission, which began in December 2023, required several acculturation sessions and an analysis of business processes for which AI presented high added value, making it possible to identify more than 40 relevant initiatives for eight departments of the company, marketing and from merchandising to legal. Today we are in the concrete deployment phases, and the use of AI will allow the company to optimize the execution of numerous tasks, gaining in performance to remain leader in its market. A survey we carried out also indicates that 95% of AI users believe they save time, up to two hours per week for 70% of them. Our flexible, completely scalable and unprejudiced approach responds to all types of requests, from the simplest, such as internal chatbots for HR services for example, to the most complex. This also allows us to adapt to the budgets of our customers, who can thus deploy only what seems truly essential and priority to them. For example, we support companies in the use of Microsoft Copilot, which allows employees to use AI in their daily use of the Office suite. Focusing on real needs allows us to maximize the positive impacts that AI can have for our customers. »
More info: www.aheaddigital.com
