What can AI realistically do for your business? And when is it the right solution?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly become an important technology, promising to reshape how individuals and businesses operate and deliver value. But with so much hype out there, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed about its real-world applications.

When you hear about businesses using AI in their custom software, what’s really happening is that AI algorithms are performing specific tasks or solving particular problems.

The end result? What we like to call an AI-powered product.

We define AI-powered products as systems or technologies that use AI to perform tasks or make decisions that would normally require human intelligence.

In this article, we’ll explore several benefits of AI and highlight practical examples of how businesses are using this technology today.

The benefits of AI for businesses

We weave artificial intelligence into the tailored digital solutions we offer clients, resulting in a wide range of benefits.

Here is just a quick outline of some of the possible benefits:

• Improved efficiency and automation: A well-trained AI algorithm—known as an AI agent—can handle repetitive tasks quickly and with accuracy, freeing up employees to focus on higher-value work.

• Personalized user experiences: AI can tailor interactions to individual users’ preferences, increasing customer engagement and conversion rates for public-facing digital products.

• Predictive analytics: AI can use your historical data to anticipate trends and make proactive decisions.

• Enhanced security: You can strengthen your cybersecurity by using AI to detect and respond to threats in real time.

When businesses use AI strategically in their software, it can provide a competitive advantage.

That’s because AI can grow and scale. Why does this matter? As your business grows, you’ll be confident that your AI-powered infrastructure can grow with you—handling more data or customers without requiring a proportional increase in human or financial resources.

Practical applications of AI

Are you curious how AI could actually support your business? AI is already solving big challenges for many companies, so let’s take a look at a handful of examples to help you picture what an AI-powered product looks like.

1. Personalization

• Ecommerce platforms—like Amazon’s “Customers who bought this also bought…” feature—use AI to recommend products based on user behavior. This level of personalization is helpful for customer-facing digital products, as it keeps users engaged and increases conversion rates.

2. Predictive analytics

• A logistics app might predict delivery delays based on weather and traffic patterns, giving businesses time to adjust and keep customers informed. Similarly, AI in healthcare can analyze patient data to flag potential issues (like cancer detection) early, supporting faster, more accurate diagnoses. These AI use cases help you make smarter decisions, reduce unnecessary costs, and even deliver better patient outcomes.

3. Natural Language Processing (NLP)

• Duolingo uses NLP to personalize language lessons so they are relevant for each user’s skill level. Conversational AI makes it possible for your software to understand and respond to human language—giving you the chance to provide a human-like touch at scale.

4. Image and video analysis

• Tesla’s autonomous driving systems use image recognition to detect obstacles and road conditions in real time. When your business relies on visual data, AI can analyze it faster and more accurately than manual methods—reducing errors in industries like manufacturing, security, and automotive.

5. Process automation

• A financial services company might use AI to categorize and approve expense reports automatically. Automating critical processes can free up your team to focus on more important work.

Hopefully you’re starting to see how AI can create meaningful results, while still relying on smart humans to implement the digital solutions and make the most of the insights.

Is an AI-powered product the right solution for your business?

As we’ve seen, AI has the potential to solve challenges. But it’s not the answer to every problem.

We always help clients evaluate whether AI is the right tool for the job. We’ll often pose the following questions:

• What’s the problem you’re trying to solve? Not every challenge requires AI. Some may be solved with simpler tools—like statistical analysis or heuristics—which may deliver the desired outcomes for a fraction of the computational complexity.

• Do you have the data to support an AI-powered solution? AI depends on high-quality data. But what does that mean?

  • Governed data: You need clear policies for how your data is managed, accessed, and protected to ensure it’s secure and compliant.

  • Accessible data: Data must be easy for your systems (and people) to access without silos or bottlenecks.

  • Clean data: Errors, duplicates, and inconsistencies in your data can lead to inaccurate AI results, so starting with clean, well-organized data is key.

• What does success look like? Define clear goals and metrics to predict whether AI can deliver the results you’re looking for.

We’ll be diving deeper into how to validate and build successful AI-powered products in upcoming articles. For now, simply taking a moment to ask these questions will help you ensure you’re focused on solutions that truly add value.

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Are you getting excited about how AI could deliver real results for your business strategy and your users’ needs? We’d love to help you explore how AI might fit into your digital solutions.

Start a conversation by completing our simple contact form or by reaching out to us on LinkedIn:

• Jeff Andersen: Head of Client Partnership

• Jeff Kloosterman: Head of Product Development