Generative artificial intelligence has exploded into the mainstream in the last 18 months, and is now well and truly a dinner table conversation topic.
Thanks to the rise of easy-to-use tools like ChatGPT, virtually any individual and any company with access to the internet can utilise these powerful tools based on generative AI technology.
This presents enormous opportunities to companies that are willing to get onboard early and embrace these tools, and tailor them specifically to the industry they are operating in.
For companies in the telecommunications sector, generative AI presents unique and significant opportunities. If adopted in a measured way that considers the accompanying risks, this technology can set a telco ahead of the pack and lead to major growth.
The telecommunications sector hinges on customer service and inherently involves huge amounts of contact with users and consumers, making it ripe for disruption thanks to the use of generative AI, for the benefit of these customers and the companies themselves.
Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT can help to augment these human interactions, and provide a level of consistency and accuracy for customers, particularly when they may be having issues that have already been experienced by many other people.
These tools can also assist human employees by analysing real-time interactions with customers to provide prompts and resources nearly instantaneously.
And internally, the technology can also be hugely beneficial in serving to simplify the range of compliance activities that telcos need to undertake, and assist in the reliance on manuals and processes in installing network elements.
Telco firms looking to adopt generative AI now can get a headstart on their competitors, with research finding that the industry is lagging many others in its embrace of generative AI.
According to the Infosys Generative AI Radar APAC, just 37 per cent of telcos have implemented, or are currently implementing, generative AI solutions – a lower percentage than many other sectors.
Nearly half of Australian automotive companies have implemented or are currently implementing generative AI solutions, 55 per cent of energy, mining and utilities firms have, 61 per cent of high-tech companies have done so and 44 per cent of retail and hospitality companies have.
According to the same report, just 7 per cent of telco companies have established generative AI use cases that create business value. That means there are major opportunities for the telcos that do investigate the use of this technology and how it can improve their business.
Those operating in the industry are expecting the use of generative AI to primarily lead to enhanced user experiences and personalisation, indicating the huge amount of contact with customers that telcos must have.
Along with this, nearly 20 per cent of companies said they expect it to improve content generation and creativity, 15 per cent hoped it would increase operational efficiency and automation, and just under 10 percent are looking for streamlined product development and design.
But telcos and all businesses shouldn’t run blindly into implementing generative AI after seeing the opportunities it offers. The use of any bleeding edge technology comes with risks, and these need to be properly investigated and mitigated from the outset.
It’s crucial to take a step back and properly audit and evaluate the current landscape, particularly around a company’s data quality and storage, cybersecurity and ethical underpinnings of all of these. These things need to be done right before generative AI can be implemented.
This solid base will help a telco rapidly enjoy the benefits that generative AI can offer without experiencing any of the real risks that it can also bring with it.
Infosys has rolled out its Responsible AI Suite as part of Infosys Topaz to assist companies with these complex issues. This AI-first set of services, solutions and platforms can help telcos balance innovation with these important ethical considerations, such as bias and privacy prevention, so they can fully capitalise on the enormous opportunities on offer.
This suite of tools aims to help enterprises address the four primary challenges associated with the adoption of generative AI: data privacy, security, ethics and bias.
The suite includes more than 10 offerings built around the Infosys Scan, Shield and Steer framework, which monitors and protects a business’s AI models from risks and threats and enables the responsible deployment of the technology.
The telco sector is uniquely positioned to benefit from the wealth of benefits associated with the implementation and use of generative AI. The ones that do this successfully will be the ones that are willing to start now, and follow a pragmatic and ethical approach.
Raja Shah is the executive vice president & industry head, global markets for Infosys
This article was produced by InnovationAus.com in partnership with Infosys.
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