Artificial Intelligence has been a hot topic for the past few years and it’s already transforming the way that we live and work. To recognise the positive impacts of AI, there’s an AI Appreciation Day, this year we have outlined some of the amazing advancements we are seeing due to AI technology. This includes a foreword from Simon Jefferies, Director of Technology at Sharp UK and Tyron Raubenheimer, Head of Cloud Technology at Sharp UK.
‘Artificial Intelligence has revolutionised the way we interact with our business and personal worlds, allowing us to leverage huge changes in efficiency and personalisation. In the workplace, AI has automated routine tasks, saving us time and freeing up our creativity for more complex challenges. AI is advancing at such a fast pace and the future promises even bigger levels of integration in our lives, potentially leading to breakthroughs in solving some of the world’s biggest problems.’ – Simon Jefferies, Director of Technology at Sharp UK.
‘Here at Sharp UK, we’ve found a co-worker in AI, especially Copilot. It’s like having a colleague who’s always ready to help, making our work smoother and faster. But it’s not just about speed, it’s also about sparking creativity in all sorts of job roles. Our Copilot Champions Group, our internal team of Copilot for Microsoft 365 samplers, have been the torchbearers of this change, making sure every success is a shared one. As Copilot continues to learn and grow, so do we. We’re not just keeping up with the tech world, we’re helping to shape its future.’ – Tyron Raubenheimer, Head of Cloud Technology.
Embracing AI at Sharp UK
At Sharp UK, we’ve already seen the way that AI helps to improve daily tasks through the use of Copilot for Microsoft 365, an AI-powered assistant that integrates into widely used applications such as Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Word, and Outlook. Earlier this year, we formed an internal working group named the ‘Copilot Champions’ where various members of the team from our IT Services division have been trialling a pilot programme of Copilot for Microsoft 365, to gain greater insight into the technology, helping us better educate our clients on its benefits.
Find out how they got on in their first month of using it here, or take a deeper look at how the AI tool supported their specific role in their individually written ‘Copilot for Everyday’ blogs:
- Regional Sales Manager
- Support Services Manager
- Business Central Functional Consultant
- Head of Managed and Professional Services Manager
Some members of the Marketing team at Sharp UK have also found the use of AI particularly useful for content creation, using it to help them develop catchy titles for blogs and alternate subject lines for email communications to clients for A/B testing.
ChatGPT is an AI language model developed by OpenAI. It is based on the GPT-4 architecture and designed to understand and generate human-like text. It can engage in conversations, answer questions, provide explanations, assist with writing tasks, and more, making it a versatile tool for a wide range of applications. (FYI – this paragraph was written by ChatGPT using the simple prompt of ‘brief summary - what is ChatGPT?’)
A Brief History of AI
1956 – The term Artificial Intelligence is introduced by John McCarthy
1969 – ‘Shakey the Robot’ was the first mobile robot with the ability to comprehend and reason about its surroundings
1972 – PROLOG programming language is developed, enhancing logic programming
1997 – A chess-playing computer defeats the world chess champion
1999 – Sony introduces AIBO, a pet robot with AI capabilities
2002 – A mass-produced autonomous vacuum cleaner becomes commercially available
2011 – Apple integrates Siri into the iPhone, an intelligent virtual assistant
2011 – Question answering robot wins the Jeopardy! TV show, showcasing advanced natural language processing
2012 – Google's deep learning neural network achieves significant improvements in image recognition
2014 – Amazon launch Alexa and Google launch Google Assistant, bringing AI into households
2018 – Google introduces BERT, setting new standards in natural language processing
2019 – OpenAI releases GPT-2, a powerful language model for text generation
2020 – OpenAI's GPT-3 tool for automated conversations is introduced
2021 – Microsoft Copilot, an AI-powered code completion tool is released
2022 – OpenAI's DALL-E 2 generates realistic images from text descriptions, advancing creative AI
2023 – Developments in AI for self-driving cars and personalised medicine
2024 – Microsoft’s AI-powered Copilot becomes widely available to organisations of all sizes
Open vs Closed AI
While AI is a great tool to use within your organisation to enhance operations and improve efficiencies, it is important to note the differences between Open and Closed AI, and the importance of having an AI Acceptable Use policy in the workplace.
OpenAI refers to AI systems that are accessible to the public, promoting transparency, community collaboration, and ethical use. These systems allow for broad usage, modification, and distribution. On the other hand, Closed AI systems are private and restricted to the developing organisation and select partners. They maintain secrecy around their development and procedures, offering full control over their use and distribution. Unlike OpenAI, Closed AI models prioritise data security and confidentiality, maintaining strict control over internal data access and usage to safeguard sensitive information.
It is recommended that businesses only use Closed AI systems to reinforce their defences against cyber threats and phishing attacks, ensuring robust protection of sensitive data and strengthening overall cyber security measures.
The Future of AI
When it comes to the future of AI, the possibilities are endless, offering many exciting opportunities for positive transformation across various sectors. As AI technology continues to thrive and advance, it is set to revolutionise industries from healthcare to education, driving innovations that enhance the quality of life and tackle global challenges.
AI's ability to analyse vast amounts of data can lead to breakthroughs in personalised medicine, improving patient outcomes and accelerating medical discovery. In education, AI-powered tools can provide tailored learning experiences, supporting students of all abilities and fostering a more inclusive educational environment. Additionally, AI can play a crucial role in addressing climate change by optimising energy usage and modelling environmental impacts.
With ongoing advancements and ethical considerations guiding its development, AI is poised to become a powerful force for good, creating a future where technology and human ingenuity work hand in hand to shape a better and more efficient world.
