In the 90s, a company called Netscape launched a web browser that acted as the first portal to the internet for the public. Like Netscape did for the internet, the generative AI hype has made AI “real” for consumers, at least at a base level. They understand AI is behind the voice assistant playing their favorite song or a chatbot giving restaurant recommendations. These applications are relatively easy to grasp: the user asks a question, and the device produces a response using vast amounts of data scraped from across the web.
As a marketer and communicator, I am thankful for the increased awareness in AI. But some of the most important AI use cases are unseen by consumers, and those require special care to execute and explain.
While consumer AI can help plan your vacation, modify your headshot, or write you a poem, enterprise AI is the technology that powers your bank’s chatbot, helps avoid downtime in food supply chains, and keeps customer data secure. It harnesses the power of AI to transform entire businesses, organizations, and sometimes even governments. Because the stakes are so high, enterprise AI requires expertise and close partnership using trusted data and the highest levels of data security to ensure maximum privacy and security.
After years of intense focus on developing AI built for businesses, IBM introduced Watsonx in May — an enterprise-ready AI and data platform that enables enterprises to scale and accelerate their operations. As I write this, Watsonx is automating repetitive tasks, advancing customer service, and modernizing apps.
Like I said, some of the best technology is never seen by the consumer — and that is okay. Not everyone needs to know why their banking app works, just that it does. We do not need everyone to understand on a technical level what we do, but we need the right people to know. So, how does IBM ensure the right audiences are educated on the technology that makes the world work better?
We move past storytelling and start showing by tapping into our audiences’ personal passions, like tennis, golf, fantasy football, and more. We gather thousands of data points from iconic events like the US Open and Masters tournaments and use AI to make predictions about player performance. The purpose is to get our audience thinking about the possibilities for their industry, for example, “What if we used Watsonx to connect our bank’s data?” “What if we used AI to make our buildings more efficient?” Ultimately, we want our audiences to understand the possibility for AI to impact every industry.
Sports is one of our ways in, but the broader potential for AI is much more inspiring. Coming from a career in politics, I am especially excited about the possibilities to transform government operations.
AI is one of the most important changes for the U.S. government in the past decade. With technologies like Watsonx, IBM has helped transform and advance many federal agencies to be more efficient, productive, and faster at making decisions. We help veterans get their benefits by processing claims faster for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), translating NASA’s satellite data to help gather insights about climate change, and helping the Navy’s Fleet Forces Command plan and balance food supplies, making them more resilient to supply chain interruptions.
In the days of Netscape, we could have never imagined the speed and scale at which AI would change the world. Advancements like those mentioned above have the potential to make massive, positive change and as we live through this defining moment for AI, I encourage everyone to consider the possibilities. I am looking forward to seeing what’s next for Watsonx as IBM continues to tackle the world’s toughest challenges.
Jonathan Adashek is chief communications officer for IBM, responsible for overseeing its global communications and corporate citizenship organization, including internal and external communications as well as content creation, strategic events, strategic positioning, social media, and citizenship activities. He brings over 25 years of communications, marketing, and corporate affairs experience across domestic and global teams serving different sectors, including technology, automotive and manufacturing, government, retail, finance, energy, B2B and B2C. He is a member of the USC Center for PR board of advisers.