Artificial intelligence is no longer a strange existence in our lives. The emergence of ChatGPT has made people more deeply aware of the advantages of artificial intelligence. In the future, the emergence of artificial intelligence will only increase, perhaps bringing the most terrible events in our human history. However, how should we view the emergence of artificial intelligence when all this has just begun? Go back to November 2022, and you will see that the technology industry is being hit by unprecedented large-scale layoffs and cost-cutting measures, which have caused a large number of technology practitioners to lose their jobs and eclipsed the Silicon Valley myth. At the same time, higher interest rates have almost evaporated the funds of start-ups, and a cloud of uncertainty has shrouded the technology industry, which has led some people to compare it to the bursting of the Internet bubble more than 20 years ago.
Enterprise AI Application Landscape
If we compare an enterprise to a large family, AI is no longer just a robot that sweeps the floor, but an all-around housekeeper who can act as a chef, doctor, tutor, and financial advisor. Let's look at its impressive performance in various "rooms":
R&D Department:
AI has become a "super assistant in the chemistry lab." Previously, when pharmaceutical companies developed new drugs, scientists had to spend countless sleepless nights in the lab trying and failing. Now, AI can simulate molecular structures and predict drug effects, cutting the R&D cycle in half. It's like giving scientists a "super brain intern"—while others are still flipping through literature, it has already compiled a list of candidate solutions.
Production Workshop:
Repairmen Transform from "Firefighters" to "Health Doctors" A car factory installed an AI prediction system on its equipment. Previously, repairs were only done when machines broke down; now, AI can provide early warnings of malfunctions. Once, the system alerted a repairman that a part was "acting strangely," and the repairman found wear and tear, replacing it in time and preventing a production line shutdown. In the workshop foreman's words, "Before, it was about putting out fires; now it's about health checks. AI has taught the equipment to 'speak human language.'"
Marketing Department:
AI Understands Customers' "Minds" Better Than You Do E-commerce platforms are now using AI to analyze user behavior. A clothing brand discovered through AI that customers buying floral dresses often also looked at yoga mats, so they launched a "dress and mat combo," resulting in a 30% increase in sales. A marketing manager laughed and said, "Before, guessing what customers liked relied on experience; now, AI knows their shopping carts better than the customers themselves."
Human Resources:
Screening resumes no longer requires "eagle eyes." HR departments used to strain their eyes looking at resumes, but now AI can automatically extract key information and analyze candidate personality matching. One company used AI to screen sales positions, quantifying dimensions such as communication skills and stress tolerance, increasing recruitment accuracy by 40%. The HR director joked, "Before, it was like finding a needle in a haystack; now, AI helps you catch fish precisely, even knowing what bait the fish like."
Warehousing and Logistics:
Finding goods is like having "navigation." An e-commerce warehouse introduced an AI route optimization system, so pickers no longer have to navigate mazes between shelves. The system calculates the optimal route in real time and can predict replenishment needs. Before a major promotion, AI gave an early warning that a certain laundry detergent was running low on stock, allowing for timely replenishment and preventing stockouts. The warehouse manager said, "Finding goods used to be like a treasure hunt; now, AI is more accurate than Gaode Maps, saving enough time to pack 200 more orders."
Discussion on AI
On November 30, a startup called OpenAI released an experimental chatbot called ChatGPT. It seems that overnight, generative artificial intelligence technology has taken the world by storm. It can have humane conversations, draft emails and write articles, and respond to complex search queries with concise output, which has amazed the public.
In just two months, ChatGPT became the fastest-growing consumer app in history, reaching 100 million monthly active users in January. It spurred an AI arms race among tech companies, boosted the bruised tech industry, and sparked a bidding war for top AI talent.
A year later, enthusiasm for AI remains at a fever pitch. Tech giants have invested tens of billions of dollars in the technology, and countries are stockpiling the chips needed for AI development. The promise and pitfalls of generative AI are still being hotly debated in conference rooms and dinner tables around the world, and frequently making headlines.
“It wasn’t until ChatGPT was put into people’s hands and could be used at scale that the world woke up to the AI revolution and what was happening,” said Jeff Clune, a computer science professor at Columbia University.
Clune noted that ChatGPT has made life easier for millions of people in small and unique ways. But he added that the tool’s potential technology’s full impact on society has not even begun to peak.
“Many people mistakenly focus on the seemingly magical capabilities of AI right now, without properly seeing that the rate of improvement — which continues to evolve exponentially — continues to evolve over time. What AI can do now is just the beginning.”