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Chapter 1
What is AI and how does it work?
Chapters
1 The AI journey every business is taking
Learn about AI, how businesses are using it, and what the latest trends show us
2 Understanding AI risks
Common AI risks and legal considerations, plus how to protect your business
3 Developing an implementation roadmap
Step-by-step implementation roadmap for effective AI adoption
4 Making AI part of everyday work
Leadership’s role in AI adoption and how to overcome staff hesitation
5 Measure, iterate and improve
Why AI adoption can never be ‘set and forget’
It is easy to get distracted by all the hype surrounding AI.
Yet the fundamental concept behind it is relatively simple, and understanding it is the first step in identifying where it could add value to your business.
At its core, AI is software that learns from information and uses it to perform tasks.
The technology has actually been around a lot longer than most people realise, with academics, engineers and researchers developing and applying forms of AI from as early as the 1950s. Fast forward to five years ago, and early adopters world-wide were using it to produce content, transcribe speech, recognise images, translate languages, generate predictions, and more.
Now in 2026, the information AI has access to and the tasks it can complete are almost mind boggling. No longer confined to experts or large corporations, this rapidly advancing technology is being used by individuals and businesses everywhere on an almost daily basis.
Five ways businesses are using AI today
Do you know the basic types of AI and how you can put them to work in your business? Here is a quick overview:
AI at work: Five ways businesses are using AI today
AI in industry
Predictive AI can help forecast project costs, identify scheduling risks, and flag equipment maintenance issues before they cause downtime. Generative AI can assist with quotes, tenders, site reports and other documentation to help reduce admin and improve consistency.
Computer vision can inspect products for defects and support quality assurance processes at scale, while predictive AI can identify patterns in production data that suggest equipment may need maintenance before a failure occurs.
Predictive AI can forecast demand, optimise inventory levels and personalise product recommendations, while generative AI can support marketing content and product descriptions. Intelligent automation can streamline customer service and order management processes.
Predictive AI can identify fraud risks and unusual transactions, generative AI can analyse and summarise complex documents, and intelligent automation can reduce manual effort across onboarding, compliance and reporting processes.
Generative AI can summarise documents, draft reports and proposals, and help employees search and extract information from large document libraries. Intelligent automation can also streamline administrative processes to free up time for higher value client work.
AI can streamline admin processes, support clinical decision making, and help healthcare professionals extract insights from patient records and diagnostic data. Predictive AI can also assist with identifying patient risks and supporting care planning.
You may be using AI more than you realise
We often hear leaders say they want to bring AI into their business. However, we also find it’s already being used more than they realise through:
- Staff using publicly available AI to help with drafting emails, reports or marketing content.
- Existing business software introducing AI capability.
This ad hoc use of AI is very different from deliberately applying artificial intelligence to achieve measurable business value.
Ad hoc AI use can also introduce significant business risks (as we will explore shortly).
Fortunately, deliberate adoption to maximise your return on investment is a lot more attainable these days. The long-held advantage that large enterprise had over small- and medium-sized businesses has dissipated, with sophisticated AI-powered tools now readily available at a relatively low cost.
Current AI trends
AI adoption is delivering tangible benefits – particularly in productivity and time savings – though uptake varies a lot between sectors:
- Top AI use cases: admin, marketing, decision making
- Biggest win: Time back to spend on the business or with family
- Adoption varies by sector: 69% adoption in property services, 65% in finance and insurance, and less than 25% in retail and transport
Source: National Australia Bank
Current AI trends
AI adoption is delivering tangible benefits – particularly in productivity and time savings – though uptake varies a lot between sectors:
Cut through the AI hype and turn insights into action
Ready to take the next step in your AI journey?
Whether you're just starting to explore AI or looking to maximise the value of existing initiatives, RSM can help. Our advisers can work with you to identify opportunities, navigate risks and develop a practical AI strategy aligned with your business goals.
Get in touch with our team to discuss how we can support your AI journey.
Ready to take the next step in your AI journey?
Whether you're just starting to explore AI or looking to maximise the value of existing initiatives, RSM can help. Our advisers can work with you to identify opportunities, navigate risks and develop a practical AI strategy aligned with your business goals.
Get in touch with our team to discuss how we can support your AI journey.
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Make AI work for your business
Turn your AI ambitions into action. Download our AI adoption checklist to help your business identify opportunities, assess readiness and plan for successful AI implementation.
Contributors
thinkBIG
Cutting through the AI hype