Levifi, a leading managed technology services provider (MTSP), is reporting on the ever-changing trends of AI and how they will impact the workplace. As with any technology, Levifi aims to educate businesses on evolving AI trends and how to leverage them for profitable, safe, productive use.
AI has dominated headlines because it will redefine, eliminate, or transform the vast majority of industries, and as an IT expert, Levifi is compelled to share its insights. As AI tools become ubiquitous in everyday work, companies must implement governance to minimize risks. Implemented strategically, however, AI unlocks immense potential.
Trend #1: Whether organizations are aware of it or not, employees are already using AI tools to perform their jobs. Estimates hover near two-thirds of employees. Many employees are already making AI tools part of their daily routine, the benefits of which are obvious: increased productivity, expanded creativity and more efficient outcomes. However, there are also risks associated with supercharging their productivity through AI tools. For example, in industries that require strict confidentiality or compliance standards, AI can easily be misused by well-intentioned employees who upload sensitive documents to unsecured AI tools to help them work faster, unknowingly opening the company up for liability risks.
Trend #2: The proliferation of AI tools is exposing companies to more unforeseen risks. A lawyer who used AI to assist with writing case briefings was hit with a fine for violating compliance regulations. Different jurisdictions have different policies for consumer data protection, like how California has very strict data privacy laws, and places like New York have AI hiring laws that companies must adhere to.
The “Wild West” of rapid AI development means that companies may be liable for employee actions, including ones they weren’t aware of. It’s not all bad news though, because AI can also be used on the flip side to drastically reduce liability. For instance, in a tightly regulated advertising industry like insurance, there will undoubtedly be “AI-compliance checker” tools that can review marketing collateral before it gets sent out and catch potential issues well ahead of negative consequences. AI has been accepted in industries like cybersecurity because it’s seen as another layer of protection that can preemptively protect employees from human error, such as predatory phishing emails. This acceptance of AI tools will grow due to AI’s ability to protect companies from themselves.
Trend #3: Smarter intent. Rather than just processing text requests, AI will soon understand the implied meaning and goals behind them. Google’s Gemini is an example of this type of multi-modal AI tool. For example, if a user asked an AI tool to remove the background from an image, AI could take that request and run with it. It will realize the reason the user wants the background image removed in the first place is that the person is attempting to create a logo for their software business. Once it intuits that it’s a logo, it can check domain availability and help the user to start building a website. It could even suggest potential strategic partners that would augment their current service offerings. The point is that the smarter AI gets, the less capable users need to be at generating their prompts, which in turn unlocks AI to even greater potential.
Trend #4: More fluid collaboration between various AI tools. Different AI models are learning to communicate and work together much more effectively than before. Previously, AI models required manual prompting, or were restricted to generating output in their native capability. Text-based AI tools would return text-based results, photo-based AI tools would return AI-enhanced photos, etc. However, each AI is starting to collaborate with other AIs resulting in users receiving a true “assistant” that can actually “think” through complex problems with similar expertise to a human expert. An example would be that mid-surgery, AI could take a picture of an incision, search through a database and alert the surgeon to abnormalities. That level of interoperability was one of the biggest obstacles to tremendous growth in AI and will likely accelerate AI’s capability over the next few years.
Trend #5: Explosive growth when startups capitalize on opportunities. Hundreds of startups will offer niche AI solutions for every industry in the next few years. While many startups will offer tremendous value and help businesses solve decade-long problems, many organizations will disappear just as quickly as they launched. Business owners need access to credible vendors who are vetted regularly. Even if AI can generate financial reports, analyze legal contracts, automate supply chain logistics and streamline complex processes across industries, those tools are only as reliable and trustworthy as the makers of those tools are.
Thomas Fimian, founder and CEO of Levifi, noted of the trends, “The key is governance – establishing rules, monitoring enforcement, and course correcting. We partner with clients for safe, strategic AI adoption that is focused on increasing their profitability. When it comes to AI, the gains for productivity and efficiency are immense, but so are the threats if not properly managed. As an IT expert for many years, we look forward to guiding companies through their AI journey.”
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About Levifi
Since its inception in 2002, Levifi has grown to be one of the most trusted names in the workplace technology field. Annoyed by cumbersome and outdated technology in the workplace, Levifi fights for its customers in the SMB, non-profit, educational and local Government space. Our customers deserve awesome workplace technology so they can focus on reaching their goals and are not hindered by dysfunctional workplace technology such as outdated and unsecure IT infrastructure or printers and copiers that jam more than they run. Headquartered in Charleston, SC, Levifi’s white glove service approach has earned over 750 5-star Google reviews. Levifi specializes on workplaces that care about technology and are headquartered in the Carolinas and Georgia.
