Enterprises Need to Focus on Purposeful AI

We strongly believe in something we call ‘purposeful AI’. The idea is to help customers reap the benefits of these powerful LLMs and genAI, while at the same time securing utility efficiency and compliance. It’s AI with a purpose, says Ulf Persson, CEO of ABBYY.

“Customers want results and outcomes, but they want it at an acceptable level of cost and with the proper safeguards as to the quality of the results. In other words, genAI and LLMs can augment quality and speed when combined with other technologies,” says Ulf Persson, ABBYY’s CEO, talking about purposeful AI.

ABBYY has been at the forefront of leveraging artificial intelligence to address evolving customer needs, particularly in intelligent document processing. Their innovative solutions, such as ABBYY Vantage and ABBYY Timeline, have significantly enhanced productivity and operational efficiency for enterprises worldwide. Additionally, ABBYY’s collaboration with Arsenal Women signifies their commitment to continuous innovation and delivering exceptional experiences to their customers and communities.

Marking the company’s 35th anniversary, ABBYY’s vision is to develop purpose-built AI to put customers’ information to work and ensure it solves their specific business challenges. “This allows our customers to focus on what matters most to them: customer experience, operational excellence, and competitive advantage,” adds Ulf.

He discusses the evolution of the AI landscape, the biggest AI challenges that are yet to have effective solutions, and the possibilities of generative AI. “We strongly believe in something we call ‘purposeful AI’. The idea is to help customers reap the benefits of these powerful LLMs and genAI, while at the same time securing utility efficiency and compliance. AI with a purpose,” says Ulf. 

Excerpts from the interview:

What are your thoughts on GenAI as a business tool?

Generative AI will most certainly transform businesses, everywhere from operations to customer interaction. This is a monumental technology leap and with it comes promises, but also concerns around ethics, data, privacy, auditability, compliance, and costs to name but a few. We strongly believe in something we call ‘purposeful AI’. The idea is to help customers reap the benefits of these powerful LLMs and genAI, while at the same time securing utility efficiency and compliance. It’s AI with a purpose.

How have you seen the AI landscape of your industry evolve during your time as CEO?

The advent of generative AI, and ChatGPT in particular, changed the perception of AI for most people and companies from something in science fiction movies to a must-have. While many companies, including ABBYY, have used AI technologies for a long time to enhance performance and capabilities, large language models (LLMs) and genAI have revolutionised both perception and reality.

We are witnessing a technology shift that most probably will dwarf all previous technology shifts. The ease and accessibility of AI have and will continue to redefine how organisations operate and interact with customers and users.  Not only companies but Individuals have started to make AI a natural part of their everyday life. Imagine being a teacher trying to determine whether an essay was written by their student or a GPT. As in every major transformation, there will be abuse, misuse and false dawns, but let’s be clear: this is a tectonic shift.

The intelligent automation market, as most other markets, will change with the expanded use of modern AI technology. LLMs and generative AI will undoubtedly improve the way we provision services to our customers. In fact, it already is. The guiding principle in this revolution can be summarised as purposeful AI. Customers want results and outcomes, but they want it at an acceptable level of cost and with the proper safeguards as to the quality of the results. In other words, genAI and LLMs can augment quality and speed when combined with other technologies.

Also Read: How is Gen AI Transforming the Digital Advertising Landscape in Europe?

What do you think are the biggest AI challenges that are yet to have effective solutions?

There are several challenges in the AI landscape that demand our attention. One is ensuring the ethical and responsible development and deployment of AI technologies. It’s crucial to address issues such as bias, transparency, and accountability to ensure that AI systems are fair and trustworthy for all. As stewards of AI technology, it’s imperative for us to address these concerns proactively and ensure that AI is developed and deployed responsibly.

We are committed to integrating AI with a focus on purpose, privacy, confidentiality, and social utility. While these challenges persist, we remain at the forefront of innovation, actively engaging in conversations and collaborations aimed at overcoming these hurdles and shaping the future of AI.

What’s your craziest theory about the future possibility of the AI revolution?

There is, of course, the much-discussed theory of whether we all live in a simulation, and that the rapid advances in AI and computing would point to an increased likelihood that this is actually the case. Without going into the philosophical aspect of that discussion, one thing that does give me pause for thought is that simulated worlds are becoming more interesting and more fun, and are now competing with the real world for the attention of younger and – probably even more so – future generations.

Humans are already spending ever more time in simulated environments and the question is, is there an inflection point where it all becomes like The Matrix, and not necessarily because machines are taking over, but from our own free will?