Recommendations from our Microsoft Unified Team

4 steps to accelerate your AI journey 2

In the upcoming pages, we will

share insights and learnings
from the Microsoft Unified
team – a group of experts who
are dedicated to making AI a
reality for our customers.

We will discuss their recommended four

steps to accelerate your AI journey:

Learn about AI, explore and define what

it means for your business

Set priorities in your AI journey, review

use cases, and plan the AI strategy across
the organization.

Formalize the execution of the AI

strategy.

Tap into the experts to get it done

Let’s get into it!

 4 steps to accelerate your AI journey 3

Step 1

First, you need to understand what AI How can these technologies help my
means. In the nearly 70 years since the organization thrive? What new
American computer scientist John possibilities could they offer? How
McCarthy coined the term “artificial should I organize for optimal impact?
intelligence,” we’ve seen wave after And, perhaps most importantly, how
wave of technological innovation, from can I use these technologies in a way
the rise of personal computing to the that promotes trust among customers,
internet, mobile devices, the cloud, and citizens, patients, partners,
now, generative AI. Each of these shifts shareholders, and the public?
has created new opportunities and
new questions for leaders.
Step 1 4 steps to accelerate your AI journey 4

While the term artificial intelligence

has been around since the 1950s, the
pace of AI innovation has accelerated
in the past several years, thanks to
plentiful data, greater access to
computing power, and the size and
sophistication of algorithmic models.

AI is fundamentally different from

technologies that have come before it,
The theory and development of both in its approach and its
computer systems that can perform capabilities. It is based on probabilities,
tasks that normally require human rather than rules, and “learns” from
intelligence, such as visual perception, data without requiring explicit
speech recognition, decision-making, instructions. AI makes it possible for
and translation between languages. computers to perform certain tasks
that previously only humans could do,
such as visual perception, speech
A subset of AI and computer science
recognition, decision-making, and
where algorithmic models are trained
language translation.
to learn from existing data to make
decisions or predictions. Generative AI takes that one step
further. It can be used for, among
other things, content creation,
A machine learning technique that
summarization, and question
uses layers of neural networks to
answering, as well as the creation of
process data and make decisions.
images based on text prompts, all
using everyday language.
A type of AI technology that uses
algorithmic models to create new
written, visual, and auditory content
when given prompts or existing data.
Step 1 4 steps to accelerate your AI journey 5

to access the latest AI if they want to

take full advantage of it.

Microsoft is working to democratize AI

usage. For this, it has designed a wide
range of solutions and services to
bring AI to everyone, regardless of
their level of AI expertise. There are
four approaches, ranging from the
level of AI and coding expertise
AI is disrupting every industry and required.
every business. For the last decade, AI
has enabled companies of all sizes to
achieve better business results. There’s
already mainstream business use of AI Microsoft has embedded AI in
thanks to these three trends: everyday applications, so business
users can benefit from it, even if they
Access to massive amounts of data. don't know anything about coding or
data science. In this approach, AI is
Access to massive computing delivered as a Software as a Service
power through the cloud. (SaaS) and becomes transparent, that
is, it's fully integrated within the
Access to AI algorithms.
provided service without users having
AI is now experiencing major to worry about it.
breakthroughs. A new generation of
For example, Microsoft 365 Copilot
LLM enables new use cases that
incorporates the latest generative AI in
weren't possible a few years ago, such
the shape of a virtual assistant that
as those based on high-quality
performs tasks for you in Microsoft 365
generative AI. With these technologies,
apps.
organizations will experience a second
wave of AI-powered transformation.
However, businesses need an easy way It covers several low-code products
Step 1 4 steps to accelerate your AI journey 6

that help you build different pieces of

applications. These products have a Azure Machine Learning is a platform
layer of AI, but it's transparent as well that enables you to build, deploy, and
and you can benefit from it without manage machine learning solutions at
handling it directly. scale.

Keep in mind that Microsoft has

These are the solutions for users who designed all these products and
want to create their own AI solutions – services following strict responsible AI
Azure AI models are designed to principles and any AI implementation
accelerate AI innovation, simplify should be equally respectful.
model operations, and build on trust.

As we get to the end of this first You also need to know that your
step, you must understand your AI transformation won’t happen in
business and organization’s one day – but if you prioritize the
current state when embarking on goals and set a strategy, it’s easier
the journey of AI. Just as a captain to get to the future of innovation.
assesses the weather, you should Are you ready for the next step,
imagine this tool as a compass to captain?
navigate through waters of data
and innovation.
 4 steps to accelerate your AI journey 7

Step 2

outlines and guides the use of AI in

There are a few steps to take to an organization or a society. The
establish priorities for your AI journey: goal of AI governance is to ensure
that AI is ethical, transparent,
Driving a strategic and tactical responsible, fair, and compliant with
alignment to understand your legal and regulatory standards. AI
strategy and how operational governance also involves managing
capabilities are needed to align to the risks, quality, and accountability
best deliver against your strategy of AI systems and their outcomes. AI
effectively. governance is used to establish clear
policies and standards for AI
Defining governance and how to use
development, deployment, and
responsible AI. AI governance is a
usage.
framework or a set of processes that
Step 2 4 steps to accelerate your AI journey 8

Delivering a tactical focus, AI in Healthcare - Provide patient-

illustrating which key capabilities centered care at optimized costs.
need to be enabled for the service
in scope. AI in Manufacturing – Modernize
manufacturing operations.
Establishing a pragmatic roadmap
and a clear transition plan on how AI in Retail – Deliver personalized
to move forward. retail services and experiences.

Setting up an AI Council of senior

executives who will guide your
organization’s AI adoption. Plan how your AI strategy will land in
your organization by following these
four milestones for execution:

There are many examples of industries Data Management

in which AI transformation can happen.
Adoption & DevOps
For businesses of all types and sizes, AI
is reshaping nearly every aspect of how Change Management
we work—it has the potential to boost
productivity, optimize processes, and Measure success
ultimately drive robust, sustainable
growth across a variety of scenarios
and industries, including finance,
manufacturing, retail, and healthcare.

Learn how AI can benefit your industry:

AI in Financial Services - Unlock

business value and deepen
customer relationships.
Step 2 4 steps to accelerate your AI journey 9

As you can see in this chapter, Identifying those talents and

embarking on the journey of AI nurturing them is key to
requires more than understanding unlocking their full potential –
the seas you’ll go through. Like a each member of your team brings
top crew ensures a ship’s success, a unique set of skills. So, empower
you’ll need to discover the talent your crew, as they’re the ones
and skills of your employees who will guide your ship to the
within your organization. future of intelligent innovation.

Think of them as the wind that Are you ready for the next step
pulls you forward – they’ll not through this AI expedition?
only guide you in this but also
empower your crew to navigate
the challenges that lie ahead.
 4 steps to accelerate your AI journey 10

Step 3

the insights you can deliver from your

data with AI, then you’re going to be
Data is the fuel that powers AI left behind.”
technology, so planning for any
successful AI implementation requires Make sure to have in place data
that you identify the right data sources governance/compliance rules, security
and ensure that the data is complete, factors, data protection, data
of high quality, in the right format, and ownership and accountability,
representative of your target retention and purging policies, and the
customers and business objectives. labeling for data and metadata.

“Organizations continue to see their Data quality and transparency:

data as their competitive advantage,” Enhancing AI performance and
says Wangui McKelvey. “Unlocking reducing reputational risks by
insights from their data, across their improving data quality, ensuring data
organization, in a single, integrated transparency, reducing bias in AI
platform, empowers businesses to take models, and having safeguards for
advantage of AI. If you don’t data sources. Also, use persona for
understand better AI model development.
Step 3 4 steps to accelerate your AI journey 11

User Experience, and Development

teams and accelerate your time to
Assess Infrastructure needs and goals: market.
Moving successfully from proof-of-
concept (POC) to production with AI Drive skilling within the organization:
depends on a mix of technology and As AI transforms the way work is done,
business factors that, ideally, must many businesses are struggling to
work together. “Understanding how implement AI solutions due to an AI
your business strategy maps to your skills gap. Many businesses struggling
product strategy, and then how your with AI lack a structured approach to
product strategy maps to your AI learning, partitioning AI into small
infrastructure, is key,” says Omar Khan, teams, and waiting to engage to
General Manager of Microsoft Azure accelerate AI transformation,
Product Marketing. “AI- optimized organizations need to take a skills-first
infrastructure will help accelerate both approach.
building AI solutions and integrating
Take a structured approach to AI
AI into applications.” From a
skill building: Understanding AI,
technology perspective, the most
Preparing for AI, Using AI, and
critical requirement is access to
Building AI solutions.
infrastructure that is built for AI—with
the ability to run large AI workloads Upskill across every business
and perform securely and reliably at function—from leadership to IT to
scale. dev to line of business users.

Streamline your development Follow security guidelines: Just as AI

environment by incorporating DevOps enables new opportunities, it also
/ Machine Learning Operations / LLM introduces new imperatives to manage
Operations processes and tools in your risk, whether related specifically to AI
organization. Foster the collaboration usage, app and data protection,
and integration of your Data Science, compliance with organizational and
Step 3 4 steps to accelerate your AI journey 12

legal policies, or threat detection.

Microsoft’s holistic approach to
generative AI security considers the Integrating change management
technology, its users, and society at practices is a must for ensuring the
large across four areas of protection: successful adoption and utilization of
data privacy and ownership, AI technology in your business. The
transparency and accountability, user “Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability,
guidance and policy, and security by and Reinforcement” (ADKAR®) model,
design. leveraged by Microsoft and our
customers, provides an approach to
managing change effectively. Here’s
how you can apply it in the context of
AI adoption:

A D K A R

• Announce the • Gauge • Provide training • Schedule practice • Monitor the

change to employees' or coaching runs before the change over time
employees well reactions to to show what change is fully to ensure it fulfills
ahead of time. the change. employees need implemented. your desired
to do after the outcome.
• Explain your • Identify change takes place. • Monitor
reasoning behind champions. performance • Use positive
the change, • Address any immediately feedback, rewards,
including current • If employees skill gaps. following the and recognition
pain points and are resistant or change and provide to encourage
potential ROl of indifferent, address • Offer resources, constructive employees to keep
the new solution. their concerns or such as process feedback. following the
show them how flowcharts, that new process.
• Give employees the change benefits employees can • Set reasonable
an opportunity to them personally. reference later on. goals and metrics
ask questions and at the start.
make suggestions.
• Adjust processes
as necessary.
Step 3 4 steps to accelerate your AI journey 13

AI activities should be monitored for

compliance and ethical considerations.
Measuring the impact of AI projects
should encompass a range of Regular reporting to the board
stakeholders and objectives and provides visibility into the effectiveness
include both quantitative and of AI governance.
qualitative methods. Some suggested
metrics are:

BUSINESS CUSTOMER MODEL FEEDBACK

VALUE SATISFACTION (CSAT) PERFORMANCE

Increased revenue, Conduct surveys and Track accuracy, Gather feedback

brand lift, insights that gather feedback to precision, and recall from employees who
lead to growth understand how of your Al models. interact with the Al
opportunities, risk customers perceive the Are they making system in their daily
reduction, cost savings, Al experience. Are they correct predictions or work. How is it
and improved finding it helpful, recommendations? affecting their
productivity efficient, and productivity and
and efficiency. personalized? workflow?

OPERATIONAL ANALYTICS/ DATA A/B

EFFICIENCY TELEMETRY QUALITY TESTING

Efficiency gains from Monitor how Monitor data Compare different

automated tasks, customers interact with quality, accuracy, versions of your Al
reduced errors, and the Al system. completeness, and model or user
streamlined representativeness interface to see
processes. Measure metrics such as against your target which one performs
click-through rates, chat audiences or business better with
session lengths, and use objectives. customers.
of specific features.
Step 3 4 steps to accelerate your AI journey 14

Successful AI development is a your application. Empower

blend of diverse teams, everyone in your organization to
continuous learning, and a discover how AI can transform
healthy tolerance for ambiguity. your business.”
But the most important step is the
first one. This effort represents a learning
curve, and Microsoft has a team
As Eric Boyd, Corporate Vice of experts you can rely on during
President of Azure AI Platform at this journey – we’ll talk about that
Microsoft, said: “You’ve got to get in the upcoming section. The
in the game. “Try something. good news? You’re almost ready
Iterate and learn, try different to embark on this adventure.
things, and see what works for
 4 steps to accelerate your AI journey 15

Step 4

Microsoft stands at the forefront of the Our team of experts will work with you
AI revolution, being pioneers that to imagine and realize the art of the
redefine industries and empower possible. By combining your unique
organizations to achieve more. With a environment and business goals with
team of experts dedicated to AI deep knowledge of Microsoft
research, development, and technologies, to methodically develop
implementation, Microsoft offers and implement an effective plan for
unparalleled expertise in harnessing your continued success.
the transformative power of AI.
With Unified you can access expert
Our commitment to advancing AI engineering and data science support
technology is evident in our for your AI applications. Our team
comprehensive suite of AI solutions, combines the technical expertise of
spanning from Azure AI services to the Azure AI and machine learning
AI capabilities of Dynamics 365, engineers with data science capabilities
enabling organizations to drive to help you develop and deploy AI
innovation, enhance customer solutions. Your integrated team —an AI
experiences, and unlock new growth and machine learning Cloud Solution
opportunities. Architect partnered with Customer
Step 4 4 steps to accelerate your AI journey 16

Success Management Services — will science capabilities, and provide high-

help you stay on top of ongoing AI quality proactive support.
application development, Azure
OpenAI use cases and maintenance. Learn more about the value delivered
These experts will be your partners as by Unified to help you reach your
they assess your specific environment, desired state:
augment your team’s IT and data

Assessing and envisioning Receive comprehensive, tailored support on

Azure Al services, build custom models, and
continuously derive value from your solutions.

Capability and service

needs alignment
Access project assistance as you develop your
Al solution, and work with your team to create a
Technology planning, plan to active and operationalize your solution.
implementation, and
operation

Maintain and monitor Al models to prevent

Attainment, adoption, decay, dift, and bias while also optimizing
and quality management services or models for performance and accuracy.

Unified is uniquely positioned to help market, and cost efficiency. These

you build, deploy, and operationalize offerings combine the deep technical
AI products and services. Harness the expertise of Azure
power of infinite-scale infrastructure
and intelligence with datasets through AI and machine learning engineers
deep learning frameworks to drive with data science capabilities.
growth, innovation, speed to
Step 4 4 steps to accelerate your AI journey 17

By partnering with Microsoft and Together, we can unleash the full

tapping into our AI capabilities potential of AI to transform
through Unified, organizations businesses, drive innovation, and
can empower their initiatives, shape the future of work. Get
drive operational efficiency, and ready to sail with us.
stay ahead in this rapidly evolving
digital landscape.

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