Understanding AI’s unique characteristics
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping the business landscape by enabling new forms of value creation, efficiency, and innovation. Unlike traditional software tools, AI can learn from data, adapt to new information, and generate outputs including text, images, code, and more. This makes it not just a tool for automation, but an adaptive resource for creativity, strategy, and execution.
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OECD definitions:
- Artificial Intelligence refers to a machine-based system’s ability to infer from inputs and generate outputs for explicit or implicit objectives. Different types of AI systems vary in their levels of autonomy and adaptiveness.
- Generative AI is a type of AI system that can create or generate new content such as text, images, video and music based off models and patterns detected in existing datasets.
Generative AI expands the scope of what businesses can achieve. It accelerates content creation, enhances customer engagement through personalisation at scale, and supports rapid prototyping of ideas and solutions. These capabilities reduce time-to-market, lower operational barriers, and create new revenue opportunities.
More broadly, AI enables organisations to operate with greater intelligence, helping them to make faster, more informed decisions, optimising complex systems, and uncovering patterns that drive strategic advantage. It enhances productivity not just by doing more, but by enabling better insights, better experiences, and better outcomes. As AI continues to evolve, it is becoming a foundational capability for businesses seeking to lead in a digital, data-rich economy.