If It Doesn’t Scale, It Doesn’t Work: Overcoming the Top 3 Challenges to Scaling AI Across Your Organization
AI has the potential to transform business operations. However, deploying AI across the enterprise is a difficult and challenging task. CTOs, CIOs, AI project managers, and enterprise software architects are all facing the same three primary obstacles to AI-driven innovation:
- Data fragmentation
- Inconsistent AI performance
- Lack of cross-functional collaboration
Fundamentally, if a potential AI solution can’t be scaled across the enterprise, it’s not worth doing. Understanding and overcoming the three obstacles is crucial.
Data Fragmentation
Data is often fragmented across the enterprise data landscape, stored in disparate systems, multiple formats and technologies, or locked up in data silos. User collaboration tools such as Slack, Teams, Webex, Confluence and the like frequently contain valuable information but are separate from enterprise data. Files stored locally on the user’s computer—such as notes, memos, scientific papers, PowerPoint decks, and more—are yet another difficult to tap resource. The harder it is to access data the harder it is to scale AI across the enterprise.
AI systems are only as good as the data they have access to. Data fragmentation leads to inefficient AI models and missed opportunities. Trying to pull all the data into large, centralized, vector databases may—sometimes—make it easier for AI to access. Unfortunately, vector databases have limited capabilities outside of being good for AI, and using them creates problems with data security, data duplication, and data coordination. Moreover, since so much information is scattered across applications—Slack, Email, Teams, Box, OneDrive, etc—with more being created every minute, centralizing it all is simply unrealistic.
Inconsistent AI Model Performance
Maintaining consistent model performance becomes a serious challenge as organizations move beyond pilot projects and begin scaling AI across multiple departments and use cases. The transition from controlled environments to real-world applications often reveals inconsistencies and inefficiencies that can undermine the value of AI initiatives.
Data fragmentation means different models may have access to different data stores, leading to models generating different results. Challenges in data management can make it difficult to make sure that AI models are making decisions based on the most recent data. If AI models are not operating from the same data, they may make decisions that interfere with one another.
AI inconsistencies manifest as:
- Unpredictable model behavior in production environments
- Difficulties in monitoring and maintaining AI models at scale
- Inefficient use of computational resources
- Challenges in reproducing results and explaining model decisions
Lack of Cross-Functional Collaboration
The lack of cross-functional collaboration between business and technology teams can be devasting to the success of an AI project. People use technology; however, technology also creates barriers between people, separating those who understand the technology from those who use the technology.
Opaque or complex to use technology undermines efforts to build a collaborative culture, leading to misaligned goals, resistance to new technologies, and underutilized AI capabilities.
Lack of effective cross-functional collaboration leads to:
- Misalignment between business objectives and AI project outcomes
- Lack of communication between technical teams and business stakeholders
- Inefficient workflows that slow down AI development and deployment
- Resistance to change and lack of AI literacy across the organization
Overcoming the Obstacles with SWIRL
SWIRL AI Search enables organizations to overcome the challenges involved in scaling AI across the enterprise.
Overcoming data fragmentation
SWIRL tackles the data fragmentation challenge head-on with its unique combination of AI, metasearch, and vectorless RAG capabilities. SWIRL does not require that data be loaded into vector databases or taken outside the corporate firewall; rather, SWIRL brings AI to the data, leaving the data in place. SWIRL can query over a hundred different apps and data stores, including team collaboration and productivity apps—such as Teams, Confluence, Slack, Webex—as well as email programs and the user’s local file system. SWIRL breaks down silos between structured and unstructured data sources. This approach allows organizations to:
- Seamlessly integrate data from various sources without compromising security or governance protocols
- Maintain data integrity and consistency across different departments and systems
- Ensure compliance with data protection regulations through centralized control and monitoring
SWIRL returns results sorted by relevance, so that users spend more of their time using data rather than figuring out if it’s the right data.
By leveraging SWIRL, enterprises can transform their fragmented data landscape into a cohesive ecosystem. This unified approach not only enhances the performance of AI models but also unlocks new possibilities for data-driven insights across the organization.
Overcoming AI inconsistencies
SWIRL offers a robust platform that gives you control over which AI models you use. Should a model’s behavior degrade, you can easily swap it out for a better one. You can also use different AI models for different queries, giving you the ability to take advantage of models customized to specific content areas.
Building Cross-functional Collaboration
SWIRL promotes cross-functional collaboration by providing a consistent interface for finding and accessing data. SWIRL is designed to be used by technical and nontechnical users alike, helping to break down barriers between business and technical teams. The platform facilitates:
- Real-time collaboration between business experts, data scientists, and IT professionals
- Easy access to relevant information
- Knowledge sharing and skill development across the organization
By fostering a collaborative environment, SWIRL helps organizations build a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
Enhancing Business Efficiency with Intelligent Assistance
SWIRL transforms any capable generative AI into a chatbot, allowing users to seamlessly converse with their data while incorporating metasearch and RAG. SWIRL Is 100% installable on-premises or private cloud; integrates with existing security protocols, ensuring no unauthorized access to data; requires no bulk copying or indexing of data (Zero ETL model); and supports all languages compatible with the installed LLMs.
SWIRL acts as a virtual collaborator, providing real-time insights and decision support across various business functions.
Key Benefits:
- Automates routine tasks, freeing up valuable time for more critical activities
- Provides data-driven insights and real-time data analysis for better decision-making
- Enhances teamwork through centralized information sharing
- Uses natural language processing for intuitive interaction
Success Stories:
Customers use SWIRL to drive growth and innovation. At one software development company, using SWIRL to find appropriate data for development and testing reduced the time it took to release software by 40%. At another large company, using SWIRL reduced the time it took to find data for reporting projects from 2-3 hours per day to less than one hour a week.
Empowering AI-Driven Innovation Across the Enterprise
As organizations grapple with the challenges of scaling AI, SWIRL is becoming indispensable for success. By addressing the core issues of data fragmentation, inconsistent model performance, and lack of collaboration, SWIRL enables enterprises of all sizes to harness the full potential of AI.
SWIRL offers a comprehensive solution for standardizing AI implementation and ensuring consistent performance across the organization, bringing the power of AI directly to business users, enhancing efficiency, driving innovation, and increasing revenue.
Ready to transform your organization’s AI initiatives and profit from the AI revolution? Contact us today to schedule a demo and witness the power of SWIRL in action.