Regardless of size and age, from start-up to long established enterprise, all businesses are encountering similar challenges as they work to adopt, embrace and adapt artificial intelligence in their business operations:

• Many organizations and individuals want to better understand the potential of applying artificial intelligence to business systems and management, but are challenged to understand technical material;
• There is a dramatic lack of skilled development resources and insufficient access to expertise within the AI field. Access to domain experts, AI solution and platform experts, model developers, data analysts and systems development staff becomes a bottleneck to adoption;
• AI projects, by their transformative nature, have a risk of failure associated with them and they require reliable, scalable implementation processes and project management methods that are not familiar to general practitioners; and
• The planning templates and implementation models that support the business objectives and outcomes of an AI implementation project are highly customized to the project and without a basic template package wind up being overlooked or are incomplete, which raises the adoption and utilization risk profile.

The AI Hub engages with existing businesses and start-up ventures utilizing advanced AI techniques and solutions to address practical business problems.  The business solutions that are created in an engagement with the AI Hub address core business needs including:

• Enhancing sales processes and creating revenue growth through AI based sales systems;
• Establishing, measuring and improving customer sentiment, engagement and market segment performance;
• Developing AI-based personalization and customized product and service delivery systems;
• Developing natural language products that communicate needs or gather input with domain understanding and possibly prescriptive recommendations for action;
• Developing AI-based solutions that utilize highly sensitive data, including medical data, to predict health requirements and make well-being recommendations; and
• Modelling AI system accountability, operating authorities, and risk management practices. 

Projects typically involve one or more subject matter experts from the partner company and the DC principal investigator(s), who supervise two to four student research assistants.  The company provides domain and business requirements and additional technical resources to the project team. Project length is typically 16 to 36 weeks, though projects can run significantly longer, including multi-year projects.  All projects have access to DC’s resources and partners including leading AI deployment platforms from major cloud and on-premise providers.

The AI Hub also provides consultation, advisory and support services to organizations beginning to consider how artificial intelligence fits into their business.  These introductory services include workshops, seminars, printed and digital collateral, and one-on-one meetings.  The development of customized training and information sessions is also a service the AI Hub offers.