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AI presents huge opportunities and challenges for every CIO right now. Whether they are weighing the ROI of in-house vs. outsourced AI solutions or sizing up AI’s new capabilities as a decision-making tool, knowing how to leverage AI for maximum value is becoming a critical differentiator.

That’s one reason why The Works is partnering with CIO.com on a series of 10 articles focused on redefining value in the age of AI.

Here’s a quick look at the first four stories: 

Gen AI: Should you build or buy?

Freshworks Chief Product Officer Prakash Ramamurthy explains when it makes sense to outsource AI and when it’s time to bring things in-house in “Gen AI: Should you build or buy?” Here’s the rule that he says companies should follow:

“If it’s not your core business competency – the things that you wake up every morning thinking about – then you shouldn’t be building it yourself.” 

How gen AI is joining the holiday shopping season

This piece looks at multiple ways generative AI is being deployed in the $600 billion-plus retail shopping season in 2023, impacting everything from supply chains to seasonal hiring. 

Nelson Haung, senior director of product marketing at Freshworks, shares his view on gen AI’s potential: 

“Every part of the industry needs to figure out how to apply gen AI to their distribution models and their shopping experiences. What you will see this holiday season is the scale-up of personalization for customers.”

How AI is showing promise in decision-making

Freshworks CIO Prasad Ramakrishnan weighs in on how to think about AI as a business partner in “5 ways AI is showing promise as a decision-maker.” While progress has been made and trust in AI may be warranted in specific instances, Ramakrishnan sounds a note of caution worth paying attention to:

“AI engines are getting much smarter, but you don’t want to bank the future of your company on decisions being made by a bot. Make sure there is a human involved to check the quality of the results.”

When your chatbots mess up

Lastly, speaking of bots, another CIO.com article explores how to guard against occasional (but unavoidable) AI hallucinations and other risks. Steven Smith, chief security architect at Freshworks, lays out several strategies CIOs can consider to mitigate risks, from content filters to ensuring data quality: 

“Chatbots are almost like a living organism in that they are continually iterating, and as they ingest new data, you get out what you put in.” 

Check out the whole series on CIO.com.

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