Building a business-specific internal AI chatbot

ChatGPT, Bard & other mainstream chatbot assistants have alerted the general populace to the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI).

Now, for the first time, a generation who asked its questions of search engines and researched on webpages can now explore their requirements in a generative interface that can be mined, refined and even argued with.

Having been pre-trained on vast quantities of data these AI chatbots and their underlying models can be fine-tuned and applied to a wide range of tasks. This has alerted business leaders to the significance of aligning themselves with the prevailing winds as AI becomes the only technology trend that matters in 2023.

As such, the promise of artificial intelligence (AI) in financial services, health & energy has never been brighter, but the question for many organisations that haven’t isolated where to utilise generative AI in their business yet, arises… where should you start?

Well, interestingly, we have recently been approached by several clients who know exactly where to start. They have undertaken the work needed to identify who is using AI chatbots in their business, for what and with what kind of regularity.

The question that has been asked of us is: Is it possible to create a business-specific internal AI chatbot interface that leverages the immense value of LLMs for the business and its employees whilst mitigating the business risks that present from a large cohort of staff using ChatGPT for efficiency and efficacy?

Let’s find out…

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What are the risks associated with AI Chatbots?

The risks associated with wide scale internal use of AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Bard are many and diverse in nature.

As AI chatbots are merely a new toolkit for human users, generative AI will only ever be as good as said users. So, if you haven’t established frameworks, guidance and best practices, the commands placed in public GenAI toolkits may present prescient business risks and open up organisations to a range of vulnerabilities.

Contextualising the business risk may take some time, but the key to understanding the risks will come from establishing if people are sharing private business data, critical business information, intellectual property and/or business specific approaches/processes.

This will allow your business to understand the potential threat of private business data, intellectual property and other business-critical information being added to the corpus of data at OpenAI or Google… and potentially leaking into the public domain.

Why is an internal employee AI chatbot a great idea?

There are a huge number of reasons that you could use to justify pointing the potential of an LLM at your business data.

The 21st-century workplace is a constantly evolving beast, and the need for tools and resources to drive employee efficiency is greater than ever. Enter a ChatGPT-like AI interface, tailor-made for your employees.

Sounds interesting right?

Based on our recent work, we can see a number of places where an internal toolkit could prove immediate value and drive change within your organisation:

• On-Demand Knowledge: Regardless of industry, there’s a constant need for information. An AI chatbot can serve as a 24/7 knowledge base, assisting employees in retrieving information instantly, be it company policies, processes, procedures, technical specifications, or best practices
• Training & Onboarding: New employees can use the AI interface as a mentor, getting answers to common questions, understanding company culture, or diving deep into role-specific training modules
• Task Automation: From scheduling meetings to managing tasks, the AI can help automate mundane aspects of an employee’s role, freeing up time for more meaningful and more creative work
• Feedback and Evaluation: The AI can be used as an assessment tool, providing employees with instant feedback on their work or helping them gauge their proficiency in various skills
• Adherence to Brand & TOV: The AI toolkit could review work and ensure that documentation aligns with core brand guidelines and tone of voice, even re-writing information for employees who struggle with dyslexia or other neuro-divergent traits

Steps to Implementing a business-specific AI Chatbot

These will be slightly different for every organisation and dependent on what the core functions of the AI chatbot are likely to be, but a starter-for-ten would be:

• Gathering Internal Data: Accumulate the vast knowledge repositories, process documents, training materials, and other internal resources that employees might need access to
• Training the Model: Using fine-tuning mechanisms, the model can be trained on company-specific data. This customisation ensures that the AI understands the company’s nuances and can provide accurate and relevant information
• Integration with Existing Systems: Seamlessly integrate the AI interface with tools and platforms already in use, such as intranet portals, CRM systems, messaging services or project management tools
• Iterative Testing: Before widespread deployment, pilot the AI tool among a smaller group of employees to gather feedback and understand its efficiency
• Deployment: Roll out the AI interface to the wider organisation, ensuring all employees have easy access
• Continuous Learning: The workplace isn’t static. Regularly update the AI model with new internal data, and encourage employees to provide feedback to ensure the tool remains relevant and useful

Next steps

A GPT-like AI interface tailored for internal employee use is not just an efficiency tool; it’s a digital colleague ready to assist at any hour.

An innovation like this could drastically enhance your workplace, driving employee efficiency, fostering continuous learning, and ensuring that every individual has the resources they need to shine in their roles.

As we move towards a future where AI and humans work in tandem, it’s clear that such interfaces will be integral in shaping the workplaces of tomorrow. If you want to explore creating a business-specific AI chatbot for your employees, reach out to Waracle to discuss your requirements today.