A glance into how AI can impact business operations

Digital and business experts maintain this is the way to go as Kenyans increasingly use technology platforms to transact.

The United Nations Conference on trade and Development ranks Kenya as 7th in Africa and 89th globally in use of online platforms to transact.

Given such statistics, firms need to integrate web or mobile-based technology into the functionality of their business, be it operations, logistics, sales or marketing, in order to survive.

" In America, Amazon is wiping out once major retailers because people are now ordering their products online. Retailers like Sears, Costco, and Kroger are closing down because of competition from e-commerce. Even Walmart is having problems," said Felix Mbugua, CEO of Legibra, a web design firm.

For Legibra, simply having online platforms where customers can get goods is not enough due to increased competition. To survive, the seller has to offer the buyer something extra — the ability to not only showcase what they have, but a wholly virtual experience about the product.

This can be achieved through adoption of artificial intelligence, which enables a machine to perform tasks based on the information or instructions fed into it. One such hi-tech system is I-Magine, an application Legibra designed for a local company that deals in spectacles. In the design of the application, buyers can get the desired frames for their glasses.

How does it happen? The AI captures the dimensions of your face using the front camera of your phone or computer, and displays how you would look in different frames on the screen of your computer. You can then select the design you like and after paying for it, it is delivered to your dootstep.

The company also employs AI in manufacturing to help companies improve performance. This is enhanced by Internet of Things IoT) technology, which facilitates collection of small pieces of data, that eventually contribute to a big pool of data out of which vital decisions are made.

One of Legibra’s clients, Sollatek, an appliances company based in Mombasa is able to know when their Kisumu store needs restocking without being contacted by the branch.

Thanks to AI, clients are now getting accurate information because they no longer depend on field staff or person retailing for them for feedback. Ultimately, this helps them to know which of their product is performing better, and thus cut costs by producing only that which is needed.

The ability for AI to enhance accuracy, said Mr Mbugua, can also be leveraged on in sampling products. Instead of using random sampling to assess the quality of your products, AI system scans all the units to determine their quality or otherwise.

It is not only in commerce and manufacturing that Legibra has developed digital systems for their clients. In education, the firm has designed a virtual system for Computer Pride, a local school that offers computing classes.

Students can sign in, attend class, engage tutors and submit assignments without having to be physically present in class. This enables them to meet the minimum threshold of classwork, so the only thing they need do is show up for exams.

"For those of us who go for classes after work, getting there can be a big headache because of traffic. Artificial Intelligence breaks for us the barriers of location, time, accessibility and convenience," said Felix, a Computer Pride student.