31 Jul 2024

Getting AI ready - why data is key

Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is evolving quickly and becoming more mainstream. It has moved beyond the domain of large enterprises and tech enthusiasts into the hands of everyday users. 

There’s a wealth of information and a wide range of tools available such as ChatGPT, DALL-E, Microsoft CoPilot, Midjourney to name just a few. 

Gartner predicts that by 2027, more than 50% of the GenerativeAI (GenAI) models that enterprises use will be specific to either an industry or business function — up from approximately 1% in 2023. These models will be smaller, require less computational power, and be more reliable. 

GenAI is just one type of artificial intelligence which will impact everyone. So how can membership organisations prepare for, adapt and respond to this constantly changing AI environment? This blog is the first in a series which will:

  • demystify and explain core AI concepts and terms
  • discuss the AI tools that are available now & how they could evolve
  • give you ideas for prompts to save you time and effort
  • explore the practical and ethical considerations of using AI
  • show what you need to prepare in order to fully adapt AI across your organisation - from data, to governance, staff and members
How are membership organisations currently using AI?

The 2023/24 Digital Excellence report by MemberWise reveals that 5% of organisations are using AI to establish member issues and tackle challenges. 3% are using chatbots to support member journeys. Adaptation is still in its early days.

Marketing and membership professionals are no doubt experimenting with tools like Open AI’s DALL-E for text to image creation or Google’s Gemini for copywriting but this is just scratching the surface of what is available now and what will be possible in the future.

How will the use of AI evolve in membership?
AI makes it easy to analyse large volumes of data thanks to predictive analysis and machine learning algorithms. This will enable membership organisations to uncover valuable insights about their members, help shape strategy and make data-driven decisions. The potential of AI-powered insights is significant as they can then be harnessed by applications in ways that automatically enhance the membership experience, including:
  • personalising website and emails, with each member receiving communications tailored to their individual needs
  • chatbots responding to member enquiries and complaints
  • targeting revenue or lead generation based on interests
  • AI-enhanced learning management systems - personalised educational content with tailored guidance and support 
For membership teams, AI can automate repetitive tasks, free up time to focus on member services and improve operational efficiency. For example, AI could automatically assess membership applications or analyse potential member attrition and preempt it with automated renewal sequences. 

Why good, unified data is key

In order to be able to access these powerful insights it’s critical that you have good quality data that is structured and unified in one system. Your owned data lays the foundation for advanced analytics and AI applications by eliminating data silos and ensuring consistency across multiple sources.  

Bringing all your behavioural data - the actions your members take across your website, emails, events and purchase into one place is essential if you want deeper AI-driven analytics that delivers deeper insights you can act on. There is an expression - “put rubbish in, get rubbish out” - this is especially true of data. 

Give AI poor data and it will give you poor insights and hallucinate answers. Owned data that is reliable will provide trustworthy insights that will take your membership to the next level.

But what is the best way to bring your data together?  Follow our AI series to find out.

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