AI is now a present-day imperative. As a decision-maker, you're likely bombarded with information and pitches daily about AI's potential.
But navigating the hype and identifying the right approach for your organization is key—and isn’t getting easier with all the noise. While big dreams of fine-tuned models or custom-built AI platforms capture headlines, there's a more pragmatic, value-driven strategy available today: embedded AI (AI baked into the productivity tools you already use.)
But I wouldn’t think of embedded AI as just another tool in your organization’s toolbox. Tapping into AI capabilities already integrated into the platforms your teams use every day is a fast-track to value. This approach offers a faster, more efficient, and lower-risk path to realizing a tangible return on your AI investment. It can even pave the way for future custom solutions, as you discover opportunities and use cases that align with your specific business needs—all without succumbing to the pressure of “but everyone is doing it.”
The pitfalls of custom AI projects
According to Google Cloud's research, 74% of organizations are currently seeing ROI from generative AI investments. This validates that AI can deliver tangible business value today—not just in the theoretical future. McKinsey recently found that 67% of business leaders expect AI to fundamentally reshape their organizations within two years, creating a pressing urgency around AI adoption.
So, we can understand the hype for custom AI projects. But while these solutions have their appeal, but they can be fraught with challenges. Custom-built AI solutions require high-quality, meticulously prepared data, which can lead to project delays and cost overruns. Substantial upfront investments in infrastructure and specialized talent are needed—and many with uncertain ROI. The demand for AI engineers and data scientists far exceeds supply, making retention a significant challenge. Lengthy development cycles can erode competitive advantages, and the complexity of these projects creates a high risk of failure. Custom solutions also often require tight integration with the business units that will consume these solutions—which may or may not exist today. IT and the business are, oddly enough, not always on the same page.
Don’t get me wrong: custom solutions can yield exceptional results, especially when they’re designed with your organization’s unique data and infrastructure needs in mind. But they're not the optimal starting point for most organizations.
A strategic advantage with embedded AI
Research indicates that AI leaders outperformed their industry peers by a factor of 3.4, and that organizations can realize tangible value from generative AI as quickly as six months after implementation. With embedded AI, it's possible to actualize these benefits even faster than custom AI solutions.
Embedded AI represents a paradigm shift by leveraging AI integrated into existing software ecosystems. Think and Google Gemini (in Google Workspace), Microsoft 365 Copilot, and Salesforce Einstein. This approach allows you to unlock the full potential of platforms you already pay for, minimizing additional software costs. And since teams are already familiar with these tools, the learning curve is small and incremental—the new skill for employees is learning how to craft prompts inside the tools they already use every day. For you, that means faster adoption and quicker time-to-value.
Embedded AI solutions work seamlessly with existing data structures, reducing the need for extensive data migration. They also extend existing security protocols and compliance frameworks, simplifying governance and minimizing risk.
Google Gemini’s real-world impact
Google Gemini is a perfect example of effective embedded AI. It transforms work across departments by enhancing productivity and meeting intelligence—all while powering data-driven decision-making. In marketing, we’ve used Gemini to assist with crafting compelling ad copy and analyzing campaign performance. In sales, it can help better qualify leads and personalize outreach. Operations are streamlined, and potential disruptions are predicted. HR and finance teams also see significant gains in efficiency and analysis capabilities without learning new tools and systems.
Let’s consider the huge impact Google Gemini has had here at Pythian. For our teams, Gemini has turned Google Workspace into a strategic enabler (and not just a productivity suite.) We’re reclaiming valuable meeting time previously spent on note-taking thanks to Gemini’s automatic transcriptions, synthesizing action items. We’re accelerating content creation, with presentation development cycles dramatically reduced. Crucially, we're seeing significant efficiency gains in critical business processes. For example, we can use Gemini to generate up to 90% of initial RFP responses.
In Gmail, we’re regaining our sanity—even in sprawling email threads—thanks to Gemini’s summarization capabilities. Data analysts are gaining insights in Sheets, content creators are overcoming inertia, and presenters are using AI to adjust and refine the slides they create. Having Gemini embedded into Google Workspace is increasing both efficiency and the quality of our output. We’ve even used Gemini to summarize a complex legal document, slashing the review time by hours, allowing for faster decision-making and resource allocation to higher-value activities.
Addressing strategic concerns
Embedded AI solutions offer customization options, allowing you to tailor features and workflows to meet specific needs. Start with out-of-the-box capabilities and progressively customize as needed. Vendor lock-in can be mitigated with a multi-vendor strategy, common in cloud adoption. The "crawl, walk, run" approach often leads to paralysis; embedded AI lets you start running immediately, providing a foundation for future initiatives.
A phased approach to AI implementation
A phased strategy prioritizes value and readiness:
- Big wins for embedded AI: Identify high-impact use cases within existing tools like Gemini in Google Workspace. Enable embedded AI features that address immediate pain points and offer clear ROI. Invest in user training and establish KPIs to track impact.
- Strategic customization and exploration: Based on insights, evaluate custom AI projects rigorously and explore other embedded AI offerings from vendors like Google (Gemini in Google Workspace.)
- Continuous optimization and innovation: Monitor performance, stay updated on AI advancements, and identify opportunities for further leverage. Ensure that all team members are empowered to leverage AI solutions effectively, fostering a culture of continuous improvement. isas a tool for enhancing productivity, efficiency, and the quality of work produced, ultimately ensuring that all knowledge workers are saving time and delivering higher quality results—not being replaced by AI.
From AI ownership to AI-powered growth
Embedded AI provides the fastest, most cost-effective path to realizing AI's transformative potential. On day one, it empowers teams, enhances decision-making, and drives tangible business value—no extended projects, no pressure to deliver on a resource-intensive, year-long project. For most organizations, we recommend tapping into the immediate opportunities presented by embedded solutions.
If you’re interested in learning more, visit our Field CTO page to see how our team can help you accelerate your AI journey, unlock new opportunities, and achieve tangible business results faster than ever before.
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