Three paths to a meaningfully designed artificial intelligence

Targeted use of artificial intelligence holds great potential for many companies to offer their customers considerable added value in some cases and to create sustainable brand value. But for many companies and brands, the topic of artificial intelligence still feels a long way off, mainly because at first glance they cannot yet see any concrete benefit for themselves or their clientele. And that is not very surprising, given the many examples in which artificial intelligence has not really been implemented in a useful way.

Appearance vs. reality - the example of Apple vs. Google

The voice assistant Siri (an acronym for Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface) is a fine example of this. It has been available on iPhones since 2011 and is an amusing pastime for thousands of children, and often that is all. Siri is rarely really useful. Most requests are acknowledged with a web search, and Siri does not noticeably learn from one's own habits.

Google's Google Maps is a particularly impressive example of how things can be done differently. The search for a restaurant, for example, not only reveals its address on the map, but also provides a phone number, website, ratings, opening hours and opening times.

Google Maps has understood that the user doesn't just want the "address" information, but is actually thinking about eating there and offers him useful additional information that helps with decision-making and booking. Not to mention the subsequent navigation, including public transportation schedules and ride services like Uber.

The big difference between the two examples: Apple primarily emphasizes acting like an artificial intelligence, and Google actually solves problems. For the user, this makes the big difference between a superficial brand appearance and an actual brand experience.

Three paths to a designed artificial intelligence with meaning

There are many ways to design an artificial intelligence well. It is worth keeping the following questions in mind when designing:

1. Can I take complexity away from the user? Can I delegate specific tasks to artificial intelligence that are either particularly difficult, particularly repetitive, or particularly boring?
2. What does the user really want? When I ask Siri for the weather forecast for the next few days, I get the weather data. If I had asked my mother, she would have given me an umbrella. The ability to infer the intention behind the request and then provide concrete benefits makes all the difference.
3. Score with assists. Know your own strengths and limitations, and really only offer a service in the areas where your own brand is at home. If another, established service provider can provide a better service than you can at the point of experience in question, it is better to pass the ball to them or the user. Like the example mentioned above with Google and Uber.

Of course, these three points are not a blanket recipe for every artificial intelligence, but they are certainly a good starting point for the concept. And one in which the artificial intelligence will certainly make sense and add value from the perspective of the brand experience.

The Author: Patrick Ensslin, Brand Experience Director, Member of the Executive Board at Hotz Brand Consultants

As an experienced expert in audiovisual brand development with many years of experience in corporate branding, Patrick Ensslin is responsible for the conception and creation of unique brand experiences at all conceivable brand touchpoints at Hotz Brand Consultants. At the end of 2007, after ten years of branding experience, Patrick founded the agency Sensorial Surroundings, specializing in motion graphics, film and sound design in the corporate sector.