Skyline Analytics is deeply committed to the responsible, ethical, and methodical use of artificial intelligence and making it accessible to you as part of your FP&A/data analytics solution.

Although the field of artificial intelligence was established in the 1950s by Alan Turing and John McCarthy, it wasn’t until November 2022 and the release of ChatGPT to the general public (and other large language models  – LLMs) that this new period of rapid technological change began.  It has caused somewhat of a frenzy and for many, a fear of missing out (FOMO).

The potential for AI to revolutionize the way we work (and the way we live) is absolutely, 100% there; but there is also the potential for costly missteps (https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/05/02/samsung-bans-chatgpt-and-other-chatbots-for-employees-after-sensitive-code-leak/).  There’s also the risk of hasty implementation, of jumping on the AI bandwagon without a clear strategy or understanding of the technology’s limitations.

Generative AI is not magic.  It’s a rapidly evolving set of technologies that is heavily dependent on good, clean data (i.e. the same Skyline curated data you use for smart, data-driven decision making).  The current LLMs are trained on vast amounts of general data (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd11gzejgz4o) but lack specific knowledge about your company, your customers, and your unique challenges.  A large language model is powerful because it knows about market theories; about software development; and novels and films.  But it’s limited because it knows very little about the nuts and bolts that make your business successful.

A successful AI deployment at your organization requires careful stewardship by skilled professionals.  As your outsourced FP&A partners, we are those professionals.  In our opinion, you may not be too late to the “AI party,” but actually a little early.  Think of it like the early days of the internet, when early adopters sometimes struggled with immature technologies.  That said, the time to get started is now.  The best use cases for AI in the fields of FP&A and data analytics are beginning to present themselves, so the key is to start small with a trusted partner on clearly defined projects that can deliver tangible value to your organization.

We are here and would be happy to help.  Please reach out ([email protected]) to setup a time to discuss including AI as part of your FP&A/data analytics culture.

Sincerely,

Your Friends, Colleagues, Partners at Skyline Analytics