"What to Watch in AI: Increasing Productivity and Retention in the Age of Knowledge"

"What to Watch in AI: Increasing Productivity and Retention in the Age of Knowledge"

In today's rapidly evolving world, the exponential rise in knowledge and the increasingly distributed nature of work have presented new challenges for organizations. One of the key obstacles they face is the time-consuming and often broken process of searching for existing knowledge within their teams. However, with the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools like Glean, this problem can be addressed effectively and drive employee productivity.

As organizations become more distributed and knowledge becomes fragmented, having an intuitive work assistant like Glean is no longer a nice-to-have but a critical tool. It enables employees to quickly find the information they need, eliminating the need for hours wasted on searching for relevant knowledge. By streamlining this process, AI applications like Glean can significantly enhance employee productivity and collaboration.

However, the adoption of AI applications in enterprises is often hindered by the lack of appropriate governance controls. Organizations need to ensure that their AI applications understand what the end user is allowed to see and not see, where the inference is performed, and who owns the source data that led to a given model output. Without these controls, enterprises face challenges in deploying AI applications to production.

Data processing and annotation are crucial aspects of the AI process, yet they remain the most tedious and expensive tasks. Despite the availability of pre-trained large language models, enterprises should prioritize using their proprietary data across multiple modalities to create production AI. This approach leads to differentiated services, valuable insights, and increased operational efficiencies.

On the other hand, another critical aspect of the digital landscape is mobile app retention. Studies have shown that the average app loses a significant number of daily active users (DAUs) within the first few days, weeks, and months after installation. According to Quettra's data, the average app loses 77% of its DAUs within the first three days, 90% within 30 days, and over 95% within 90 days. These statistics are truly stunning and emphasize the importance of focusing on user retention.

The key to success lies in activating users within the first 3-7 days of app usage, rather than relying on spam-like notifications. It is during this critical period that the majority of leverage in improving retention curves can be found. The way the product is described, the onboarding flow, and the triggers set up to drive ongoing retention play a significant role in keeping users engaged.

Top apps that successfully retain users are immediately useful, leading to repeated usage within the first week. The drop-off in user engagement happens at a similar pace as average apps. However, bending the retention curve requires a focus on activation rather than notification spam. Simply bombarding users with spammy email notifications with messages like "We Miss You" is unlikely to have a significant impact on retention.

So, what actionable advice can organizations take to improve productivity and retention in the age of AI?

1. Invest in intuitive AI tools: Integrate intuitive work assistants like Glean to streamline the process of finding existing knowledge. This will save time and enhance employee productivity.

2. Prioritize governance controls: Ensure appropriate governance controls are in place for AI applications, including understanding user permissions, data ownership, and inference location. This will enable smooth deployment of AI applications to production.

3. Focus on user activation: Pay close attention to the first few days of app usage and optimize the product description, onboarding flow, and triggers to drive ongoing user engagement. Avoid relying on spam-like notifications and instead provide immediate value to users.

In conclusion, the rise of AI presents both challenges and opportunities for organizations. By leveraging intuitive AI tools, prioritizing governance controls, and focusing on user activation, organizations can increase productivity and improve retention in the age of knowledge. Embracing AI and its potential is key in staying competitive and driving success in the digital landscape.