In Hollywood, artificial intelligence is typically associated with dystopian futures in which the machines have become sentient and assumed control. I’m not saying that doomsday scenario is out of the question – I’m many things but I’m not a futurologist. Besides, I’m too much of an optimist to pain such a depressing picture of tomorrow’s world. I think we’ll learn to coexist just fine with our ultra-smart artificial intelligence overlords, even as we become increasingly reliant on their capacity for deep learning and neural networks.

This month I’ve been delving deep into the matter of AI on behalf of Sparklane, and it’s at their site where my detailed blog post on the matter can be found. Venture there to read 5 Ways in Which AI is Transforming B2B Marketing in just a moment, but first here’s a quick primer on where we’re currently at with artificial intelligence. Think of this miniature blog you’re reading now as your gateway to the more erudite and business-oriented post I’ve crafted for Sparklane. In it, I examine the ways in which artificial intelligence is disrupting B2B marketing and presenting unprecedented opportunities for developing customer insights and targeting micro-demographics.

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But first, what’s the state of play with AI today? Further along than you might think is the short answer. In the press, all the talk this year has been of the deep learning system that thoroughly trounced a team of the world’s best poker professionals, following up on Google’s own AI system which did the same with the complex Chinese game of Go last year. In case you missed the memo, computers have gotten scarily good at doing the sort of things that we used to think only humans were capable of doing to a high level.

The good news is that this has paved the way for some truly innovative B2B systems which harness the latest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and use them to implement smarter marketing. In the Sparklane article, I dive deep and explain how AI is now being used to facilitate:

• Personalised marketing
• More efficient lead generation
• Highly detailed analytics
• Machine-managed sales and marketing
• Reduced overheads

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Fascinating as this is, you’re probably assuming that all this fancy AI-driven software must be beyond the budget of all but the largest enterprises, right? I’m happy to report that’s not the case. While it’s certainly true that, like any emerging technology, the cost of entry is higher for the earliest adopters, marketing powered by machine learning is now within the reach of SMEs. What’s more, once purchasing managers realise the reduced overheads that AI can bring about, they shouldn’t require much convincing to take the plunge. In my article, I speak of companies that have already introduced some form of AI and experienced cost reductions of between 40 and 60%.

So now that I’ve suitably whetted your appetite for all things AI, all that’s left is to point you in the right direction. Check out 5 Ways in Which AI is Transforming B2B Marketing and as you’ll swiftly discover, the future is already here. Now it’s up to you to grab that technology and use it to your advantage.