20 Ways Companies Are Leveraging AI to Work Smarter
Business leaders across industries are leveraging AI to boost efficiency, improve decision-making, and provide deeper value to their clients.
AI is rapidly changing how businesses operate, and the companies seeing the most value are the ones using it strategically. From streamlining internal processes to improving decision-making, AI has the potential to boost efficiency and your bottom line. But realizing those benefits takes more than plugging in a new tool; it requires clear goals, quality data, and strong human judgment.
If you’re seeking inspiration on business use cases for AI, the members of the Fast Company Executive Board share specific ways this technology has improved their operations.
1. Providing Data for Proactive Care
We have patented AI to help transform reactive emergency systems into predictive, proactive care solutions that forecast incidents before they occur. Our technology works to predict potential falls among seniors rather than just responding to them. In this way, we hope to provide data to caretakers that would enable independence with dignity while giving families peace of mind. – Chia-Lin Simmons, LogicMark
2. Streamlining Client Processes
Our goal is to help small businesses thrive and provide them with a next-level experience. AI has allowed us to streamline critical processes for our clients—from smarter domain search tools to automating repetitive administrative tasks—ultimately saving them valuable time. While we embrace technology, we still believe strongly that human expertise is the key to providing the best solutions. – Jon Garrison, Registered Agents Inc.
3. Matching Agencies With Businesses
Arguably, the greatest influence that AI has had on our operations is in streamlining the process of finding businesses to match with agencies. We’ve used AI to scan hundreds of data points, from past success trends and user behavior to industry fit and project scope, rather than entirely manual filtering or simple search logic. – Gianluca Ferruggia, DesignRush
4. Predicting Patient Adherence Based on Behavioral Data
By leveraging AI to model behavioral and psychological data, we’ve enhanced our ability to predict patient adherence and engagement. This helps our partners design more efficient trials and studies with fewer dropouts—saving time and resources and ultimately accelerating drug development. – Krinx Kong, Cognivia
5. Taking Over Repetitive Tasks
AI has taken over repetitive, solved tasks like data entry, meeting notes, and basic analysis, freeing product teams to focus on creativity, customer insights, and future strategy. This shift helps teams stay innovative and user-focused rather than spending time on work that doesn’t require human judgment. – Kunal Abichandani, Rilla
6. Providing Hyper-Personalized Customer Experiences
AI has improved our business by enabling hyper-personalized customer experiences at scale. By leveraging AI to analyze real-time data and predict customer intent, we can deliver the right message at the right time across digital touchpoints. This AI-driven personalization has been instrumental in client revenue growth while streamlining their marketing strategies. – Lalena Nau, Zeta Global
7. Turning Concepts Into Visuals
AI has reshaped how we visualize and pitch ideas, turning concepts into cinematic renderings and ads in hours, not weeks. It’s helped us move faster, tell better stories, and bring products to life before they even exist. – Alexander Kwapis
8. Enabling Cross-Departmental Data Sharing
AI has transformed our business’s real-time data streaming approach by enabling data sharing across all of our business domains. This approach not only solves disconnection issues across departments and supports AI agent interactions, but it also improves our ability to adapt and react to the shifting market and global regulatory changes that are constantly reshaping the IT industry. – Guillaume Aymé, Lenses.io
9. Reducing Time-Consuming Tasks to Free Up Space for High-Value Thinking
It’s accelerated our entire process, enabling quicker ideation and deeper strategic thinking. It’s been a significant win—reducing time-consuming tasks and giving our designers, strategists, and technologists more space to focus on solving complex, high-value problems. – Gabriel Bridger, Rightpoint
10. Facilitating Customer Support
AI has significantly enhanced our customer-centric approach by automating routine tasks, surfacing real-time insights, and empowering our teams to focus on strategic client support. This transformation allows quicker responses, clearer and more actionable data, and deeper, personalized value to clients as they navigate increasingly complex financial environments and critical business decisions. – Darren Heffernan, Trintech
11. Automating Routine Analysis and Document Review
The integration of AI through our Grape Assistant has fundamentally transformed how we deliver legal services. By automating routine analysis and document review processes, our attorneys can focus more deeply on strategic case planning and client relationships. AI doesn’t replace human expertise; it enhances our ability to provide more thorough, efficient, and personalized immigration solutions. – Muhammed Uzum, Grape Law Firm PLLC
12. Generating Topics and Outlines for Written Content
Generative AI is helping writers explore topics and outline content. While content still requires human editing and review, AI has made a huge difference in productivity and output. – Christina Robbins, Digitech Systems
13. Exploring New Business Models and Collaborative Processes
AI is opening up new ways to rethink how we work and deliver value, reshaping collaboration, redefining user experience, and evolving business models. – Aviad Almagor, Trimble
14. Uncovering Patterns in Data
When properly prompted and applied, AI accelerates everything from coding to content generation to operational analysis, uncovering patterns that allow teams to focus on strategic work. – Eddy Azad, Parsec Automation Corp.
15. Capturing Data to Drive Actionable Insights
Accurate data capture enables actionable insights and increases bandwidth for focusing on human relationships rather than transcription and admin tasks. – Bryan Buck, ON Partners
16. Connecting Users With the Right Products
AI improves how people connect with the right products by refining search, improving data attributes, and shortening the path from consideration to purchase. – Alex Seaman, Furniture.com
17. Providing Instant Answers to Operational Questions
AI-powered operations and maintenance manuals allow staff to ask questions and receive instant answers, saving time, reducing errors, and improving compliance. – Chris Erhardt
18. Creating Localized In-Store Audio Messaging
AI-powered tools allow retailers to create in-store audio messaging in minutes instead of days, enabling personalization while maintaining brand consistency. – Jaime Bettencourt, Mood Media
19. Providing Informed Advice
Custom GPTs are being used to combine technical knowledge, consulting best practices, and psychology to give consultants informed advice, improving scale and EBITDA. – Andrea Lechner-Becker, GNW Consulting
20. Analyzing Web Server Logs
AI models analyze web server logs to optimize performance, improve resource utilization, and act as always-on domain experts. – Chongwei Chen, DataNumen Inc.
