Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way businesses work worldwide. The potential of AI in all industries including healthcare, marketing, agriculture and tourism. AI technology is mostly used by big businesses such as Google, Samsung, and AI chip maker Nvidia. However, small businesses can also leverage technology.
AI is a type of technology that enables computers and machines to simulate human intelligence and problem-solving capabilities.
Recently, Google held an event in Johannesburg on the 30th of July 2024. The event focused on showcasing how Google’s AI tools such as Gemini can be used in different scenarios and how businesses can use Gemini to enhance the way they do business and scale up operations.
Presenting at the event was Yvette Baez, Google’s Business Strategist for AI, who said businesses can use Gemini to help with various tasks, whether it’s research and information gathering, writing and content creation, operations and management, business strategy and planning or marketing and sales.
“Google’s aim with AI is to be educational and inspirational and open people’s minds to the possibility (of AI) and how we should be using it today. I also encourage people to use it in their everyday lives, from planning an anniversary to planning a vacation,” said Baez.
Baez explained the capabilities of Google’s AI model Gemini. Google Gemini, which used to be called Bard, is a chatbot that runs on Google’s Gemini family of models. The AI model can understand and generate text like a large language model (LLM). Additionally, it can understand and operate other types of information such as images, audio, videos, and code.
“The beauty of Gemini is because it’s multimodal. It can respond with images, video, text and code. As such, our work in this area has focused on responsibly building helpful products and platforms that can assist businesses in improving and overcoming their most pressing challenges, explained Baez.
The presentation then focused on how Google’s next goal with AI is to focus on the business application of AI. AI is trained on natural intelligence (human intelligence), so the key to using it properly is to use prompts that are like human conversation. This will also help you improve your business when using AI.
So how do small businesses get pushed as a suggestion on Google Gemini?
Yvette explained that Gemini uses the same principles used on Google Search. Search suggests the most authoritative information first. This means that the best-ranked pages are what Google suggests. So, if you are looking for something on Gemini such as a tourist attraction, then Gemini will suggest the best-ranked places first.
As a small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) in South Africa, you will need to improve your searchability on Google to get suggested by AI. Some ways to do this are to:
- Improve your website’s user experience and make it easier for people to navigate.
- Create content that is bettered for searchability purposes.
- Better your content and website for local search. For example, using keywords such as ‘Johannesburg’ or ‘Joburg’ when creating content.
These are just a few ways to improve your searchability according to Google. Baez says “we always prioritise the most authoritative information, regardless of what’s being asked and regardless of the category that applies to. The way that the algorithm works is intended to always get the most accurate and authoritative information first, regardless of if it’s in traditional search or within Gemini.”
How is Google helping SMEs integrate AI?
Google has many initiatives involving small businesses and AI integration. One of its initiatives is the Google Hustle Academy. The Hustle Academy is a free 5-day business boot camp for small businesses.
The virtual boot camp focuses on small businesses in South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria and helps them learn about AI (and other technologies) to future-proof their businesses for success.
Programme Overview
Day 1 – Optimise: Business Strategy
During the first day, you will go through how to improve your business strategy. Some of the learning points on this day are:
- Undertake a SWOT analysis of your current business strategy.
- Use your new business strategy to design a growth plan for the coming year. This plan will focus on the steps your business can take to attract new customers and increase sales.
- Learn to solve problems like a consultant.
Day 2 – Boost: Sales and E-commerce
During day two, you will learn about how e-commerce technology can amplify your sales and help you meet your revenue goals. The learning points of day two are:
- Determine your revenue goals for the upcoming year (2025).
- Understand your audience’s needs and wants.
- Identify market trends within your industry.
- Conduct an analysis of your competitors to help you improve.
- Define your business’s unique value proposition.
- Discover the different ways in which you can move customers through the consumer funnel.
- Explore the opportunities to sell your products or services through e-commerce platforms.
Day 3 – Amplify: Digital Marketing and AI
This day focuses on using AI technology to improve your marketing strategy. The learning points of day three are:
- Understanding the key digital marketing channels available to your business.
- Discover how to engage your audience with different types of content such as short-form videos.
- Explore new AI-powered marketing tools for your business and how to enhance your digital strategy.
Day 4 – Accelerate: Productivity with AI
This day focuses on how small businesses can increase their day-to-day operations using AI as a productivity tool. The learning material for this day includes:
- Explore the steps you can take to plan your finances and create financial predictions to secure investment.
- Learn about top AI tools (and how they work) to save you time at work on general tasks. For example, accounting and admin.
Day 5 – Lead: Effective leadership and Pitching
Although this day does not focus on AI, it’s important as a business owner to know how to lead effectively to drive your company towards success. The learning material for day five includes:
- Discover top tips that you can implement to build your own business pitch deck for investors. This is especially important when trying to secure funding.
- Chance to create your own pitch.
- Discover your leadership style, how to leverage it and how to navigate changes at work.
Additionally, the boot camp has expert trainers to help you through the learning material, able to network and collaborate with other participants and get mentorship to help you tackle real-world business problems.
Note: To apply for this boot camp, follow the link and fill in the form.
“Google is committed to helping African businesses enhance operational efficiency and achieve their commercial goals using AI. Like assisting farmers with frequent, precise, and actionable food security predictions. African businesses are being empowered to address real-world challenges using AI,” concluded Baez.
To get expert help on integrating technology into your business, book an appointment with one of our experts via our advice page.
