So, what exactly defines a tool?
A tool is any device used to accomplish a task. By utilizing tools, we can perform work more comfortably with less effort. Examples include the knife to prepare food or the spoon used during meals.

Tools are absolutely essential for humans. One key distinction between animals and humans is our ability to create and utilize tools.
What would life be like for humans without tools?

We, humans, have developed and advanced numerous tools under the name of 'technology.' Undoubtedly, you, the readers, are also using tools such as keyboards, laptops, and mice in your work.

This is the end of the introduction. For this internal column, let's focus on the company/business perspective.

1 Must We Really Try Every AI Tool?

Email is among the mainstays of "communication" (a sidebar: personally, had I not been employed at a company, I doubt I’d use email nearly as much). Various other communication tools include mobile phones, MS Office, and Wiki Solutions. Amorepacific initially piloted Dooray but now utilizes Confluence, Jira, and other collaboration tools. We also have our messenger service, and platforms like Meta's Workplace and JANDI are available. These tools didn’t all appear at once, nor were they adopted simultaneously. And I don't believe we will be using them forever.

In a world overflowing with various tools, “some wish for unification under one tool,” while “others, content with just email, phone calls, and MS Office,” shun new advancements.

Personally, I believe one should try every new tool to form an informed opinion. It is indeed fortunate that one can experience such a variety of tools in a corporate environment.

As all readers will agree, the more experiences one has in life, the better. The more quality content one consumes, the more refined one’s tastes become. Trying various foods helps one understand personal dietary preferences, and meeting people from different fields broadens one's worldview.

A scene from the Netflix drama ‘The Glory’ comes to mind, in which Park Yeon-jin’s husband, CEO Ha Do-young, receives a bottle of wine as a gift from a business associate through his chauffeurs.

This isn’t to argue that expensive wine is inherently superior, but rather, the more wines one samples, the better one becomes at recognizing quality.

Having discussed tools broadly, let’s narrow the focus a bit. You, the readers, likely grasp what I am driving at and can probably guess what comes next. Yes, it’s about personally experimenting with various AI tools.

Here is a graphic encompassing everything related to ML/AI, including infrastructure, analytics, applications, and open-source. Not that one must try everything shown here.

In the middle-right section titled “APPLICATIONS — HORIZONTAL,” let’s pay particular attention.

Furthermore, it’s worth keeping an eye on the ENTERPRISE domain at the corporate level.

If you're unsure where to apply AI, consider visiting the LinkedIn page for Generative AI(www.linkedin.com/company/genai-works/).Here, under the title "100 Generative AI Use Cases," you can find a list that roughly includes the following items.

1) Generate ideas
2) Therapy / Companionship
3) Specific Search
4) Edit Text

5) Explore Topics of Interest

6) Fun & Nonsense

7) Troubleshoot

8) Enhance Learning

9) Personalize Learning

10) General Advice

It offers a list of 100 cases that suggests virtually limitless applications across all conceivable domains.

2 Then Why Is Everyone Abuzz About AI?

There is a compelling argument on why we cannot ignore AI; the gist is that AI can enhance productivity by up to a hundredfold.

If one were to summarize the content from What MidJourney, DeepL, ElevenLabs, and HeyGen have in common (sarahtavel.com) using Edge Copilot, the points would be as follows:

This page is part of a newsletter discussing the advancements in AI technology and its impact on startups, explaining how AI not only improves workflow but also liberates the market by reducing the effort, friction, and costs associated with hiring and managing people.

Moreover, it emphasizes that "the secret of companies like Amazon, Netflix, eBay, Uber, and Airbnb is that they provide an experience ten times better than traditional services and offer it more cheaply through technological means that confer a structural cost advantage."

Supporting evidence for these claims is also presented. "Hit Refresh - The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft's Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone" by Satya Nadella discusses these productivity gains.

"For instance, 90% of Uber riders get a cab within ten minutes, compared to only 37% of traditional taxi users. Netflix charges about $0.21 per hour, while the old video rental service Blockbuster charged $1.61 per hour."

From a consumer perspective, these rough figures help one appreciate the value startups like Uber and Netflix provide. Thoughts such as, "It’s cheaper than renting videos?" or "No more long waits for a taxi?" make it undeniable why one wouldn’t use these services.

Yet, AI promises to amplify this value by more than a hundredfold. Examples of this can be seen in the body of Sarah Tavel's article.

Of course, no tool is perfect. AI tools, too, will function well in some cases and less so in others. This is precisely why diverse AI-related businesses are being introduced since its inception. If you can’t create these tools yourself, becoming adept at using them or hiring someone who is would be a viable approach.

To conclude this column, I'd like to highlight an example from octocom.ai, which develops services to maximize online store sales.

octocom.ai offers three services:
- Customer Support: Handling inquiries about shipping status, refunds, and returns, as well as general questions.
- Shopping Consultant: Providing recommendations, comparisons, and responses to product-related inquiries.
- Intelligent Upselling: Recommending products based on the customer's cart, purchase history, and activity log.

As a consumer, I find the “Shopping Consultant” most appealing. Summer is fast approaching, and I need sunscreen that applies smoothly without greasiness or white cast. I am reluctant to buy just because a product is popular or endorsed by influencers. The myriad brands and their flashy product pages only add to my uncertainty, and a tool that could alleviate my anxiety by reliably guiding my purchase decisions would be welcome.

The true nature of AI remains undefined. We cannot yet say definitively whether it is inherently good or bad. However, we are unlikely to be at a disadvantage by carefully examining and utilizing AI.