In our previous posts we explored the importance of a human-centered approach to AI retail tools. Now we expand the conversation with Alex Abilmona, Solutions Engineer, and Justin Fry, Chief Technology Officer, for their technical and creative insights, to uncover “the Art of AI.”
As businesses increasingly adopt AI solutions, the focus needs to shift beyond mere technical capabilities to create truly effective and engaging AI experiences. The “art of AI,” as we like to refer to it, lies in the thoughtful blend of technological innovation, creative problem-solving, and a deep understanding of AI architecture.
Beyond Technical Prowess
Many companies fixate on outdoing competitors with superior technology but often miss the crucial element of whether the AI actually solves a problem. Technology for technology’s sake is not a true solution.
Impactful GenAI involves understanding user needs, navigating the nuances of human communication, and effectively guiding AI interactions. As Alex shares, creating intuitive AI experiences demands a combination of technical innovation and creative problem-solving, “When we talk about the art of AI, it’s blending the two. It’s blending the technical innovation with the creative problem solving. One is very tech-heavy, and one is not.”
The creative aspect of AI development involves understanding user problems, anticipating various conversational paths, and “guard-railing” AI to maintain focus while allowing for natural dialogue. Justin Fry emphasizes the elegance of AI solutions that solve complex problems with simplicity, “A lot of times when people are starting to approach AI, they feel that like the proper approach to problems in AI is to just build systems on top of systems on top of systems. But a lot of times that just introduces just bad behavior in the bot and you don’t really end up solving for any of any of the problems that you set out to tackle.”
Imitating Real Connection
Alex’s philosophy with AI is that technology is “no good without understanding the path of the person that technology is imitating.” Whether assisting a casual shopper or a loyal customer, the AI’s value lies in how well it embodies the persona and communication style of a highly skilled employee. “Every single person that walks through that door is going to be different than the last person. The AI needs to be able to adapt, respond, and replicate a real human connection.”
This effort to create a real connection is made possible by careful attention to several factors:
Data Organization: Structuring data for quick and efficient AI processing
Understanding Personas: Training the AI to understand and adapt to different user needs and motivations
Effective Prompting: Designing small, well-defined asks of the AI for more reliable outcomes
Tuning: Fine-tuning the language model’s “temperature” to achieve the right balance between accuracy and responsiveness
Intuitive Conversational Cues: Evaluating the AI’s ability to interpret and respond to tone and context, just as a human would, ensuring natural and fluid interactions
Layered AI Architecture: Designing a layered approach, where different AI components handle specific tasks and seamlessly hand-off, and prompt the next AI interaction
In the world of AI the art of conversation is emerging as a critical differentiator. VIBA exemplifies Mobile Insight’s focus on creating AI that feels genuinely human. The goal is for interactions with AI to transcend the typical “machine” feel and instead offer an adaptive system that understands human cues, blending technical logic with creativity and empathy, to ultimately solve retail problems.
The Art of Prompting: Guiding AI Behavior
Effective control over a bot’s behavior isn’t achieved through “mammoth” prompts attempting to cover every possible scenario. Instead, the key lies, as Justin shares, “in prompting little prompts that solve for single situations,” and strategically transitioning between them. This approach allows for greater control and more stable behavior, ensuring the AI responds consistently and reliably.
Another way to think about it is the analogy Alex shared – a relay race. “Imagine it’s the 4×4. Each AI has a baton that it needs to hand off, but it needs to hand off with context and direction so the next runner can focus on their part of the race.”
This is the artistry of AI prompting.
Conclusion
By focusing on the art of human interactions and the artistry of AI, we’re moving beyond basic task automation and creating AI that feels genuinely helpful and human-like. By prioritizing creative problem-solving and the nuances of AI prompting, it’s possible to create AI solutions that are not only technologically advanced but also intuitive and engaging. It’s these fundamentals we’re leveraging to advance VIBA to bring AI solutions to retail engagement.