VI #046: Finding the Perfect Outsourcing Partner for AI Development: 6 Questions to Ask

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When B2B leaders approach AI initiatives, I find that one question often helps gauge how prepared they are:

Can you define what you're looking for in a partner for AI development?

A clear understanding of what makes an ideal partner can significantly influence the success of your AI project.

Without this clarity, the journey can feel overwhelming and unrewarding.

And selecting the right AI expertise to work with, whether in-house or outsourced, can potentially be the difference between a thriving project driving real business impact and one that struggles to find its footing and help the company maintain its competitive edge.

Businesses need a clear set of criteria for choosing an AI development partner and the number of firms out there claiming to specialize in AI development is rapidly growing. How do you choose the right one?

Here are 6 questions to ask potential outsourcing partners:

Question #1: How Do They Approach Ethical AI and Bias Mitigation?

Ethical considerations and bias mitigation in AI are increasingly important. Ask how the potential partner addresses these issues.

It’s crucial that your AI partner not only builds efficient solutions but also ethically sound and unbiased ones, considering the broader implications of AI technology.

Question #2: Can They Provide Custom Solutions Tailored to Your Unique Needs?

Beyond generic offerings, does the potential partner have the capability to create custom solutions tailored to your specific requirements?

This question reveals their flexibility and commitment to addressing your unique business challenges, rather than offering a one-size-fits-all solution.

Question #3: What's Their Strategy for Data Security and Privacy?

Inquiring about their data security and privacy practices will give you insights into how they manage and protect valuable data.

This is of course an essential aspect in today’s data-driven business environment.

Question #4: How Do They Keep Up with Rapidly Evolving AI Trends?

Asking about their approach to staying current with AI trends and technologies can shed light on their dedication to innovation and continuous learning.

This question helps assess whether they can provide state-of-the-art solutions.

Question #5: What’s Their Process for Scalability and Future Expansion?

Understanding their strategy for scalability and future technological expansion is crucial.

This question helps determine if they are a short-term solution provider or a long-term strategic partner who can support your growth and evolving needs over time.

Question #6: How Will They Deliver Quick Wins?

Can your potential AI partner demonstrate early successes in your collaboration?

These early victories are not just morale boosters but also indicators of the partner’s capability and understanding of your needs.

As an example from my experience - in integrating AI/ML into a complex enterprise application for a major B2B company, our aim was to boost sales and customer retention by creating a more user-friendly and engaging experience via natural language processing.

We implemented an open source Large Language Model (LLM) to enable semantic search, making the application more intuitive and efficient to use, while also establishing a tailored approach to address their unique data security privacy, ethics, and bias considerations.

The solution was also then expanded to include multilingual support for 50+ languages, intent detection, entity resolution, and automated question-answering capabilities.

Ultimately, these enhancements led to securing a patent and were instrumental in winning multi-year contracts worth over seven figures.

Choosing the right partner for AI development involves more than assessing technical expertise; it requires a partner aligned with your ethical standards, security needs, and future growth plans, and who has the ability to deliver tangible results quickly.

That's it for today, I hope it helps. See you next week and Happy Thanksgiving.

Whenever you’re ready, here’s how I can help you:

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