Move over, WALL-E, R2-D2, and HAL. In just a few short years, artificial intelligence has evolved beyond Hollywood’s robotic stereotypes to become something altogether more complex and human-like. As the capabilities of AI have grown, so has its ability to redefine the business world.
“AI enables a computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with human beings,” explained George Despinic, senior product marketing manager at Mitel. “This includes the ability to have natural conversations, reason, discover meaning, generalize or learn from past experience – and, increasingly, make decisions.”
Seventy-eight percent of organizations reported using AI in at least one business function at the end of 2024, up from 72% at the beginning of the year and 55% in 2023. Many companies are incorporating AI innovation into their product offerings to enhance the customer experience, improve productivity, and remain competitive in the market.
Defining artificial intelligence is still challenging, especially because technology evolves quickly. Academic, business, and tech experts play key roles in developing AI and assessing its capabilities. To understand the current state of AI, it’s useful to examine how professionals in different industries describe it.
How AI Academics Define Artificial Intelligence
Despite its recent surge in popularity, the phrase “artificial intelligence” has been around for decades. John McCarthy, founder of the artificial intelligence program at Stanford University, coined the phrase in 1956, defining it as:
“The science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs. It is related to the similar task of using computers to understand human intelligence, but AI does not have to confine itself to methods that are biologically observable.”
McCarthy’s take on AI remains today, but the technology’s capabilities may have exceeded his expectations. Ethan Mollick, an artificial intelligence scholar at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, argues that AI can not only imitate human intelligence, but it can complement it:
“AI sometimes functions more like a teammate than a tool. While not human, it replicates core benefits of teamwork – improved performance, expertise sharing, and positive emotional experiences.”
Today's AI academics stress that instead of replacing humans, the best way to use technology is to consider it a partner or coworker. When integrated into the workflow, AI helps individuals and teams collaborate more efficiently and creatively, amplifying employees’ potential rather than negating their roles.
How Business Analysts Define Artificial Intelligence
AI—and generative AI in particular—has permeated nearly every aspect of business over the past few years. Major research and consulting firms are closely monitoring the potential impacts of AI and how companies can leverage it to their advantage.
- Deloitte: The tech and strategy consulting firm defines AI as “computer systems able to perform tasks normally requiring humans” and highlights its role as a major driver of business transformation. Deloitte further explains that AI systems mimic human intelligence through various learning methods and algorithms.
- Gartner: The business management consultancy defines AI as “applying advanced analysis and logic-based techniques, including machine learning, to interpret events, support and automate decisions, and take actions,” while acknowledging that no universally accepted descriptor encompasses its complete range of uses and capabilities.
- IDC: IDC characterizes AI as a technology that helps enterprises automate routine tasks and unlock new efficiencies. It has the potential to deliver “profound economic consequences, reshaping industries, creating new markets, and altering the competitive landscape.” The firm projects AI will contribute a cumulative global economic impact of $19.9 trillion by 2030.
- McKinsey: The global management consulting firm defines AI as “a machine’s ability to perform the cognitive functions we associate with human minds,” including perceiving, reasoning, learning, interacting with the environment, problem-solving, and exercising creativity. McKinsey stresses that the true value of AI lies not in the technology itself, but in how companies use it to enhance human capabilities.
While analysts emphasize different aspects of AI, from automation and efficiency to creativity and economic transformation, they all agree that its true value lies in business leaders’ ability to harness its powers to augment human capabilities and drive innovation.
How Tech Companies Define Artificial Intelligence
The evolution of AI is driven by the companies that develop it and the companies that deploy it in their organizations. As quickly as developers release updated versions and capabilities for AI, businesses find innovative ways to apply it.
Murray Campbell, a distinguished researcher at IBM and one of the architects of Deep Blue, noted that the ability to communicate is crucial to the evolution of AI:
“For people and machines to work together, they need to be able to interact in a much more natural way, and conversation is our go-to way of exchanging information.”
When ChatGPT and other generative AI models were released in 2022, forward-thinking technology leaders rapidly took advantage of their conversational interfaces and data-processing capabilities. The technological leap paid off for early AI adopters: digital leaders in the insurance industry exhibited a compound average growth rate for total shareholder returns more than six times that of laggards. While less pronounced, this trend continues across all sectors.
AI has transformed how businesses interact with customers. Within the context of customer experience, an AI chatbot can answer customers’ questions and solve their problems, allowing human employees to focus on higher-level situations.
“Embracing AI advancements offers CIOs and other executive leaders to drive operational efficiency, boost customer satisfaction, and maintain compliance in a digital-first world,” said Paul Ginn, a product marketing director at Mitel.
Defining the Future of AI in Business
Experts predict agentic AI will be the next frontier in business applications. IBM defines agentic AI as a “system that can accomplish a specific goal with limited supervision” and “mimic human decision-making to solve problems in real-time.” Where generative AI requires human input to create a response, agentic AI can complete complex tasks autonomously.
“Organizations are enhancing these AI-powered agents with multi-modal abilities to support various communication functions, including handling complex queries, automating responses, assisting with scheduling, and information retrieval,” said Luiz Domingos, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Large Enterprise R&D at Mitel.
The next wave of customer experience innovation will combine the simplicity of contact center as a service (CCaaS) with enterprise-grade flexibility and the power of the latest AI technology. This means integrated AI virtual agents, AI-enhanced insights, and customizable workflows with AI-powered automation, all managed from one user-friendly platform.
As AI's capabilities and applications continue to grow, so too does our definition of what it can be. No longer confined to science fiction robots or limited to task automation, AI is now helping businesses redefine how they define intelligence, teamwork, and the customer experience itself.
Ready to expand your organization’s definition of AI? Contact Mitel today to learn how our AI-powered solutions can improve communications and collaboration in your business.