Privacy with AI: Inside Track on Building a Secure GPT for Small-Medium Businesses

Contents

• Jaymie’s Career Journey: A path to Transformation

• Emediately: The Secure Solution for AI Integration

• Delivery Approach

• Navigating Challenges Building Innovation

• Leadership Lessons

• Future of Large Language Models

Jaymie’s Career Journey: A path to Transformation

Jaymie’s professional journey so far can be segmented into three phases:

1. Publishing Industry:

   • Roles: Worked with major media outlets like Condé Nast, Hearst, and the Evening Standard.

   • Responsibilities: Focused on global sales and marketing, collaborating with luxury brands and leading media agencies.

   • Experience: Gained extensive experience in creating and executing high-profile marketing campaigns.

2. SME/SMB Business Support:

   • Roles: Transitioned to working with over 500 SMEs (SMBs) in the UK.

   • Responsibilities: Provided consultancy on sales and marketing, helping businesses refine their strategies.

   • Experience: Developed a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by SMBs.

3. Tech and AI:

   • Roles: Engaged with avant-garde thinkers and tech innovators over the last five years.

   • Responsibilities: Immersed in the tech world, particularly AI, to understand its applications and potential.

   • Experience: Learned how technology underpins successful business operations.

Jaymie’s journey so far highlights the importance of adaptability and continuous learning, showcasing that career paths can evolve in unexpected and rewarding ways.

Emediately: The Secure Solution for AI Integration

What does the solution do? Emediately offers a secure alternative to mainstream AI products like ChatGPT. Their product, is designed to provide SMBs with a private, secure version of large language models (LLMs). Here's a quick look at how Emediately addresses key business needs:

• Problem Solved: Securely integrates advanced AI capabilities without compromising data privacy.

• Product: A private and secure version of ChatGPT, tailored for SMBs.

• Technology: Utilises LLMs to understand and generate human-like language, enhancing business operations with AI.

Emediately aims to solve two critical problems:

1. Data Security and Privacy:

   • Challenge: Public AI models like ChatGPT pose significant data privacy risks, making businesses wary of using them to their full potential.

   • Solution: Emediately offers a secure, private alternative to public AI models, ensuring data privacy and allowing businesses to use AI freely and creatively without security concerns.

2. AI Adoption and Usability:

   • Challenge: Many businesses struggle to understand and harness the potential of generative AI.

   • Solution: Emediately simplifies AI adoption by offering an intuitive platform that integrates seamlessly into everyday business functions.

Key Features and Use Cases:

• Marketing: Content generation for social media, blogs, market research, and competitor analysis.

• Product: Crafting product descriptions, comparisons, user manuals, and user stories.

• HR: Creating job descriptions and employee handbooks.

• Customisation: Allows businesses to integrate their documents, such as marketing plans and product brochures, ensuring content is accurate and tailored to their specific needs.

Delivery Approach

Prioritising Features for Maximum Impact:

Identifying high-priority features involved focusing on user needs and ease of use:

• Customer-Centric Approach: Understanding what customers need and how AI can catalyse their processes.

• Ease of Use: Ensuring the platform is intuitive and user-friendly to drive engagement and daily usage.

• Personalisation: Offering customisable solutions that integrate seamlessly with existing business documents and workflows.

Team Collaboration and Innovation: 

Jaymie emphasises the importance of collaboration within the development team to prioritise features that address customer pain points and enhance user experience.

By encouraging an environment of creativity and customer focus, Emediately continues to innovate and refine its offerings to meet the evolving needs of SMBs.

Meeting the Deadlines:

The team may be small, but they are mighty in their productivity and collaboration:

1. Lean Resources, Big Ambitions:

   • Team Composition: The core team comprises three senior leaders and a handful of developers.

   • Experience: The team's combined experience spans over 25 years in customer understanding, product leadership, and AI technology.

2. Senior Expertise:

   • Leadership Experience: Jaymie's background in customer relations and SME challenges, coupled with her co-founder's experience in global transformation projects, and the technology director's AI expertise, provides a well-rounded leadership team. Mixing deep experience with up and coming talent who are willing to learn, makes for a solid growth model.

   • Problem-Solving Skills: The team's extensive experience allows them to tackle challenges creatively and effectively, minimising the need for trial and error.

3. Agile and Scrum Practices:

   • Agile Methodology: Applying agile principles helps the team stay organised, focused, and adaptable.

   • Scrum Framework: Breaking down tasks into manageable sprints ensures that the team remains aligned on priorities and delivers on time.

4. Prioritise:

   • Essential Features: Focus on delivering the most critical features first.

   • Customer-Centric Development: Ensure that the developed features align with real-world customer needs.

Navigating Challenges Building Innovation

Overcoming Biases

Jaymie discusses the importance of networking and overcoming industry biases:

1. Handling Pushbacks:

   • New Technology: Recognises that introducing nascent technology often meets resistance due to unfamiliarity.

   • Sales Skills: Leveraging her sales background, Jaymie focuses on crafting compelling narratives and finding advocates to promote the technology.

2. Building Supportive Networks:

   • Positive Circles: Surrounding oneself with supportive individuals and networks helps in promoting the product and overcoming setbacks.

   • Authentic Networking: Emphasises the importance of genuine connections and visibility in the market.

3. Marketing and Visibility:

   • Visibility is Key: Acknowledges that even the best products need effective marketing to succeed.

   • Authentic Marketing: Advocates for authentic marketing strategies that resonate with the target audience and build trust.

Networking Strategies for Digital Products:

We discussed the importance of strategic networking, especially when dealing with digital products that are less tangible than traditional physical items.

1. Be Strategic:

   • Target Audience: Identify networking forums where your target audience is likely to be present.

   • Relevant Events: Choose events that align with your product and industry.

2. Elevator Pitch Still Works!:

   • Storytelling: Be prepared to tell your product’s story effectively in a short amount of time.

   • Intentionality: Approach networking sessions with a clear plan and goals. Make it worth your time!

3. In-Person Networking:

   • Value of Face-to-Face: Despite the digital age, in-person networking can be more impactful.

   • Research Attendees: Look at attendee lists beforehand and research potential contacts to make meaningful connections.

4. Relevance and Realism:

   • Industry Pain Points: Tailor your conversations to address specific pain points relevant to the audience.

   • Realistic Language: Use clear and realistic language to describe your product and its benefits.

5. Use Online Networks:

   • Digital Forums: Leverage online networking opportunities, especially when budgets are tight.

   • Tools: Use available tools to represent your brand effectively in online spaces.

Leadership Lessons

Maximising Limited Budgets: Jaymie views having a limited budget can be turned into a potential advantage, forcing startups to prioritise and focus on what truly matters.

1. Effective Marketing Channels:

   • Targeted Channels: Choose marketing channels that provide the best return on investment.

   • Measure ROI: Continuously measure the effectiveness of your marketing efforts to adjust strategies as needed.

2. DIY Marketing:

   • Hands-On Approach: Don’t hesitate to handle marketing efforts yourself if resources are limited.

   • Cost-Effective Tools: Utilise cost-effective tools and platforms to amplify your marketing reach.

Leadership and Customer Focus Jaymie responds to a question on leadership and the importance of staying close to customer objectives.

1. Customer-Centric Projects:

   • Past Mistakes: Shares an experience where focusing too much on stakeholder satisfaction led to a product that didn’t meet user needs.

   • Lesson Learned: Highlights the importance of understanding and prioritising user needs to ensure project success.

2. Testing and Validation:

   • User Testing: Advocates for testing products with users before full-scale investment.

   • Robust Metrics: Stresses the need for clear metrics to measure the success of a project from a user perspective.

3. Balancing Kindness and Focus:

   • Team Culture: Emphasises creating a grounded, kind work environment while maintaining a strong focus on achieving business goals.

   • Tough Decisions: Recognises the need to make difficult decisions to keep the business on track.

4. Democratising Tech:

   • Mission-Driven Leadership: Passionate about making cutting-edge tech accessible to all businesses and not just large enterprises, aiming to democratise AI and elevate everyday work experiences.

   • External Legacy: Focuses on how the product is perceived and the lasting impact it creates in the market.

Future of Large Language Models

Jaymie shares her vision for the future of language models, highlighting both opportunities and potential pitfalls.

1. Industry-Specific Models:

   • Specialisation: Predicts the emergence of segmentation of language model types, tailored to specific industries and use cases.

   • Use Case Scenarios: Examples include AI for onboarding processes, employee handbooks, or different industry verticals.

2. Cost Reduction:

   • Efficiency Gains: Large language models can significantly reduce costs, such as in social media marketing and copywriting.

   • Productivity Boost: Automating routine tasks can free up resources for more strategic activities.

3. Adoption Challenges:

   • Fear Mongering: Anticipates continued skepticism and fears about AI replacing human jobs.

   • Human Element: Stresses that the success of AI depends on how humans choose to use it.