What types of AI models are out there?

Artificial intelligence has been around for a long time. So has the hype and the fear mongering. Should we be scared? No, but I think it deserves a serious look because there are some incredible benefits too. I am starting a series specifically so that we can get down to what it really was built for, and that is to help us improve efficiency, automate tedious tasks and optimize productivity.

Last blog we learned, “What is AI,” and you can find that blog here. It's a good primer on the basics of AI and how it’s evolving. This week I wanted to talk about the different types of AI, especially for the Dental industry. It’s not an exhaustive list, but you can get the general idea. And like any technology,  it's changing so quickly that what’s there today, will be out of date tomorrow!

AI is a large amount of information that we can access in order to make better, quicker and more informed decisions in an instant. Fundamentally, that is one of the most effective uses of AI. How we package that and use it, is where it gets interesting.

Right now in Dentistry most of the AI has been around X-ray images. Dentists now have access to thousands of images, opinions and learnings that will help you (or someone in your office) make a better and faster decision. How you use a tool like this would depend on your business model. Does it help you save time or money if you can make those decisions faster? Does it help your patients or an insurance company make a better, faster decision?

Other AI advances in dentistry are also popping up regarding communication. Language learning models can create fast, accurate charting. Although right now it seems like it’s still taking more time, eventually creating notes based on a few prompts will be a great time saver. With that being said, being able to do that securely and efficiently is something you need to check before saying yes to anything that holds your patient data.

Communication with patients, through chat bots or phone calls, can save your administrative team time as they handle simple queries. What it can't do is handle complex reasoning or customer service. Take care in how you deploy it as it needs to align with your practice’s values. What those processes say about your office and your staff will be reflected in what your patients say about you! 

AI has started to make a difference in areas such as image and video generation that you will see more of in the dental industry. In the future, using an AI companion to help you in the business of Dentistry is where even more cost savings will come from. Information on how to handle HR questions, Accounting questions or even Marketing questions would help you make quicker and better decisions. This is where I think Dentists could gain the most from AI. Because the less time you spend on your business, the more time you can be producing. Helping you make your business a stronger, more profitable entity in less time will save you time and help you make more money.

So how can we take advantage of AI today to help us with this goal of saving time and making more money? Before trying or buying any AI program you need to think carefully about what it's going to cost and what it’s going to save. It’s more complex than it seems and not to be taken lightly. The cost is not only the monthly fees, but what you will need to do to set up a program and really be able to use it. You will need to learn the program, and be able to give it data that it can learn from as well. You also need to protect your practice’s data and ensure that you know how that works. 

One of the first steps is to understand where you need help. Working with a business coach or consultant like us can help you review your business and see where AI might benefit your business. But this is actually where AI might be able to get you a jump start. Enter the following prompt, “Act as my business coach and ask me questions one by one to help identify where my time is being spent and where my business needs me the most.” If you spend 15-30 minutes with this, you will most likely generate a few questions that help you identify possible areas in need of improvement. A business consultant will be able to uncover things you didn't even know were there. So start with an AI business coach… It's free and it takes 15 minutes… what do you have to lose?

Now that we’ve explored a few ways AI could be helpful to you, the question is what do we need to be aware of before we jump in with two feet? We will cover that in the next blog. Need a quick hand to get you started, reach out to us to do a quick AI consult and see how we can help your business save time and money.