Marketing people are pressing the accelerator all the way to make sure we all know they are using artificial intelligence (AI). I think this is a mistake because most of us know that we have been using AI within software and control products for decades. So, when I receive a press release that looks relevant to The Manufacturing Connection (which is becoming ever more rare), I probe.
Seeq is a pretty cool company in a software niche that is often difficult to explain. They recently sent a press release regarding the use of AI in workforce training. Possessing an inquiring mind, I had to ask for more. The following Q&A with Dustin Johnson, CTO at Seeq, satisfies most of my curiosity. There is some marketing stuff in the answers that I didn’t cut. You all know what that is.
Oh, and it’s not just the usual AI but the current hot topic of Generative AI that is the subject.
What areas or skills are being taught?
In our experience, the best way to encourage adoption of any new technology is to use it to solve a pressing problem quickly. This helps users build the initial trust and interest needed to pursue future work. Thus, integrating AI into our Foundations Analytics Skills and Bootcamp courses, or whatever courses a company is using to introduce a new technology, is crucial.
Our hands-on, industrial analytics AI training, which kicked off with Seeq users at our industry conference Conneqt 2024 in May, details how users can leverage GenAI to generate a workflow for solving an industry-specific problem. From generating an overall plan for an analysis to digging into specific analytics approach questions, such as how to cleanse a specific data set, to completing and modifying bulk calculations, then following the workplan through to visualization and reporting, the course empowers users to unlock new value throughout each step of the workflow. At each step, we emphasize the power of collaboration between people and AI: how to get and clarify answers, validate and adjust calculations the AI has performed, and troubleshoot if issues arise.
Above all, the Seeq AI training focuses on hands-on problem solving with real, relevant data, and does not shy away from the questions and concerns we know our users have. The bottom line is that users are still wary of using AI, which has, after all, only become “net productive” for most users in the past few months. So, it’s crucial that they experience value-add in the context of their own work as quickly as possible, while being realistic about the state of technology.
How successful has this initiative been?
After leveraging the Seeq AI Assistant, customers have reported that they can now complete tasks eight times faster and without interrupting other teams for help. Additionally, the ability to perform advanced calculations and obtain knowledge documented by previous team members has helped users cut the time required to become advanced analytics experts in half.
What are they learning?
Our approach includes integrating AI into our Foundations Analytics Skills™ courses and offering hands-on, industrial analytics AI training. These initiatives are designed to foster adoption from the start and empower users to apply AI for real-world problem solving.
The most needed skills include data analysis, problem-solving with AI, and applying AI for specific manufacturing challenges. Seeq is addressing this through in-product learning, in-house training programs, like our Foundations Analytics Skills™, and hands-on workshops at industry conferences.
Are they showing signs of retention?
More than 100 customer and partner organizations and thousands of users (and growing) are already leveraging the Seeq AI Assistant to accelerate insights and improve decision making in pursuit of operational excellence and sustainability.
Are these used in conjunction with other tools?
Seeq is at the forefront of integrating AI within the manufacturing sector, primarily through our AI Assistant and in-product learning tools. We’re focused on making advanced analytics accessible to industrial organizations, thereby accelerating their digital transformation journeys.
Seeq provides on-demand access to critical time series data, data contextualization capabilities, and established intellectual property. Utilizing the extensive body of advanced analytics, data science, machine learning and coding knowledge held in Seeq technical documentation and its knowledge base, Seeq is operationalizing the power of GenAI for its customers. Combining these competencies with prompt engineering curated by the world-class analytics and learning engineers at Seeq, the Seeq AI assistant generates accurate and actionable suggestions for analytical approaches and techniques, code generation and more. Seeq also supports multiple providers and LLMs for organizational flexibility.
