May 2, 2023
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Artificial intelligence (AI) has gone mainstream with the explosive growth of ChatGPT, and this is just the beginning. AI is officially here to stay and will continue to evolve. That’s great news for business operations in all industries, including cannabis, because artificial intelligence enables companies to streamline operations, reduce costs, and seize opportunities.
AI is already being used in a variety of ways across the cannabis value chain. Both business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) brands use artificial intelligence to improve cannabis sales. Cultivators use AI to boost watering and lighting efficiencies, and manufacturers use it for quality control to detect problems and boost productivity. In fact, many people would be surprised to learn all the ways AI is already being used in the cannabis industry.
For example, did you know that the Cannabiz Media License Database uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to help subscribers get better email marketing results? It all happens behind the scenes with the built-in Send Time Optimization feature.
In simplest terms, the feature uses AI and machine learning to analyze every record in the Cannabiz Media License Database and determine the best time to send email messages to each email address. The best time is based on each recipient’s previous engagement with messages that have been sent to them in the past.
When a subscriber to the License Database sends an email marketing campaign using Send Time Optimization, the message is sent to each recipient on the subscriber’s list at the best possible time to get the most opens and clicks – the engagement that leads to conversions and sales.
Of course, that’s just one example of how artificial intelligence is being used to improve business operations in the cannabis industry. Let’s dig deeper and unpack why businesses operating in and with the cannabis industry are using artificial intelligence and discover which popular AI tools can help improve operations for businesses across the cannabis supply chain.
There are many cannabis technology platforms and products that leverage artificial intelligence to help businesses improve operations. In the near future, we’ll undoubtedly see many new possibilities and evolving technology to optimize the benefits of AI for businesses and consumers.
Here are some of the most common ways that cannabis and cannabis-related businesses are already using AI to improve daily operations:
Cannabis growers already use AI to automatically optimize lighting, humidity, watering, pest management, and more. This enables them to grow healthier plants and higher crop yields. As a result, they can lower costs, reduce waste, and possibly sell more of their high-quality crops for higher prices.
Artificial intelligence not only helps with quality control by detecting manufacturing problems earlier and automatically taking steps to reduce costs and delays associated with those problems, but it can also be used to improve production overall by tracking inventory more effectively. Supply and demand can change quickly in the cannabis industry, and AI can detect and predict fluctuations to ensure the right products are being manufactured at the right times.
Shipping and logistics are more efficient when artificial intelligence is used to manage the process. AI can predict problems and automatically modify logistics in real time to optimize labor, transportation, and more. As a result, distribution and delivery are timely and less expensive.
AI is already being used by businesses to provide customer service via online chat bots. In addition, businesses are training customer service representatives to use AI to answer customer questions and solve customer problems. A study from the National Bureau of Economic Research that was conducted by MIT and Stanford University found that AI improves customer service in three specific ways:
Based on the research data, AI improves customer service metrics like response time, problem resolution, and so on, which leads to lower costs and better results for businesses.
Artificial intelligence can help marketers make better use of customer data to develop marketing campaigns that are more personalized and effective. Marketers can use AI to track engagement with their brands’ websites, social media, advertising, and more in order to develop campaigns that deliver better results in the future.
The sales team can identify the best prospects more efficiently and accurately with the help of artificial intelligence. In fact, AI can be used to power automated events across the sales pipeline. As a result, conversions will increase, sales will go up, and fewer opportunities will be lost.
Data is power today, and AI can help businesses gather and analyze data in a wide variety of ways. Competitive analysis, compliance and regulatory changes, operational performance, business opportunities, and more can be tracked to improve decision-making and profitability.
Some of the most popular artificial intelligence tools that businesses in a wide variety of industries are already using to improve daily operations and efficiencies are introduced below. Note that these are not cannabis-industry specific platforms, but rather, a collection of tools that you can test to see if any can deliver positive results for your business.
ChatGPT has changed the way many people think about writing, and as a result, many AI text tools have launched recently. I’ve tried many of these tools, and none are close to as good as a good human writer, but these tools can be helpful for research and brainstorming. Of the AI writing tools I’ve tested, the two I’d recommend trying are ChatGPT and Jasper.
Also, if you’re using the content you create with an AI writing tool on your website to help with search engine optimization (SEO), keep in mind that Google has not taken a stance on how it will treat sites that publish AI content in the future.
Google’s goal is always to deliver the best results for every search, and it would not be surprising if Google deemed AI-generated content to be low quality in the future. If that happens, your entire website could get less organic search traffic in the future. There are already tools that can detect if text was written by AI or not (Plagium’s AI Detector and ZeroGPT are just two examples), so we’ll have to wait and see what Google does in the future.
Video content is essential to any content marketing strategy today because the number of people who view video content every day continues to grow. Using artificial intelligence to create your videos can speed up the process and help you fill up your social media profiles and pages with engaging content. There are a number of tools available to create AI-generated videos. Synthesia and Runway are just two options.
Some of the applications that use artificial intelligence to boost employee productivity include TimeHero and Otter.ai. These types of tools will help employees get more done in less time, which will positively impact your company’s bottom line.
TimeHero uses AI like a personal assistant to help you schedule tasks related to meetings, deadlines, and events. TimeHero and similar tools can improve team collaboration and overall performance of employees and business operations.
Otter.ai is quite different. Its main purpose is to attend meetings for you and take notes. It can record meetings on Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams as well as automatically capture slides, record audio, and generate a meeting summary.
Artificial intelligence won’t fully replace human brain power, but it can help your business improve efficiencies, lower costs, and get better results in many ways. Regardless of where your business operates in or with the cannabis value chain, there are AI tools that can help you gain benefits and possibly a competitive advantage.
If you want to benefit from AI and gain a competitive edge, subscribe to the Cannabiz Media License Database to connect with cannabis and hemp license holders in the United States and international markets. Schedule a demo and see for yourself how a subscription can help you reach your business goals.
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