Artificial Intelligence is Gradually Taking Over All Sectors, but Data Remains the Priority
Artificial intelligence is gradually taking over all sectors of activity. However, for many companies, the priority is not yet to adopt the latest AI tools, but to build solid foundations around their data. This is the main message defended by Iheb Beji, CEO of Medianet, who believes that the competitiveness of companies will now depend on their ability to collect, structure, and exploit their data before even integrating artificial intelligence.
A Wrong Approach to Digital Transformation
According to the CEO, many organizations are still approaching their digital transformation from the wrong angle. They invest in new software or seek to integrate AI solutions without having reliable data or a real strategy. "A company must first become data-first before becoming AI-first," he summarizes.
Placing Data at the Heart of Decision-Making
This approach consists of placing data at the heart of all company decisions. Each activity generates valuable information: sales, visitors, customers, commercial performance, energy consumption, or human resources. This data must be collected, organized, and analyzed to guide strategic decisions.
Implementing Data-Driven Decision Making
To illustrate this approach, Medianet has developed dashboards that allow tracking of the number of visitors, their profile, reason for visit, or energy consumption of buildings. Analyzing this data has identified optimization opportunities, sometimes unexpected. The company has, for example, evaluated the impact of office temperature on employee comfort and energy bills. A simple increase of one degree in air conditioning can represent thousands of dinars in savings per year, while remaining compatible with international comfort standards at work.
Using Data to Improve Human Resources
Data is also used to improve decision-making in human resources. By analyzing employee preferences, the company adapts certain parameters of its work environment to improve well-being and, in the long term, productivity.
Preparing Data for Exploitation
However, having data is not enough. It is also necessary to prepare it before exploiting it. The CEO of Medianet compares this process to a production chain. Data first goes through a raw level, which he qualifies as "Bronze". It is then cleaned, enriched, and structured to reach the "Silver" level, before being consolidated into a "Gold" version, which is the only one really exploitable for decision-making or training AI models.
A Neglected but Essential Step
This preparation phase is often neglected, although it represents an essential condition for the success of any AI project.
The Importance of a Collective Approach to Digital Transformation
Another misconception that the CEO challenges is that digital transformation can be entrusted to a single person. Many companies create a position of digital transformation manager, thinking they can thus solve the problem. According to him, this approach is one of the main causes of failure.
A Company-Wide Effort
Digital transformation is not a project carried by a department, but a change that concerns the entire organization. Each department must share the same objectives, contribute to the quality of data, and adapt its working methods. Isolating this responsibility on one person creates internal resistance and slows down the adoption of new processes.
Overcoming Resistance to Change
These resistances represent, according to him, the main obstacle to the transformation of companies. This transformation also requires time. Companies often hope to get a quick return on investment after purchasing a digital solution. However, according to Iheb Beji, building a true data culture takes several years. The first operational results can appear relatively quickly thanks to certain use cases, but a profound transformation generally takes two to three years to produce its full potential.
