Explore the transformative power of artificial intelligence in business operations

Everton Baptista, Leroy Merlin Manager of Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics

Everton Baptista holds degrees in Software Engineering and in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning from MIT Professional Education. He has nearly a decade of experience at Leroy Merlin, where he served as Digital Domain leader. Currently, he is the Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Manager at Leroy Merlin.He also specializes in machine learning, artificial intelligence, mathematics and statistics, and has a broad strategic perspective on data and artificial intelligence solutions.

Through this article, Baptista shares his insights into the impact of evolving artificial intelligence on all aspects of business operations, as well as his perspective from decades of experience mastering the use of artificial intelligence and its impact on data analysis.

How do you foresee the impact of emerging developments in artificial intelligence on solving the challenges businesses face in meeting their needs?

I believe advances in artificial intelligence are critical to overcoming the complex challenges within our companies, particularly around humanizing personalization, smart decision-making, and changing the way we get responses. Artificial intelligence has the ability to instantaneously process and analyze the vast amounts of data we have today, allowing us to identify patterns and predict trends that humans cannot, thereby optimizing our resources and making our operations more efficient.

In addition, artificial intelligence is transforming our customer service capabilities through virtual assistants and customization, significantly enhancing user experience. In the future, trading will become easier as it becomes easier to explore and get answers.

Can you share your experiences with successful data initiatives that have positively impacted decisions and business results?

We have launched a number of successful initiatives that have significantly enhanced our operations and customer experience. For example, our trigger level model has saved more than $144 million by optimizing qualifying purchases and improving sourcing of high-turnover products. The artificial intelligence-driven model helps sellers increase the average number of daily shopping carts by intelligently recommending complementary products. In addition, personalization models improve the accuracy of our communications and enhance interaction with customers. Computer vision models provide real-time insights into store occupancy and queue lengths, allowing us to predict and continuously improve the shopping experience by dynamically adjusting resources.

“Clear the data strategy to the company and ensure that everyone in the company is pulling in the same direction. Avoid implementing AI solutions simply as advanced technology tools; instead, ensure that their applications are aligned with the company’s strategic goals .

Together, these technical measures improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our service delivery.

What challenges exist in your business that current solutions don’t adequately address?

One of the main challenges we currently face is the integration of different platforms and data silos, which prevents a unified view of information. Although there are several data integration tools on the market, the trading systems that companies have been using for a long time often cannot be easily integrated with the database. This inconsistency leads to inefficiencies and considerable delays in extracting actionable insights, prompting the need for efficient but only palliative technical solutions.

How do you see data and artificial intelligence shaping the future of industry?

Data and artificial intelligence will continue to be major catalysts for innovation in the technology sector. I believe we will see more companies adopt automation and artificial intelligence technologies, using these tools to personalize services, optimize operations, and innovate products.

We will increasingly adopt products with embedded artificial intelligence. In the long term, artificial intelligence will continue to play a vital role in sustainable development and ethical business practices, helping to create solutions that benefit society and the business environment.

What advice would you give to professionals or aspiring professionals looking to thrive in this rapidly growing field?

I highly recommend focusing on building a data culture within your organization. It’s critical that everyone, from leadership to operations staff, understand the value of data and how it can be leveraged to improve outcomes. Make your data strategy clear to the company and ensure everyone in the company is pulling in the same direction. Avoid implementing AI solutions solely as advanced technology tools; instead, ensure that their applications are aligned with the company’s strategic goals.