Beyond the hype: How bbv’s AI Hub is shaping the future of specialised AI

bbv: Stefan Häberling, generative AI has advanced rapidly in recent years. Are we at a turning point in the business world?

Stefan Häberling: Yes, we’re definitely at a turning point. The rapid development of generative AI in recent years, especially in the area of Large Language Models (LLM), has the potential to transform practically every area of business. I don’t see this as a sudden revolution, however, more so as the beginning of a significant evolution in the way we work and do business.

Generative AI offers us tools that can enhance our capabilities and assist us with a wide range of tasks – from data analysis to content creation through to decision making. What I find particularly exciting is the democratisation of this technology. AI is no longer simply the preserve of big tech companies, but is becoming increasingly accessible to companies of all sizes. This opens up enormous opportunities for innovation and for increasing efficiency.

At the same time we are facing significant challenges, with the focus shifting to ethical concerns and aspects such as data protection and the imperative to use these technologies responsibly and sustainably. In addition, companies need to learn how they can integrate AI strategically and effectively into their processes.

What role do small, specialised providers play in this environment? Can they keep pace with the resources that the tech giants have available to them?

I believe that smaller, specialised providers have a critical role to play in the success of AI in the broader business world. Whereas the large tech companies provide excellent basic models and platforms, the true value for companies often lies in the specific application and adaptation of these technologies to their individual needs.

This is where specialised providers come into play. We have the flexibility and the specific know-how to develop custom solutions that are tailored precisely to the requirements and processes of individual companies or industries. In addition, we often have a deeper understanding of local markets, regulations and business practices.

“The bbv AI Hub bridges the gap between progressive AI technologies and the needs of different industries.”

Stefan Häberling

Another important aspect is agility. Smaller providers can often react faster to changes in the market and new requirements. We can serve niche markets that may not be attractive enough for big tech companies, but that can be critical for certain customers or industries.

In my view also, collaboration between large tech companies and specialised providers is a key to success. We can use the powerful and efficient basic models and infrastructures of the tech giants and build on them to develop specialised, customer-specific solutions.

bbv developed the bbv AI Hub. What exactly is the AI Hub and how does it differ from AI assistants like Microsoft Copilot?

bbv’s AI Hub is a platform for developing and providing tailored AI agents for specific business requirements. The main difference between it and AI assistants like Microsoft Copilot lies in our approach. While Copilot is designed to simplify interaction with Microsoft products and support general productivity tasks, the bbv AI Hub goes one step further. We develop AI agents that are tailored to very specific, often complex business processes and use cases.

For example, if a company is using Copilot to optimise Excel spreadsheets or compose e-mails, then this is certainly useful. But imagine a pharmaceutical company wants to optimise the entire process of developing drugs – from research all the way through to approval. This is where the AI Hub comes into play. We can develop a specialised agent that not only analyses data, but also takes account of regulatory requirements, interprets research results and even predicts potential side effects.

“The bbv AI Hub of the future is not simply a tool, but a real partner for knowledge workers.”

Stefan Häberling

Another important difference is the flexibility and control that we offer. The AI Hub allows companies to integrate their own data and models, to understand the AI decision-making process and to adapt the agents continually to changing requirements.

In addition, we place great value on data protection and compliance. The AI Hub can therefore be configured to run entirely within the customer’s IT infrastructure or in a secure Swiss cloud environment, something that is extremely important for sensitive industries such as healthcare or the financial sector.

Many companies already rely on standard AI solutions. When does it make sense to use a specialised solution such as bbv’s AI Hub and when is standard software sufficient?

There is no single answer to this question, but I can give you some clear criteria that can help companies to make this decision.

First of all I would like to stress that off-the-shelf solutions like Microsoft’s Copilot or OpenAI’s GPTs are excellent tools. They are especially suitable for general productivity tasks such as creating documents, analysing standard data or answering general questions.

The bbv AI Hub comes into play when we talk about highly specialised, industry- or company-specific processes. Here are some criteria that highlight the merits of bbv’s AI Hub:

1. Complexity of the task: If the task to be solved is very complex and requires specific knowledge that goes beyond general knowledge.
2. Data sensitivity: When it comes to processing highly sensitive data that should not be disclosed to external services.
3. Depth of integration: When the AI solution has to be deeply embedded into existing business processes and systems.
4. Control and transparency: When companies need to accurately understand and control the AI decision-making process.
5. Specific industry requirements: When it comes to complying with specific industry standards or regulations.
6. Scalability of specific solutions: When a company is planning to roll out an AI solution for a specific process throughout the entire company.
7. Continuous improvement: When the company wants to continuously improve the AI solution and adapt it to changing requirements.

Ultimately it’s about finding the right balance between standardisation and specialisation. In many cases, a combination can also make sense: standard solutions for general tasks and bbv’s AI Hub for specific, business-critical processes.

Which direction will AI solutions take in the coming years and what role will bbv’s AI Hub play in this?

I expect to see greater integration of AI into practically all business processes in the next few years. There will be two parallel developments: generic AI solutions will become more powerful and easier to use and the demand for highly-specialised, industry-specific AI solutions will grow.

The bbv AI Hub will play an important role in this context by bridging the gap between advanced AI technologies and the needs of different industries. The AI Hub will act as a platform for orchestrating different AI services and models in order to enable complex, company-wide AI ecosystems.

The increasing complexity and the need for AI decisions to be transparent and comprehensible will pose a significant challenge. We are working hard to make the decision-making processes of our AI agents more comprehensible. Data protection and security remain of utmost importance and we are continually investing in improving our security protocols.

We are also focusing on improving collaboration between humans and AI, to ensure that the AI Hub of the future will not only act as a tool but as a real partner for knowledge workers.