As the use of artificial intelligence becomes more widespread, more and more organizations will want to start their own AI development projects. However, doing everything in-house can take a toll on your AI development team, potentially leading to overwhelming workloads and, eventually, burnout.
If you’re considering launching an AI initiative soon, consider offshoring AI development outsourcing support teams through an experienced BPO provider.Â
In this article, we’ll discuss how outsourcing can empower your AI development projects and look into which roles you can outsource and where.
How Outsourcing AI Development Teams Can Benefit Your Business
Recent artificial intelligence developments, such as the rise of ChatGPT, have been generating buzz among business leaders of all industries, with many feeling excited about the possible uses of AI technologies in their daily operations.
With the amount of data being generated daily, the list of potential applications for AI software, which are trained on extensive datasets, is virtually limitless. Today, many consumers interact with AI without knowing it, whether through online customer support chatbots or retail purchase algorithms.
In fact, Gartner estimated that 70% of white-collar workers interacted with conversational AI platforms in 2022, whether they realized it or not. The same study also found that there had been a 160% increase in client interest in implementing AI-powered software in the workplace.
The problem these businesses now face is that the number of available tech workers equipped to handle AI development projects has remained the same while the demand for AI development has increased. Bridging this gap is where outsourcing plays a significant role.Â
Here are just a few reasons why businesses should consider working with a BPO provider when planning and implementing AI initiatives:
#1: Gain access to world-class professionals with highly specialized skills and knowledge.
Are AI jobs in demand these days? The answer is a resounding “yes.”
Many organizations are excited to implement new technologies and innovations into their daily workflow, including developing AI software for their operations. However, the tech labor shortage, particularly the lack of artificial intelligence developers, is one significant barrier keeping many businesses from pushing forward with their digitization plans.
According to Statista, over half of the global businesses reported experiencing a tech skills shortage that held them back from their digital transformation initiatives. Studies suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic is partly responsible for the labor crisis, as it impacted companies’ ability to hire and retain workers.
However, even in the post-pandemic world, businesses are short on qualified tech talents, with 70% of organizations feeling the effects of the tech shortage in 2022. If your company needs help finding skillful talents to join your AI development team, outsourcing to skilled tech professionals can be the best way.Â
By working with a reliable outsourcing provider, your business can gain access to skilled professionals with the expertise and skills needed to bring your AI projects to life. The right BPO partner can guide your team from the data collection and planning stage all the way to model deployment and maintenance.
#2: Lighten the load of your core AI development team.
One of the biggest challenges facing tech professionals and artificial intelligence developers today is their overwhelming workloads, leading many to experience high stress and burnout.
A recent study found that 36% of IT and tech professionals experienced a salary raise during the pandemic, which came at a considerable cost. More than half (55%) of the tech workforce reported a significant increase in their workload, which negatively impacted their mental health.
In the same study, 75% of tech workers stated that they are concerned about their mental well-being because the heavier workloads and increased pressures in the workplace are taking a toll on them.Â
Many tech professionals need help to keep up with continuously growing consumer demand in the post-pandemic world. These problems can be remedied by working with the right outsourcing provider.
By outsourcing non-core functions to a reliable BPO, companies can accelerate their AI development projects without compromising their existing tech teams’ mental and physical health.
#3: Diversify your talent sources, and work with people from across the globe.
Diversity in the workplace can help foster innovation and business growth. Studies have found that businesses with diverse talent often perform 35% better than companies that don’t prioritize diversity.Â
At the same time, diverse teams can positively impact your bottom line. Research suggests that companies with more diversity are 45% more likely to grow their market share.
Working with an outsourced team of AI professionals allows you to communicate and collaborate with talents from across the globe. Regularly sharing feedback and insights as a team can expose you to new ideas and perspectives, helping encourage creativity and innovation throughout the AI development process.
Ready to Kick-Start AI Development? Outsource Your Support TeamÂ
Data Science and Analytics
As mentioned in previous sections, AI software is trained on large datasets. Ensuring the data quality used to prepare the AI algorithm is essential for effectively deploying and scaling the artificial intelligence tool.
The perils of using inaccurate, outdated, or flawed data for AI are too many to mention. In addition to hampering a company’s ability to predict trends accurately or make intelligent business decisions, flawed datasets can also actively harm a brand’s reputation by creating misinformation or biased brand messages.
On the other hand, using high-quality datasets allows businesses to extract relevant and valuable insights from raw information, helping them make crucial decisions that can impact everything from customer experience to their daily workflow and operations.
Good data can spell the difference between a highly successful AI development project and a spectacular failure. This is why it’s essential for businesses that are prioritizing AI development to also invest in data science outsourcing.
With the right outsourced data scientists, you can more easily evaluate the quality of your datasets, perform accurate analytics, and maximize relevant data to launch your AI development project.
Read More: Complete Guide to Data Science Outsourcing and Why Your Business Needs It
Data Labeling and Annotation
In addition to performing data analysis, another task businesses can delegate to a reliable third-party provider is data labeling and annotation. Data labelers and annotators are responsible for ensuring data accuracy is maintained above acceptable levels (usually 90%).
Although the two concepts are sometimes used interchangeably, there are key differences. Data labeling involves attaching meaning or value to data to train machine learning algorithms. In contrast, data annotation is the technique of helping AI recognize and understand relevant data through computer vision.
Both services are crucial for training AI software, and companies can delegate these tasks to equipped outsourced professionals to lighten the workload of their in-house AI development team.
AI Software Development Outsourcing
Software development is a crucial step in the creation of artificial intelligence tools. Before AI researchers and developers can build and deploy any AI systems, software developers and engineers must create the software frameworks.Â
Equipped with knowledge of machine learning engineering techniques and various programming languages, they also design and implement the algorithms crucial for the AI’s problem-solving and decision-making ability.Â
By working with software development outsourcing professionals, you can ensure the seamless integration of machine learning software in your AI projects.
Recruitment
As mentioned, many companies want to accelerate digital transformation in their operations but need help recruiting enough qualified talents to make it happen. With AI specialists in high demand, it’s no wonder why so many companies struggle to fill these open positions.
Thankfully, through a recruitment process outsourcing provider, you can find and hire candidates that meet your specific needs and requirements.Â
Plus, an offshore or nearshore recruiter can diversify your talent pool beyond your borders and get your team in touch with professionals worldwide.
Back Office Support
AI development teams aren’t just composed of tech workers and professionals with highly specialized expertise in deep learning and data analysis. Often, what holds AI initiatives back is the fact that other aspects of your operations are not functioning at their best.
Think about it: if one body part stops working as intended, the rest of your body has to work twice as hard to make up for what you’re lacking.
So, if your back-office functions aren’t working in sync with your development team and other core aspects of your business, you may struggle to stay on track. For example, if your accounting department makes a mistake while balancing your books, it could significantly impact the funding and financing of your AI initiative.
Help ensure your AI development team stays on target by delegating non-core tasks to a reliable provider of outsourced back-office support. BPO companies can often handle various tasks, from accounting and bookkeeping to data entry and virtual assistant services.
Where to Find Your Ideal Outsourced AI Development Team
Now that we’ve discussed how outsourcing can support and accelerate your AI development projects, let’s move on to the next step: Which outsourcing location should you choose?
Although there are plenty of good offshore and nearshore outsourcing options, two countries stand above the rest as go-to BPO locations for many top U.S. companies: the Philippines and Colombia.
Tap Into the Philippines’ Rapidly Growing Tech Workforce
Digital transformation is paramount in the Philippines, a country with a massive digital economy and an even larger talent pool of skilled workers.Â
The Southeast Asian nation’s digital sector contributes significantly to its economy, estimated to be worth $7.5 billion in 2020. Experts predict that the Philippines’ digital economy will grow by 30% every year, eventually reaching $28 billion by 2025.
With the country’s wealth of young and digitally savvy workers and the local government’s drive to make digital skills training more accessible, the Philippines will likely continue to grow its tech workforce further.
For the past few years, Philippine universities have produced over 130,000 IT and engineering graduates annually, with many young professionals shifting their focus to niche skills like AI and machine learning.
Work With Professionals from the Silicon Valley of Latin America
There’s a reason why Colombia has been dubbed the “Silicon Valley of Latin America.” The country boasts the region’s fourth-largest economy by GDP and is becoming known for its quickly developing digital economy.
The Colombian government invested $6.5 billion into the country’s science, technology, and innovation sector as part of its National Development Plan.Â
Colombia also boasts a massive pool of highly skilled workers who are trained in software development and other tech expertise, making them ideally suited to offer AI solutions. As training and education become more accessible in the region, many young Colombian professionals have been shifting to a career in AI.
Read More: How Nearshoring in Colombia Helps Businesses Address IT and Software Development Shortages
Accelerate Your Digital Transformation With the Right AI Development Outsourcing Partner
Have you been planning an AI development project for your organization? Now is the perfect time to kick-start your initiative and advance your business. And you’ll need the support of a reliable BPO provider to bring your project from dream to reality.
SuperStaff offers a wide range of outsourcing solutions, from highly specialized services like data science and software development to crucial yet non-core tasks like recruitment and back-office support. Let our professional team lighten the workload of your AI developer while accelerating your digital transformation efforts.
Contact us today for more information on our comprehensive and scalable KPO and BPO solutions!
