Artificial intelligence is evolving at breakneck speed in enterprise settings. From automating routine tasks to generating strategic insights, enterprise AI is redefining how organizations operate. If you feel like just when you’ve caught up with one innovation, another leap in AI capability comes along – you’re not alone. Forward-looking businesses are racing to stay ahead of the curve in this era of digital transformation. The key question is, how do you leverage AI to boost your business technology and not get left behind?
One way to find answers is to watch what industry leaders are doing. Take Zoom, for example – the video conferencing platform that became a household name especially during the pandemic. Zoom isn’t just resting on its laurels; it’s investing heavily in AI to enhance collaboration and productivity. In this article, let’s explore Zoom’s AI strategy and break down what it means for your organization. You’ll learn how AI integration can drive efficiency, why specialized AI models may trump one-size-fits-all solutions, and why having a trusted AI consulting partner like VIcom can make all the difference. Let’s dive in.
Zoom’s AI Strategy: A Federated Approach with Small Models
Zoom has made a bold move by adopting a federated AI strategy. In simple terms, this means Zoom doesn’t rely on one giant, generic AI model to do everything. Instead, they orchestrate multiple AI models, each specialized for specific tasks, working together. Zoom’s Chief Technology Officer calls this “federated AI” – a method of leveraging many AI engines in unison rather than a single Large Language Model (LLM) for all tasks . This approach is a departure from the “one big brain” concept of AI and leans into a network of smaller brains each solving the part of the problem they’re best at.
A cornerstone of Zoom’s strategy is the use of Small Language Models (SLMs). These are lightweight AI models (often much smaller in size than something like GPT-4) that are trained for specific functions or domains. Why go small? Because small can be mighty. Zoom reports that their newly developed SLM (with around 2 billion parameters) achieved state-of-the-art performance in its class . By customizing these SLMs for particular tasks via Zoom’s upcoming AI Studio, they can approach the quality of leading large models in those specialized workloads . In essence, a well-trained small model focused on a narrow task can perform as well as a huge model – and do it faster and more cost-effectively.
Efficiency and cost-effectiveness are big reasons behind Zoom’s AI design. A federated setup allows Zoom to match the right model to the right job. For simpler tasks, a simpler (and cheaper) model is used; for more complex needs, a more powerful model can be brought in. Remarkably, Zoom’s CTO revealed that this multi-model approach reached nearly the same quality as OpenAI’s GPT-4 with only 6% of the inference cost . That’s a game-changer – nearly the same intelligence for a tiny fraction of the price. It’s one reason Zoom can offer its AI-powered features (like Zoom IQ or AI Companion) at no extra cost to customers . By distributing tasks across customized small models and calling on big models only when needed, Zoom achieves: faster responses, easier scalability, and significant cost savings . In other words, it’s getting more AI bang for the buck – and passing those benefits to users.
Scalability is another benefit of this approach. Smaller models are easier to update and deploy. Zoom can train and tweak an SLM to better handle, say, sales meeting summaries without retraining a monolithic model that does everything. As demand grows, they can scale out more instances of these models across their cloud. This modular strategy makes Zoom’s AI both nimble and robust, capable of improving quickly in targeted areas without enormous infrastructure costs.
Key Takeaways for Your Organization
Zoom’s approach offers several insights for any organization looking to harness AI. Here are key takeaways decision-makers should consider:
•AI Agents and Multi-Agent Collaboration: We’re entering an era of AI “agents” that can act autonomously on our behalf. Zoom is already building AI agents that can reason, plan, and even delegate tasks to other AI agents . Instead of just answering a single query, these AI agents collaborate to handle multi-step processes – much like a team of coworkers, each with a specialty. For organizations, this signals a shift towards using multiple AI tools in unison. Imagine an AI for business that doesn’t just give you a report when asked, but can also trigger follow-up actions, coordinate with other AI services, and manage workflows end-to-end. Enterprises should start envisioning how various AI systems might work together across departments. The future isn’t a single chatbot doing everything; it’s a coordinated orchestra of AI helpers (agents) improving every facet of operations.
•Customized AI Models Over Large, Generic LLMs: Bigger isn’t always better in AI. Zoom’s success with small, specialized models underscores a broader industry trend: companies are recognizing the value of tailored AI. As one tech leader noted, businesses are asking “How do we take charge of our AI destiny?” and finding that “small language models trained on very specific data are actually quite effective… they don’t have to build these gigantic ones” . In practice, a custom AI model tuned to your industry data (be it finance, healthcare, retail, etc.) can outperform a generic large model on tasks that matter to you – and do so more efficiently. These federated AI setups also help address data privacy and compliance, since models can be trained on your proprietary data without sending everything to a third-party mega-model. The takeaway: consider developing or adopting small language models fine-tuned for your organization’s needs. A fleet of purpose-built AIs can often deliver better results than one off-the-shelf giant model . Plus, maintaining smaller models can be more cost-effective, keeping your AI expansion within budget.
•Operational Efficiency, Productivity, and Automation: At the end of the day, AI should drive real business outcomes – namely efficiency and productivity gains. Zoom’s AI features are a great example of this principle in action. Their AI automatically generates meeting summaries, identifies “next steps” action items, and even drafts follow-up emails. In fact, thanks to their approach, Zoom’s AI Companion now produces meeting recaps and recommendations more accurately than a general model like GPT-4 in internal tests . For your enterprise, similar AI-driven automation can save countless hours and reduce human error. Think about what processes in your organization are repetitive, time-consuming, or prone to mistakes – these are prime candidates for AI automation. Whether it’s triaging customer service tickets, analyzing financial reports, managing inventory, or onboarding new hires, well-integrated AI can shoulder the load. The result is your human teams have more time for strategic, high-value work while routine tasks are handled swiftly and consistently by AI. The goal is not AI for AI’s sake, but AI as a force multiplier for productivity and a catalyst for digital transformation in your operations.
Why Enterprises Need a Trusted AI Partner
Embracing AI at an enterprise level is a complex journey – one that’s best not traveled alone. While Zoom and other tech giants have entire teams of AI PhDs and engineers, most organizations don’t have that luxury. The truth is, implementing AI integration across your business systems, data, and workflows comes with challenges: choosing the right platforms, ensuring data security and compliance, training staff, and aligning AI initiatives with business goals, to name a few. It’s a lot to navigate. That’s where a trusted AI partner comes in.
You don’t have to figure out AI strategy and implementation solo. A partner like VIcom can act as your sherpa in the AI mountain climb. VIcom is an enterprise technology consultant and integration expert that stays on top of the latest AI advancements (like Zoom’s federated approach) and knows how to apply them pragmatically to your business. We help organizations assess their needs and develop a tailored roadmap – whether that means identifying opportunities for quick-win automations or planning a long-term transformation project. Crucially, we focus on integration: making sure any UC solution meshes with your existing IT infrastructure and processes seamlessly. The last thing you want is a fancy AI that sits in a silo; VIcom can ensure your connected to the right partner to ensure your AI tools talk to your CRM, ERP, collaboration platforms, and data pipelines so that AI for business becomes an integrated part of how you work.
Let’s get to work!
AI is no longer a futuristic concept reserved for Silicon Valley giants – it’s here now, transforming day-to-day operations in enterprises worldwide. Zoom’s innovative AI strategy is a signal that the next phase of enterprise AI will be smarter, more specialized, and more collaborative than ever. The question for business leaders is: Are you ready to pivot toward this smarter AI future? Staying ahead means adopting AI thoughtfully today, not playing catch-up tomorrow. Whether it’s deploying AI agents to automate workflows or developing custom models that give you a competitive edge, the opportunities are immense for those prepared to act.
The good news is, you don’t have to navigate this journey alone. VIcom is here to guide and support your organization every step of the way. We invite you to schedule a free consultation with VIcom to explore how enterprise AI can drive your efficiency, productivity, and innovation to new heights. Let’s work together to harness the power of AI and ensure your organization thrives in this new era of digital transformation. Contact us today – the future is waiting, and it’s powered by AI.