E155 ‘Exploring AI’s Impact on the IT industry’ with Voxxify’s Steve Fleming

Today’s guest is Steve Fleming, Founder and CEO at Voxxify. Over the years, Steve has witnessed firsthand the challenges organisations face in understanding and meeting the needs of their users. In our conversation, Steve shares his journey, the inspiration behind Voxxify and his insights into how AI and data science can transform IT decision-making.

Steve’s journey into the world of AI and data science began with his experience in IT, particularly during his time at Dell. While there, he was tasked with improving productivity for internal IT customers. He quickly realised there was a significant gap between what IT departments believed users needed and what users actually wanted. Traditional decision-making methods often relied on external research and market trends, which didn’t always align with the real needs of end-users.

This realisation led Steve to think about how IT could be more user-centric. He wanted to flip the traditional approach by gathering feedback directly from users across the organisation and using that data to inform IT decisions. However, this process was often slow and labor-intensive, involving surveys and manual data analysis. The limitations of these methods became evident, where decisions could impact over 140,000 employees globally.

Inspired by these challenges, Stephen founded Voxxify, a company designed to leverage AI and machine learning to streamline and improve IT decision-making. The idea was to move beyond the manual, time-consuming methods of gathering and analysing user feedback. Instead, Voxxify uses AI to process vast amounts of data quickly and accurately, providing IT teams with actionable insights.

One of the core innovations of Voxxify is its ability to analyse sentiment and verbatim feedback from users. By applying AI models, they can quickly identify the underlying issues users face, allowing IT teams to prioritise and address these problems more effectively. This approach not only improves the end-user experience but also helps IT departments allocate resources more efficiently, avoiding the costly mistake of solving the wrong problems.

During the podcast, Steve also touches on the rapidly evolving landscape of AI, particularly the debate between open-source and proprietary models. He explained that while open-source models offer flexibility and cost-effectiveness, they require careful selection and customisation to meet specific business needs. On the other hand, proprietary models like OpenAI’s GPT can be more convenient for initial development but may pose challenges around data security and ownership.

Steve emphasises the importance of understanding the strengths and limitations of different AI models. For Voxxify, the goal is to choose the right tools for the job, whether it’s regression analysis for prioritising user needs or natural language processing (NLP) for analysing user comments. By staying focused on the specific problems they need to solve, Voxxify can deliver tailored solutions that truly move the needle for their clients.

As we look to the future, Steve highlights the need for IT teams to stay ahead of emerging trends in AI and machine learning. The pace of change is rapid, with new models and techniques constantly being developed. For businesses, the challenge is to determine when and how to adopt these innovations to maximize their impact.

He also believes that staying close to the customer is key. By understanding their evolving needs and being proactive in offering solutions, IT departments can ensure they remain relevant and effective. He also pointed out that while large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT have garnered much attention, there are many other AI models that can be equally valuable, depending on the specific use case.

In conclusion, Steve’s insights underscore the importance of a customer-centric approach in IT, especially when leveraging AI and data science. By focusing on the real needs of users and carefully selecting the right AI tools, IT teams can deliver better outcomes and drive greater value for their organisations.

Voxxify’s journey is a testament to how AI can revolutionise IT decision-making, making it more responsive, efficient and aligned with user needs. As the AI landscape continues to evolve, companies like Voxxify will play a crucial role in helping businesses navigate this complex and rapidly changing environment.

For IT leaders and professionals, the key takeaway is clear: Stay close to your customers, be strategic in your use of AI, and always be ready to adapt to the next wave of innovation.