AI in the Workplace: From Theory to Business Transformation

Artificial Intelligence (AI) may seem like a recent breakthrough, but its roots stretch back decades. The field was formally established in 1956 as an academic discipline, though British mathematician Alan Turing had already laid its conceptual foundations years earlier. In 1950, Turing introduced the Imitation Game, what we now call the Turing Test, as a means of determining whether a machine could exhibit intelligence indistinguishable from that of a human.

In 2014, a chatbot named Eugene Goostman sparked debate when it reportedly “passed” the Turing Test, convincing 33% of human judges that it was real. However the results were controversial, Goostmans fictional persona as a 13-year-old Ukrainian boy with imperfect English raised questions about whether the feat demonstrated true intelligence or simply a clever illusion.

Fast forward to 2018, and AI’s trajectory shifted dramatically with OpenAI’s release of GPT-1 (Generative Pretrained Transformer). This model laid the foundation for one of the most transformative technologies of the decade. In 2019, Microsoft made a landmark $1 billion investment in OpenAI, becoming its exclusive cloud provider and helping to power increasingly sophisticated models.

OpenAI’s watershed moment came in late 2022 with ChatGPT, a chatbot that captivated the public imagination. With the ability to generate text, answer questions, and even draft code through a conversational interface, ChatGPT ignited discussions in professional and educational circles about ethics, originality, and AI’s role in daily work.

Microsoft moved quickly, embedding the technology into its ecosystem. Bing Chat, powered by OpenAI’s models, debuted in February 2023 and evolved into Microsoft Copilot by November 2023, integrating AI into Windows 11, Office, Edge, and Microsoft 365 applications.

Not to be outdone, Google launched Bard in March 2023, later rebranding it as Gemini in February 2024. Now, both tech giants are racing to shape the future of productivity through generative AI.

In just a few years, AI has transitioned from theoretical exploration to real-world business transformation. Today, generative AI tools are redefining how professionals work, streamlining communication, surfacing insights, and automating routine tasks.

Connexis, a UK-based technology consultancy, is helping businesses harness AI with practical tools, including:

• Microsoft 365 Copilot – This AI is more advanced than the free version available in Windows and Edge. It integrates seamlessly into Outlook, Word, Excel, and Teams, enabling features like summarising long email threads, drafting context-aware responses, generating documents from SharePoint or OneDrive files, and providing insights from past conversations. In Teams, it can transcribe meetings, highlight key points, and even translate dialogue in real time.

• Leexi – A cross-platform meeting assistant that transcribes, translates, and summarises discussions across multiple video conferencing platforms, not just Microsoft Teams.
• Wildix Collaboration 7 – Offers advanced telephony features, including AI-powered transcription, sentiment analysis, and multilingual chat assistance.
• x-bees by Wildix – A powerful sales intelligence tool that summarises staff calls, enables keyword-based search, and delivers actionable insights into customer interactions.
•  AI Chatbots and Voicebots – Wildix also provides AI-powered bots to handle basic customer queries and seamlessly route complex requests to human agents, improving both efficiency and user experience.

Artificial Intelligence isn’t just the future, it’s already shaping the way businesses operate today. Companies looking to stay competitive must embrace AI tools that enhance productivity, reduce operational friction, and unlock deeper insights.

As Microsoft 365 and Wildix continue embedding AI into their ecosystems, organisations of all sizes can leverage this once-futuristic technology to transform the way they work. AI even helped me write this article!

Ready to integrate AI into your business? Contact Connexis for expert guidance, hands-on implementation, and tailored solutions. Call 01952 528000, or email sales@connexis.co.uk.