AI and Nocode: the beginning of a new technological era

While artificial intelligence (AI) and Nocode are not so recent topics, these two computing concepts have been omnipresent in the media in recent years.

This media explosion started with Nocode a few years ago and the rise of APIs and the Cloud. Then by AI with the release of Generative AI models like ChatGPT which clearly shook the Earth.

And this time we can really assure that it's not a hype. Because ChatGPT reached 100 million active users in January, in just one month. That's better than TikTok or Instagram.

So why so much innovation and so much noise about Nocode and AI?

So many innovations because the need to create applications is growing faster than the human resources expert in these subjects. Nocode and AI respond to these challenges by making software development accessible to the greatest number of people.

So much noise because, as we have just said, the uses once reserved for developers and data scientists are now accessible to business people in a company.

Adoption is at the center of this whole revolution.

This rapid and massive adoption has also raised many questions and concerns about jobs, security and the economy as a whole.

IBM recently announced that it has paused hiring for "back-office" roles in anticipation that Nocode and AI will be able to automate much of their work.

Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, Alibaba: the giants are all in on it.

So here we propose to explore with you the intersection of AI and Nocode and their potential impact on businesses.

Introduction to Nocode and AI

Definition of Nocode

Without dwelling too much on this concept, Nocode refers to the set of tools that allow complex computing tasks to be performed without programming skills.

We can mention the creation of chatbots, websites, web and native applications or data analysis.

If you want to know more, we have written a full article on the subject.

Definition of AI

AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is a field of computer science that seeks to create systems capable of performing tasks that normally require human intelligence. To learn more about generative AI, we invite you to read this article.

This can include tasks such as learning, natural language comprehension, visual perception, problem solving and even creativity.

Today, it is data scientists who are able to deal with these subjects. This is why it is important to be able to couple AI with Nocode - which has this perpetual goal of making any complex task accessible.

AI Nocode. What are we talking about?

Before Nocode, a web developer was needed to develop a simple web page, a website, an application. Now we can use tools like Webflow, Bubble, FlutterFlow and many other Nocode tools.

The same thing is happening with artificial intelligence. Until recently, it was unthinkable to create and deploy AI models without working with data scientists. Now it is possible with Nocode AI tools.

Nocode AI can therefore be defined as tools that allow non-expert profiles to apply artificial intelligence without having to write a line of code.

These Nocode AI tools then allow "Business People" to incorporate data from their operations into accessible tools and apply models and algorithms for processing and reading data in order to quickly answer analytical questions. With Nocode, AI brings a new level of abstraction in the ability to develop. And that's remarkable.

Although these Nocode AI tools are largely more accessible, it should still be noted that knowledge of machine learning goes a long way in manipulating certain platforms.

But at Alegria.group, we truly believe that AI will increase by 100 what we are able to automate because it will handle the complex and creative steps for us.

The ability to give context to these tools and to generative AI models in particular will allow us to go much further in creating complex systems.

We can finally say that chatbots will be useful and fulfill the promise of accurately responding to user requests.

Let's see how the meeting of AI and Nocode will shape the uses of tomorrow.

Interactions between AI and Nocode to boost digital transformation

At Alegria.group, we are passionate about the subject and we have distinguished two different approaches between AI and Nocode.

AI to make Nocode more powerful

Nocode tools have evolved enormously over the last few years and we can affirm the whole range of use cases in the software development world. Here are some examples and use cases:

• Websites with Webflow
• E-commerce websites with Shopify
• Business applications with Bubble
• Native applications with FlutterFlow
• Database with Airtable
• Automation and API with Make

We are now entering a new phase of development and maturity for these tools with the integration of AI within the Nocode platforms.

We have identified three types of integration:

1. AI as Copilot
2. AI-based products
3. Chatbots boosted by AI

AI as Copilot

We are starting to see more and more Nocode tools integrate a wizard (called copilot) where the objective is either to inform the user about a specific request or to execute an action.

AppSheet, Google's Nocode solution, relies on generative AI to allow its users to generate small applications based on data connected to the solution just by typing a few sentences. The AI will then ask a series of questions to refine the search to make sure it fetches the right data from the right tables.

Their explanatory video, in action!

Microsoft Power Platform has also integrated the power of GPT into its services to allow the generation of simple actions and applications from natural language. Namely if it was already possible to generate applications from an image or a Figma design.

Here is their presentation video

To stay in the Microsoft universe, Bill Gates announced on March 16, 2023 that the Copilot solution based on GPT-4 has been added to the Microsoft 365 suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneNote...). This is a huge break considering the installed base of all these applications.

Webflow, Notion, Bubble, WeWeb or FlutterFlow - to name but a few - have also integrated AI into their platform.

And as for Make and Zapier, it is now possible to integrate GPT into your workflows to give them context. The use cases are endless.

As you can see, the stakes are high for each of these publishers to stay in the innovation race.

AI-based products

We are referring here to the set of products that perform specific operations in order to do the work that an employee would do.

Let's take the example of Otter.ai which is a solution that transcribes your meetings live and then creates a summary of a meeting and proposes a list of actions to be taken assigned to each person involved.

A considerable time saving for companies and employees who have a lot of meetings.

Chatbots boosted by AI

We've all experienced it. We've all dealt with chatbots where we're desperately waiting for a person, endlessly. Or a chatbot that would only redirect you to long-winded FAQ articles where information is hard to find.

This is a real breakthrough. We can now train chatbots on proprietary data and the AI will be able to process the information in this entire internal knowledge base to respond in a clear, concise and relevant way to the user.

It's a total win-win: the company automates for the user and improves customer satisfaction.

Nocode to make AI accessible

Here we change our perspective to focus more on the processing and analysis of data from models that are built via statistical techniques or machine learning.

A very common use case is predictive analytics to predictcustomer churn.

The promise of Nocode's AI tools is to allow more business-oriented profiles to import data and take advantage of pre-designed models in order to achieve the expected objectives.

Here are some other examples that are now being addressed by Nocode AI tools:

• Automatic image classification (Lobe from Microsoft or Teachable Machine from Google)
• Improvement of search or recommendation proposals in e-commerce (Syte AI)
• Processing and categorization of complex data such as documents or images (Levity)

Nocode AI and its uses in different industries

The objective of this part is to give you a quick and global idea of some of the possibilities and use cases that are available with Nocode AI tools and the integration of generative AI using Nocode.

This list is not exhaustive.

Nocode AI in Marketing

1. Nocode tools can offer users assistance in writing landing page or product page copy for their website.
2. AI tools can analyze customer feedback on social networks and other platforms to understand customer feelings towards the brand or product. One can imagine creating automated and unique responses for each positive or negative comment.
3. AI can help segment customers into different groups based on attributes such as buying behavior, geographic location, age, gender, etc. This can help target and personalize marketing campaigns more effectively.

Nocode AI in the sales team

Here are three use cases that we have identified among many others:

1. Sales performance prediction. By analyzing historical and current sales trends, AI can help predict future sales performance. This can help with strategic planning and inventory management.
2. Personalized communications. We know it. Prospecting by e-mail has become complicated today. The need to personalize automatically without being detected is a major issue. Generative AI allows to create catchphrases that are unique for each prospect.
3. Automatic creation of tasks when a client is about to churche.

Nocode AI in Customer Service

The most notable use case for experience and satisfaction is that of the chatbot, which will be able to provide information based on each organization's data in order to provide answers in a personal, personalized and accurate way.

Nocode AI in Finance

1. Financial Forecasting. Generative AI models can be trained to predict financial trends based on historical data. This can help financial managers make more informed planning and budgeting decisions.
2. Data Analysis. AI tools can process and analyze large amounts of financial data to extract useful information. This can include identifying trends or patterns, or analyzing the impact of different factors on financial results.

The impact of Nocode AI on businesses

Impact on SMEs

• Access to advanced technology. Nocode AI tools give SMBs access to advanced technology without requiring data science expertise. This allows them to use AI to improve their processes, make better data-driven decisions and offer more personalized products or services.
• Cost reduction. Hiring AI experts or software developers can be expensive. With Nocode AI tools, SMBs can save on these costs because they don't need to hire additional staff to create, deploy and maintain AI models.
• Flexibility and agility. Nocode AI tools offer SMBs the ability to quickly test different solutions and adapt to changes quickly. This can be particularly useful in dynamic business environments.
• Democratizing AI. Nocode's AI tools enable SMBs to harness the power of AI, which was once reserved for large enterprises with significant resources.

Impact on Large Companies and Corporations

• Improved efficiency. Nocode AI tools can help large enterprises automate many processes, improving efficiency and productivity.
• Large-scale experimentation. Large groups can use Nocode AI tools to conduct large-scale experiments, test new ideas and innovate faster.
• Training and upskilling. Nocode's AI tools can be used to train existing staff in the use of AI, which can contribute to skill enhancement and digital transformation of the business.
• Personalization. Nocode's AI tools can help large companies deliver a more personalized experience to their customers, using AI to analyze customer data and provide personalized recommendations or services.
• Data-driven decision making. With these tools, large organizations can leverage big data to make more informed and accurate decisions.

It should be noted that while Nocode AI tools offer many benefits, they do not entirely replace the need for in-house AI experts or the need for external experts like Alegria.solutions. These tools are best used to complement existing skills and expertise.

Challenges and limitations of the combined use of Nocode and Generative AI

Protection of personal data

Generative AIs are trained on large amounts of data, which can include personal information, which raises some concerns.

That said, Microsoft recently announced that it could make private servers available for companies to use generative AI and train it on their own data.

Governance: security and privacy

Generative AI models are often trained on massive data, some of which may be sensitive or private. It is crucial to establish governance practices that ensure that the data used respects privacy and individual rights, and that it is used ethically and legally. This includes compliance with regulations such as the RGPD in Europe, mentioned above.

Algorithmic bias

AI models can reproduce or amplify biases present in the data on which they have been trained. Governance mechanisms are needed to identify and mitigate these biases.

Conclusion: The future of Nocode AI

Nocode AI opens up exciting new opportunities for businesses and professionals. By combining artificial intelligence with code-free development tools, we are witnessing a revolution that makes technology more accessible than ever.

The benefits of this convergence are numerous: simplify the creation of applications, improve the efficiency of processes, personalize customer experiences or automate tedious tasks. However, this evolution also raises questions and challenges, such as privacy, governance and algorithmic bias (ethics).

Balancing the use of Nocode AI tools with human expertise is critical to maximizing the benefits while ensuring ethical and responsible use of this technology. The future of Nocode AI is bright, and it is exciting to imagine how it will shape businesses and society in the years to come.