As the Innovation Manager at Birmingham Metropolitan College, I’m thrilled to reflect on the success of our recent collaboration with OpenAI and PwC during Birmingham Tech Week 2024. This event wasn’t just a career highlight for me; it represented a pivotal moment in our BMet Innovation Navigator Programme, an initiative I designed under the Innovate UK Further Education Fund to offer free business support to local business leaders across the West Midlands.
The Innovation Navigator Programme is built around one simple yet powerful idea: to empower our regional businesses with cutting-edge knowledge and practical tools to stay ahead in an ever-evolving digital world. Hosting this collaboration with OpenAI and PwC exemplified this mission, as it brought together two of the most forward-thinking organisations to deliver actionable insights on artificial intelligence from the powerhouse of Chat GPT the leading and fastest growing Generative AI platform.
I'm a passionate advocate for collaboration—in fact, I’ve reimagined the concept and coined the term ‘Collaboraction’. It reflects my commitment to going beyond just talking about working together; it’s about actively driving meaningful, results-oriented partnerships that create real impact. Learn about my process for building
This commitment to actionable collaboration is what drives initiatives like our recent focus on artificial intelligence. AI isn’t just a buzzword; it’s reshaping industries and redefining possibilities for businesses of all sizes. Yet for many regional business leaders, AI often feels abstract or out of reach. That’s why I felt it was so important to create a space where cutting-edge technologies could be demystified and share practical real-world applications that would present valuable opportunities.
This collaboration was the result of months of careful planning, between BMet and PwC who explained their global partnership with Open AI together we explored overlaps and alignment between our mission and delivery of the Innovation Navigator programme. When designing the Innovation Navigator Programme, I focused on three key pillars:
Access to Expertise: Ensuring regional businesses could engage directly with thought leaders and receive workshops and trainings l
Practical Relevance: Curating content that is not just inspirational but also actionable for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Inclusivity: Making events free and accessible to foster growth across industries, particularly for healthcare (dental) and social economy organisations including non-profits, social enterprises and community interest companies.
Identifying partners who shared these values was crucial. PwC brought their unparalleled expertise in digital transformation from a regional perspective, while OpenAI introduced ground-breaking advancements in AI that are shaping the future. Together, they delivered an event that went beyond explaining what AI is—it empowered attendees to understand how to leverage it effectively.
Their combined expertise bridged the gap between innovation and implementation, offering practical insights on how businesses can integrate AI into their operations to drive efficiency, spark creativity, and fuel growth.
Here’s What We Learned About GPTs from OpenAI at the Event
If you thought AI was already impressive, OpenAI took it up a notch with their insights into Custom GPTs—one of the most exciting advancements in AI technology today. These aren’t just any chatbots; Custom GPTs are designed to work specifically for your business needs, and the best part? No coding required!
Using the GPT builder, you can easily create a chatbot by describing, in plain English, what you want it to do. The tool handles the heavy lifting, giving you a powerful AI assistant ready to tackle your challenges.
Here’s what Custom GPTs can do on Chat GPT Plus and Chat GPT Enterprise:
Browse the web for live, up-to-date information.
Generate stunning visuals with DALLE·3.
Run code to automate processes and solve real-world problems.
What Exactly is a GPT?
“GPT” stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer, OpenAI’s family of AI models. But for the purposes of what we learned at the event, GPTs are customisable AI assistants you can create to meet your business goals.
Why Custom GPTs Are a Game-Changer
OpenAI shared some of the standout advantages of these AI tools that left attendees buzzing with ideas:
Endless Customisation Possibilities Whether it’s customer support, team collaboration, or marketing automation, you can build multiple GPTs tailored to different areas of your business. Imagine having a set of AI assistants, each finely tuned to specific needs—it’s like building collaborators for your dream team!
Your Knowledge, Their Power Say goodbye to copy-pasting information. You can upload key documents, training materials, or FAQs directly to your GPT, and it will incorporate this knowledge into its responses. It’s an effortless way to make AI work smarter for your organisation.
Effortless Collaboration Once your GPT is fine-tuned, you can easily share it with your team or external partners (as long as they have ChatGPT Plus or Enterprise account). It’s a simple way to extend AI’s capabilities to everyone you work with.
Why You Should Be Excited
At the event, OpenAI emphasised that Custom GPTs aren’t just tools—they’re opportunities. They give businesses the ability to leverage AI in ways that were previously only accessible to tech giants. Whether it’s creating new efficiencies, enhancing customer experience, or automating tedious tasks, GPTs are the next step in making AI accessible, impactful, and tailored to you. Of course one of the key questions around custom GPTs was regarding Privacy and Security, and it was clearly explained that OpenAI has implemented advanced measures to ensure your data remains secure, enabling you to innovate with confidence. With ChatGPT Enterprise, any GPTs you create operate within a closed data system—meaning the information you provide stays private and is not accessible outside of your custom GPT. This approach protects sensitive information while empowering you to harness AI without compromising security.
One of the questions that I was keen to know in the session was about - monetisation, I asked Rupert Truman, from Open AI, if the GPTs that are created can be monetised and if Open AI will take a percentage -and although that feature isn't currently available, it will soon become a possibility to share—and even monetise, custom GPTs. Think of it as an app store for AI models, where creativity meets opportunity. - This could be even more game changing and creates bigger opportunities for business growth.
Missed the session? No worries—this is just the beginning of what you can achieve with GPTs. Get ready to explore a future where AI is not just a buzzword but a practical asset for your business. I know you’re probably eager to dive deeper, so here’s what you can do:
Watch my conversation with Dr. Sud Parwana, PwC Midlands Tech Lead. A introduction into Dr Sud Parwana his role as a PwC Midlands Tech Lead and the technology trends he's witnessing across industry - trust me it's eye-opening stuff:
Check out the event highlights video. It's packed with "aha" moments and expert insights that you won't want to miss:
Sign up for future the BMet Innovation Navigator events. We're always bringing in top-notch experts and exploring cutting-edge tech. You don't want to be left behind! Click here
Remember, AI isn't just about keeping up; it's about leaping ahead. Whether you're a small business owner, a corporate leader, or an educator, the possibilities are endless. So let's embrace this AI revolution together and shape a future where technology works for us, not the other way around!
For more information about the BMet Innovation Navigator Programme and to discuss opportunities for partnership connect with me on LinkedIn, here.
Marika Beckford
Tech Leader | Innovation Consultant
Future Ready Creatives.
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