Panaji: Artificial intelligence adoption is critical if small Goan businesses and family-run enterprises want to be resilient and future-ready, said Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) here on Friday.“AI presents significant opportunities for businesses to improve productivity, enhance customer engagement and become more competitive. However, for many small businesses, the challenge lies in understanding how to apply these technologies to their specific needs,” GCCI’s deputy director Ambika Dhakhenkar said.GCCI has joined hands with Ground Floor Labs, NomadGao and govt’s startup and IT promotion cell to help local entrepreneurs develop practical AI solutions for everyday business challenges. Ground Floor Labs is a US research and development lab and the Goa residency follows a pilot conducted in June in Healdsburg, California.“The only way for small grocery stores and micro enterprises to survive the disruption created by online marketplaces and digital businesses is by adopting AI and digital technology to become more efficient, adopt technology and create an online presence,” said NomadGao’s founder and chief executive officer Mayur Sontakke.GCCI, Ground Floor Labs and NomadGao are offering a free, three-week AI residency in Mandrem from Oct 13 to Oct 29 to train 100 local business owners to address challenges relating to operations, analytics, marketing, social media, customer communication and other business functions.“These businesses are using software that is not custom for themselves and they can be very expensive. So, if someone has a website that they are hosting on an external platform that has an expensive monthly fee, there is the possibility that there are other tools that are less expensive and they are able to build something that does the same work, is better and they have the ability to customize for themselves. And this lowers their monthly fee,” said Ground Floor Labs founder Mariella Torres.Business owners do not require prior knowledge of AI to participate. The programme offers six two-hour hands-on sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays, starting from Oct 13 over a three-week period. The programme is available in English, Konkani, Hindi and Marathi.“Small businesses can appear in online searches and results by improving their digital presence and traction. This residency is to help these small businesses improve their google listing so that they appear more often in online results,” said Sontakke.
