The future of business is artificial intelligence (AI), every company we have visited uses AI and are very excited for the endless opportunities that come with it. Today we visited Microsoft and Thinkhouse and both spoke about their current feelings and future plans using AI.

The day began with a visit to Microsoft, where I was instantly impressed by the office’s aesthetic, with the a virtual pond and waterfall. As we explored the office, there was such a high level of professionalism with no distractions. In contrast, I found the Google office to be filled with distractions, such as pools, gyms, and bedrooms, which, in my opinion, the office is meant for work only. During Microsoft’s presentation, they deeply explained their future plans, focusing on artificial intelligence and the upcoming launch of their new program, “Copilot.” It is intended to help students set agendas, organize discussion points from meetings, summarize emails, and so much more. The Microsoft Employees were visibly excited about the release of this program and they had every right to be, they showed us the trailer and I realized much AI was capable of, which is scary and exciting. I think Microsoft is taking the correct approach because if you do not use AI, you will not survive in the future business world.

On the other hand, Thinkhouse adopts a slightly different approach to artificial intelligence compared to Microsoft. As a creative marketing agency, Thinkhouse may not rely as heavily on AI, but it remains an integral part of their daily office operations. Because AI is rumored to “kill the creative world” Thinkhouse was hesitant to use AI, but now they have a designated team for AI and they know if don’t use it they will fall to other agencies that use it. The advertisements created by the thinkhouse creative team surpassed my expectations and they had very reputable partners in Ireland such as Heineken, Jameson and Lucozade.

All 5 of the companies we visited have established cultures, but I believe Google did have the best culture and work life balance. Workplace culture refers to the shared values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that characterize an organization. Google had a buddy system in place which creates bonds with coworkers, and enter office was quipped to make a fun culture and work environments. Logically I thought Google should not have so many “distractions in their office, but who am I to tell Google what to do they are doing pretty well. The speakers for our presentation seemed to enjoy their jobs and experiences in the office made me want to be a part of the culture.