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How Good Data Practices Drive Productivity for Dow
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Dow is leveraging generative AI to dramatically improve productivity across its global operations by building a data literate culture and strong technical foundations.

Driving value with gen AI: Dow is implementing gen AI tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot and seeing significant early productivity gains in key areas:

  • Over half of pilot users reported saving 1-2 hours per day with Copilot
  • Gen AI is being used to enhance content development, data analysis, patent research, and document search
  • AI has revolutionized demand forecasting and supply network planning in Dow’s supply chain

Building on AI foundations: Dow’s ability to rapidly adopt and scale gen AI builds on its nearly two decades of work leveraging predictive AI technologies across R&D and manufacturing:

  • Digital twins for ethane furnaces are running 70 AI models, enabling early failure prediction and reducing unplanned events by 20%
  • Repair times are being improved by at least two days through AI in manufacturing

Enabling technical infrastructure: Dow has put in place the modern, secure technical foundations needed to support enterprise AI initiatives:

  • A modern, secure network architecture was implemented in partnership with companies like Cisco and hyperscalers
  • An integrated data hub provides the data management and access capabilities required for AI

Fostering a data literate culture: Dow has recognized that building a data literate culture that can appreciate and adopt AI is an even bigger enabler than technology:

  • Extensive data literacy training programs have been rolled out for employees and leadership across the company
  • A hub-and-spoke model combines centralized IT governance with data scientists embedded in key functions like manufacturing, supply chain and R&D
  • Annual data science challenges bring together data scientists from across the enterprise to spur innovation and generate solutions

Broader implications: Dow’s experience highlights how large global companies can drive dramatic productivity gains with gen AI by combining the right technical foundations with a concerted effort to build a data-driven culture. As more organizations race to implement gen AI, those that invest in data literacy and evangelize the technology’s potential across the enterprise will likely see the biggest benefits.

How data literacy allows gen AI to drive productivity at Dow

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