Causal Predictive Optimization and Generation for Business AI
This addresses sales efficiency for B2B companies, though it appears incremental as it combines existing techniques into a multi-layer framework.
The authors tackled sales process optimization in B2B businesses by developing a three-layer system (causal ML prediction, constraint optimization/bandit, and generative AI serving), which achieved significant wins over legacy systems at LinkedIn.
The sales process involves sales functions converting leads or opportunities to customers and selling more products to existing customers. The optimization of the sales process thus is key to success of any B2B business. In this work, we introduce a principled approach to sales optimization and business AI, namely the Causal Predictive Optimization and Generation, which includes three layers: 1) prediction layer with causal ML 2) optimization layer with constraint optimization and contextual bandit 3) serving layer with Generative AI and feedback-loop for system enhancement. We detail the implementation and deployment of the system in LinkedIn, showcasing significant wins over legacy systems and sharing learning and insight broadly applicable to this field.