With this article, Maria Matloub analyzes why it is important to know AI despite its current limitations and why this knowledge must be thoughtful but at the same time open and ready to welcome change (if you want to know more, Maria Matloub has also developed a specific course)
Today is the first of May. A few hours ago I did a workshop for how do you say friends and family about AI. An informal thing.
Friends and family who believe in it, who don’t believe it, who are afraid, some who are curious, who have chatted with ChatGPT once or twice, and others who are using some ‘tools’ or software in their work.
AI is something that has fascinated me personally since 2018. Harness the potential to improve people’s lives, from medical and scientific research, to efficiency, when developed and implemented in a responsible and ethical way.
With the ‘new kid on the block’, generative AI and the promising potential of AGI, there is more to understand and analyse. The main benefits are: the time to put a product or idea on the market, cost efficiency, speed, scalability and customization. The latter allows us to think of fascinating scenarios for customer experience in different sectors, for companies of all sizes.
Edison has allowed us to change our lives, the way we live, work, socialize. Electricity has allowed us to extend our days, it has allowed us to get to the turning point of the internet, the digital transformation or revolution, and today, AI.
Every twist comes with changes, challenges, risks, confidence, and fear. And that’s normal. These revolutions require, of course, greater investments, in the short and long term, to assess technologies, implement products and services, and of course, training and refresher courses, especially when there are innovations that emerge at a rapid pace.
Because what carries more weight in the world of LLMs is computer power rather than talent, says Jack Clark , co-founder, together with Dario and Daniela Amodei, and CTO of Anthorpic that develops the AI called Claude.
To put things into perspective on the fact that everything is moving forward at a breakneck speed, Mustafa Suleyman, former co-founder of DeepMind, Inflection AI and now CEO of Microsoft AI and author, predicts a significant increase in the amount of computing power for AI models, growing tenfold per year.
We have two choices. Refusing to understand in order to fit in. Or learn.
Jumping to conclusions that put us in a negative mindset of fear and frustration doesn’t help us. Because there won’t be a stop. Setting up regulations doesn’t go as fast as AI. Marc Cuban, famous billionaire entrepreneur said: AI cannot be regulated.
AI is not a new thing, it started in the 50s, it became accessible to a wide audience only a few years ago with generative AI. OpenAI has revealed that it is something that can spread quickly.
The mobile phone was made accessible to the public in the mid-1990s. But it was a technology that had been used by the military in some countries since the 1980s. And it was invented in the 70s, in 1973 precisely.
Technological advancement is an opportunity. Actually, it depends on the perspective. It can also be seen as a threat.
Technology in itself is always and remains a tool that allows us to work better, perhaps more or less, but certainly, work differently, with an intelligence that might seem that of a superhero but which, we know, is not always right, at least not at the current evolutionary stage. Because it also depends on the way we interact and interface with this ‘third party’.
It opens up new horizons for us. And like all things in life, it also has downsides, that’s one of the things I learned in school. Along with another proverb: ‘Today’s science fiction is tomorrow’s science’ and I believe that in my subconscious helps me to see progress above all as an opportunity and not as a threat.
Although I am always of the opinion that it is important to look at every aspect and be attentive, without giving confidence with closed eyes, to use critical thinking, the experience we have and make choices with content and platforms. In addition, the spirit of experimentation and exploration means getting involved and it is something that also comes from the fact that I come from the world of design, even if I focus on the part of products/services related to business, interfacing with people in the world beyond that of design, working with both Fortune 500 companies and startups.
The Big 4, the big global consulting firms, are obviously riding this wave. For example, BCG recently released its latest report on AI: which analyses risks, role in companies, relationship with talent and therefore with human intelligence.
In my opinion, there are three main reasons why so many companies use ‘tools’ in a limited way: regulations and security, the significant investment required, limitations in terms of knowledge since people always have so many other things to do, and the investment in terms of time is limited.
How to get started with AI in our work
It’s never too late. It’s a journey. It’s a discovery. Just forget all the assumptions and fears. Because technology is at an embryonic point. It is accessible to many, but it is not certain that many are taking advantage of it even if they can. The smartphone has allowed the internet to be global and in fact, give a boost to entrepreneurship.
Getting started with AI is a limitless discovery over time. Things change every day. It’s impossible to know everything. But it is possible to do a little, and do it well, because we know how we work, what we need. There are new things every day. Software side, features, case studies, crazy news in all directions, positive, negative, right, wrong.
The great thing is that it touches all sectors. All vertices. The discovery can feel like it’s lost in a majestic forest: mysterious, scary, and fascinating. Just put yourself out there, put your hands in the dough, and don’t take yourself very seriously.
Plus, not having the pressure and expectations of being able to do something good and final in 30 minutes with no challenges to overcome, not deciding what AI knows or doesn’t know, but feeling safe to discover with colleagues and friends. Discovering and doing together is always better. And learning how to interact with the software in a different way than we’re used to, it’s a new learning curve. There’s a lot to learn. And there’s a lot to unlearn. And then relearn.
And you need creativity. We’re all creative. In addition, according to a report by Deloitte, ‘creativity as a force for growth’ we all have creativity. We had it as children. Creating a curtain with 4 chairs or a table and a sheet allowed us to project ourselves into imaginary worlds. We’ve all done it.
In business, being creative, thinking critically, and creating together leads people to do better. And why not add another intelligence? The collective one? Based on human capabilities, at least for now.
We need to know that we are at a starting point where there is still a lot to discover and if you don’t try, you will never know. LLMs are extremely potent. They are also static; In standby mode, they do not perform any action. For now.
Digital transformation hasn’t necessarily made people useless, but it has led to changes in job roles. While some jobs may become obsolete due to digitalization and AI, there will be new job opportunities.
You need to be creative in the way you would like to experiment in a space that gives you the chance to experiment, and this is linked to the company culture.
There is no right or wrong. There is no good or bad. There are no rules. We need to use common sense and judge well. You do well when you understand.
Stop making assumptions, most job roles will be subject to change even faster than what has happened to date because technological evolution is exponential in relation to time and not linear, so it is constantly accelerating. We need to overcome our fears and take matters into our own hands, unlearn, learn, and help our teams and companies overcome challenges and adapt. (image created by the author with AI)
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