When developing our AI strategy, it’s crucial to recognize that we are shaping our organization’s perception and approach toward AI technology—a decision that will set the course for our future AI evolution. As we all agree, AI is here to stay! The approach we choose will define how our organization integrates AI for years to come.
There are two fundamental approaches to consider: viewing AI as a mere system or tool versus embracing it as a collaborative partner. For me, there’s no real choice other than adopting the collaborative approach. Regardless of the approach chosen, the ultimate goal is efficiency and productivity. However, the difference lies in the future we create.
Viewing AI as a Mere Tool:
When we view AI as a mere tool, we treat it as an add-on to existing processes, seeking to replace manual labour to enhance cost efficiency and productivity by freeing up time.
Limitations :
Lack of Vision: Implementing AI as a mere tool involves optimizing current processes without a long-term vision. This perpetuates existing processes without advancing them to the next level.
Investment: Implementing AI requires investing time and money in infrastructure, data, and training to optimize current practices. Training AI with historical data limits its potential, and aligning human training with current AI capabilities restricts future growth. Additionally, AI adaptation requires changes in internal operations, creating policies, communication strategies, and marketing efforts based on current AI capabilities—an investment with limited future relevance.
Human Talent Gap: Optimizing processes solely for efficiency creates a disconnect between humans and business objectives. When tasks transition solely to AI and automation, humans lose engagement and touch with certain aspects of the business, resulting in a loss of innovative opportunities. This leads to an unbalanced work environment where AI dominates leadership roles, hindering human creativity and adaptation.
The collaborative approach:
By choosing a collaborative approach we recognize that AI is a technology that will continue to evolve into the future. We look beyond its current features and functions and understand that most of what we purchase is built around AI technology, which likely forms the core of the vendor’s pragmatic use case we acquired. This core will grow its knowledge much like a living entity on its own as it is exposed to more data.
Recognizing this as the biggest unknown parameter within our formula, we understand the need to be prepared for a flexible, continuously changing future if we wish our current investment to scale. This preparation ensures that we don’t start from zero when the next stage comes along.
Choosing a collaborative approach means we acknowledge that AI is a growing, changing, and evolving technology—not set in stone. Similar to how we view human resources, we need to support its evolution alongside nurturing what we have cultivated in the past with our human resources. This collaborative mindset is essential for maximizing AI’s potential and integrating it effectively within our organization’s strategy and culture.
Benefits:
Vision: Creating a new working environment where humans and non-humans work together. This vision acknowledges that our journey is ongoing and will continue to evolve as AI technology progresses, expanding its capabilities to understand and shape an augmented reality.
Understanding the 4th Industrial Revolution: Recognizing AI as a hallmark of the 4th industrial revolution compels us to adapt and stay ahead of the curve. To optimize what AI has to offer, we must embrace change.
Investment: When we acknowledge the ongoing evaluation of AI, we understand that investments are short-lived. By investing in data, information, and training for AI and humans, we proactively prepare for the next stage of our development. This investment supports information acquisition crucial for our future stages.
Feedback Loops and A/B Testing: Implementing feedback loops and A/B testing not only enhance the quality of experience we provide but also serves as a gateway to new ideas supporting our next stage of development. This approach fosters an open mindset, facilitating anticipation of what lies ahead.
Human Talent: The collaborative approach is founded on a balanced mindset, recognizing the importance of supporting both humans and AI equally. While fostering this environment, we must also safeguard human traits, of flexible and creative thinking ensuring that both parties can shine and thrive within our organization.
Reducing Fear: Supporting a collaborative environment fosters excitement for the future, as we embark on designing and creating something new together.
This proactive approach reduces fear among individuals working alongside AI, inspiring confidence and a positive outlook. By knowing no one is out to replace us.
By embracing collaboration, we instil a sense of empowerment and enthusiasm, enabling individuals to embrace AI as a partner rather than a threat. This shift in perspective cultivates a culture of innovation and openness within the organization.
My thoughts:
I am a strong advocate of the collaborative approach. I believe that we are inevitably moving in this direction for several reasons, including the understanding that AI is continually evolving and changing, and we must support its development if we want to fully benefit from what AI has to offer.
In some conversations I’ve had, it seems that the most common misconception about this approach stems from past experiences. AI is a concept that we haven’t been exposed to before, and we tend to base our approach on past experiences with tools or systems. We must keep an open mind to understand the evolving nature of this technology, which differs from what we have known so far. By creating a collaborative environment, we are not compromising our goals for productivity and efficiency.
I acknowledge these concerns and address them with the same answer: while the goal remains the same, the path we take looks different. Building solely for a system or tool based on its immediate pragmatic use requires an investment now and will likely require additional investments in the future, costing us more time and money.
For me, this is a fundamental truth. For businesses aiming to endure and thrive in the long term, the collaborative approach is the way forward. It allows us to build a foundation for scalability and growth into the future.
Not quite sure how to, let’s talk.
