How we should look at AI
In this blog, let’s discuss impact of AI, How we should approach AI to start with. Let’s discuss about the Pros and Cons of AI on our businesses, societies and ourselves.
The Tsunami of Digital Disruption that we have been talking about has finally arrived. It has taken the footsteps in the form of ChatGPT and is quickly growing at a rapid pace. In this blog, let’s discuss How we should look at AI!
How we should look at AI :
Let ‘s look at the BIG picture first so that we can understand the context well. We will not get into too much technical jargons and keep our discussion limited to its REAL impact on our lives.
Impact of AI : What ChatGPT is actually changing | Ranking/Indexing to Content Generation/Task Completion :
We are used to the Ranking system of Search Engines (Google, Facebook, YouTube etc.) where they have been ranking the content created by us, the Humans, and Indexing it to some websites encouraging us to click and go to subject website to learn more.
But now, with Generative AI, ChatGPT and similar machines are going to Generate New Content for us from the inputs we provide or have already provided to it, directly or indirectly.
Its not only about Content Generation, but it can even create a code, analyze a code for errors, analyze a page for SEO, create a video and what not.
Fundamentally Indexing/Ranking will be aided by Content Generation/Task Completion.
Like any other invention, it will have its Pros and Cons. Some will be benefited while some see the downside.
Let’s take an example :
What is the Impact of ChatGPT on Content Marketing :
In the above Use Case, the good point is we now have tremendous power to generate any content at scale.
ChatGPT is going to rank our websites better by helping us generate content! But that is half the truth.
It will also help search engines such as Google, Bing (The war is ON between Google and ‘Bing + ChatGPT’) to directly answer user queries in the form of snippets, that will come at the top.
This might eliminate the need to click on websites/links offered, in turn reducing the website visits, on an average, from search engines.
This is scary as most of the SEO Budget of companies is potentially going into a black hole. We don’t know what is going to happen as the whole Google (& now Bing?) economy itself is dependent on promoting content created by others and related Ads.
This is just one example. There are many more such questions coming up for individuals as well as businesses, In fact the society as a whole.
Let’s look at it briefly in terms of Pros and Cons.
Impact of AI | Pros :
AI is going to be your New Assistant! Imagine, if all the menial jobs are done for you by machines! What a wonderful world that will be!
This is going to affect from bottom to the top. From the normal task that we do (such as writing an email) to even a potential change in our Human education system! There are a lot of positives that can come from AI.
PS : I always wonder, Why the hell, are our kids still learning the addition and subtraction of numbers which can be easily done by computers?
Impact of AI | Cons :
Jobless Growth :
If we use AI, even at its 20% potential, imagine what will happen.
Suddenly we will have nothing to do.
Although it is good in the long term, but the simple thought of learning new things is scary to a lot of humans. Remember, we are animals. We HATE change. Once things are set, we find our own comfort in that. Suddenly, if AI is going to take over your existing tasks (I am not even saying Jobs, here), you will feel uncomfortable.
This is typically a case of Boss (Human) getting feared of a promising Employee (ChatGPT), isn’t it?
Intellectually everything that we have been doing till now in our jobs, will suddenly look meaningless. This is one of the major cause of concern about this technology as it is directly going to affect a lot of white collar jobs and lifestyles. Yes, you read it right, White Collar Jobs.
This will lead to Jobless Growth. Yes, companies can grow but no jobs or few jobs will be created, at least in this transition phase. Gradually people might find their ways out to do new things, find new roles in the jobs but during transition most of the average population will not know what to do.
There is one more cause of MAJOR concern and that is the Ethical issues.
Ethical issues :
Imagine if AI is copying your voice and using it against you? We already are getting fooled by the Media (which has always been the case traditionally) but AI is going to take this to the next level. We will not even find out the difference in a post or an article or a voice by a man or a machine. That is the reason why there is a lot of talk on Controlling the AI.
Change Management :
Do you know why do we fail? One of the major reasons why most of the Government/Corporate initiatives fail is Change Management. This is because
We overestimate CHANGE and underestimate the CHANGE MANAGEMENT.
Our Governments, Democracy, Laws, Decision making is very slow compared the rate of change that AI is bringing. This is also true for Corporates as well. To handle this change, we need a proper change management at all levels.
Let us respect the change management MORE than the change itself.
Bill Gates has compared this AI Revolution as one of the four major change events in his lifetime. This is that BIG.
Think of the Auto industry. We are now used to cars but this industry is more than 100 years old.
The way we still go to a driving school to learn a car, we need to learn : How to drive a ChatGPT.
To use Generative AI intelligently, Human beings need to use their own intelligence first. We are animals who live in a society which is taught to DO tasks, can we do it? That too, responsibly? Can we do good things and avoid bad things? Can we even use all its features well? (Have we really used all the features of an Excel sheet yet?)
These are some of the questions we need to answer.
Conclusion :
Cautiously Optimistic.
I see there is no reason to be pessimistic at all. We have a great machine (rather a Genie) at our hands. We need to use it to the fullest for the good of the society.
To do this, we need to look at AI as an aid. The key is not to compete against machines, but to compete with machines.
