What I’m thinking about as we wrap the week: Generative AI
FM (Friday Morning) Reflection #2
I spend a lot of time thinking about Generative AI (GenAI) and its impact on people, the workforce and society. I do this every day as part of my own work, and like you, as an individual living in an era where this technology is rapidly emerging.
The public release of ChatGPT in November 2022 triggered a gusher of attention that spans the full gamut of hype, hysteria, and hope. Now nearly two years in, the outlines of how this will impact the workplace and society are starting to come into view.
I believe that we are in the early days of a once-in-a-generation period of transformational change akin to the arrival of desktop computing, broadband, and streaming.
GenAI has the potential to provide us with new “superpowers for good.” Consider a great salesperson whose skills lie in building relationships rather than writing. GenAI can assist that person with drafting a standout sales proposal. Maybe you have a great visual imagination but never learned to draw – image creation tools can help you get started and hone a representation of your ideas. Authors and readers will be able to easily translate content from one language to another with tools integrated into everyday methods of communication.
GenAI has the potential to directly benefit a much larger swath of society than have other recent technical innovations. For instance, I think it’s fair to say that efforts to digitize business processes have greatly benefited knowledge workers – coders, analysts, data architects, and those in similar roles – but that’s a limited group. Not everyone has the inclination and skills to do those jobs, nor would we want that from an economic standpoint.
How might GenAI be different?
Notice that in two of the examples above, the work involved acts of co-creation; in other words, human actors used tools to accomplish things that would otherwise not be possible. And that’s the key to thriving in this new landscape. Many of us can learn to work with Generative AI tools because they incorporate natural language interfaces – we can literally ask them questions and to do things for us. Those who acquire the skill to work with these tools will be better positioned to reap the benefits from GenAI than those who do not.
GenAI tools have the potential to give us superpowers because of how they can augment our abilities – not because they are a magic wand. We should stop thinking about them that way. In fact, the GenAI tools available today are often clunky and don’t live up to the hype. That should not be a surprise. Remember the first iPhone? Stunning and groundbreaking … and quite rudimentary compared to what we know now.
But don’t wait for perfection. Try out the widely available tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Copilot, Gemini, MidJourney, and Firefly to understand their capabilities, limitations, and how they can benefit you. When faced with a problem, consider how GenAI can assist in solving it. You can even ask many of the GenAI tools for suggestions - and they’ll tell you!
As with all technology, GenAI can be used for both good and harmful purposes. Our goal should be to use it thoughtfully, leveraging its potential for productivity and innovation, while working to understand and overcome challenges, such as hallucinations and its ability to generate misinformation.
Last night, I was privileged to hear Jackie Joyner-Kersee speak at an event hosted by BCA Philadelphia. She shared her journey from growing up in East St. Louis, Illinois to becoming a six-time Olympic medalist. I was moved by the enduring themes of perseverance and the human spirit that are integral to her story.
Generative AI will never experience human struggles or triumphs. But it can help us think of new ways to tackle challenges, overcome obstacles, and do better. And perhaps in that, we’ll find ways to contribute to the most important human innovation of them all: wisdom.
Bonus Content
Sunrise around 6:30a this morning as I was writing this week’s FM Reflection. Enjoy!
