I attended the ‘Birmingham AI Summit’ at Aston University recently & having walked in the door ready to learn, I wasn’t disappointed by a hugely impressive group of experts all with their own perspective on AI & what the future may hold. My biggest reflections were:
2. AI is not a new concept – from a summer research project in 1956 where the term was coined, through ‘ELIZA’, arguably the world’s first chatbot in 1966 to the past 15 years where the investment, the power & the networks have come together to make the idea a reality.
3. For those trying to hold back the flow at the dam – it is already quite pervasive whether you like it or not, in healthcare, banking, insurance or the workings of your car to name but a few. Chances are you have already engaged with AI today…
4. 30% of jobs done today could be gone by 2030 (Source: McKinsey) & with 59% of the current UK working population lacking essential digital skills. Perhaps then, the conversation should switch to how we better equip the workforce with more digital dexterity than obsess about technology taking jobs?
5. In contrast it is estimated that 30% of employees are using AI today to help with their job, so for organisations there needs to be a focus on governance, risk, education, oversight & measurement.
6. Training these Large Language Models & making all those talking cats / action figures is already contributing to extreme energy usage which will be the equivalent of Japan’s total consumption by the end of 2026 & it won’t stop there. (Source: Yale360)
7. With only 17% of the cyber workforce being female as one example, AI creation & learning already has a number of biases built in whether wittingly or unwittingly by its creators.
8. The problem for educators & us as leaders is to try & help people to engage with a technology that is evolving so fast & in some cases does not yet exist. Having an open mindset, the desire to explore & a curious disposition may well become the most important CV attributes of the future.
Whatever your view, curiosity & exploration are where I would urge you to choose to be on the topic. Be a critical friend, don’t present AI’s outputs as fact & see it more as a really smart partner who can help you make quicker & more informed decisions.
As one of the presenters shared, AI is a bit like a game of chess “we can’t undo the last move, but we can make the next one better”.
Negative Capability
Strange topic for someone who claims to help in ‘Building Capability & Enabling Change’… Well, the ‘negative capability’ to which I refer has been around since 1817, long before the concept of coaching or consulting became a ‘thing’. It…
