You’ve probably heard the saying that “Time waits for no one”, well in 2024 that can very well be modified to “AI waits for no one”.
You can’t turn on the TV, look at social media, or even checkout at the grocery store without seeing some type of article, video, or ad that talks about AI. And the perspectives are all over the place. It’s the best thing since sliced bread or it’s the devil coming straight for you.
We talk to lots of organizations every week and in recent months our discussions have revolved around AI and where they are at in the journey and exploration of the pros and cons of AI. One discussion may be centered around the idea of “Man we really want to understand the potential and if this is a real thing or not” and the next may be “We will NEVER implement any type of AI in our organization because we hire people … not robots”. It’s truly amazing to see the variety of perspectives on this technology.
I have been in the technology industry going on 30 years this year. Man, I really can’t believe I can be that old… something HAS to be off in the Matrix for that to be true (OK… so maybe I am that old). But one thing is undeniable when it comes to AI. For those who have dug into the technology, it is truly one of the fastest-growing, changing, and expanding technologies I have seen in the last 30 years. Nothing is even coming close to just how fast this technology is evolving. The only thing that comes close and it is still miles away in terms of comparison is when digital music started back in the late 90s and early 2000s.
Napster came onto the scene as a file-sharing application targeted and designed to share digital copies of songs. It was AMAZING! You could search for just about any song and chances are you would find a digital version of it uploaded and shared that you could in turn download and add to your collection. (This was way before downloading files from someone you had never met or knew anything about was like playing in traffic blindfolded). But then Napster was shut down because it was after all – pirating on a digital scale.
Steve Jobs recognized the major opportunity and advancement this could bring to the entertainment space and launched the legitimate version that allowed artists to sell their songs for download through the official iTunes store. At the same time, they announced the groundbreaking technology of the iPod to play those songs and the music world changed forever. Now that same amazing ability to search for just about any song and immediately download it to your personal devices was available but it was a win/win for everyone.
However, several notable artists refused to participate in this new technology. The argument was that this allowed consumers to download individual songs instead of full albums which would destroy the income potential for artists and their labels and make it easier for consumers to pirate their music. Their stance was they would NEVER allow their music to exist in those digital formats and stores. Years earlier some of the same arguments were made when the CD was becoming the new music media. CDs were master quality versions that would encourage consumers to make copies that were much higher quality and thus would destroy the music industry. Alas, that did not happen but the CD technology had a relatively short lifespan that was very quickly replaced with digital downloads. Since then digital downloads have been slowly replaced by streaming and the arguments are still there against new technology with some artists swearing they will never participate.
To this day, there are still artists who refuse to allow their music to be streamed. Their stance isn’t stopping the technology, only their ability to leverage it for their benefit and gain. There’s no better example of this than Taylor Swift. I am not a Swiftie by any means. I have nothing against her music but it’s not my go-to music either. But from a business perspective, no one can argue Taylor Swift’s business acumen. She has gone back and forth over the years when it comes to her stance on streaming and the platforms providing it. But one thing is certain, she leverages that technology better than anyone else in the industry. Her albums consistently are at the top of the streaming charts and stay there longer than just about any other artist. She pre-sells access (which makes no sense to me at all but I’m an old guy) to her albums and generates hype months in advance. She sells out stadiums for her live tours with tickets going for hundreds and even thousands of dollars each. She records those live concerts only to leverage the technology to sell tickets to see the tour concert in a movie theater. Then sells access to stream that same content on at-home digital streaming services after she has made the maximum amount in the movie theaters. Show me an artist who is a die-hard vinyl proponent who generates more than a fraction of a percent of that type of income.
Last year AI was one of the topics in the crosshairs of the Screen Actors Guild because of the potential for the technology to replace jobs, create mediocre content, and threaten the industry as a whole. We even saw Helen Mirren start an acceptance speech at the American Cinematheque Awards only to stop halfway through and tear the speech up and announce that it was an AI-written script in a show of defiance against AI.
I am not saying the concerns expressed are not valid and that there doesn’t need to be a discussion around the ethical constraints and controls that need to be in place.
My point for this is that objecting to and refusing to use technology has never stopped it from progressing.
This couldn’t be more true as it relates to AI. The technology is here, it is progressing and evolving almost overnight. The capabilities are mind-blowing and the potential for improvements in our work, and daily lives is truly incredible. Much like the automobile critics who claimed they would never use transportation that didn’t use live horses or mules, change happens without your consent when it comes to technology.
In some cases, AI is just a term being thrown around to generate hype and marketing for something that isn’t going to be a truly beneficial application or use. Some of the AI technology pushed right now isn’t fully baked (I won’t mention any specifics). But… one thing should grab your attention and that is the fact that the speed at which this technology is expanding, real or not, is what is causing vendors and products to rush to say they have features available. But for the applications that are more developed and tested – there are some AMAZING capabilities.
AI waits for no one! So doesn’t it make more sense to start exploring the technology today and begin trying to understand the impact and potential? Then you can make informed decisions regarding your own use of it.
If you are unsure of what all AI has the potential for and conversely what some of the concerns should be in your evaluation – get in touch with us! We have an AI and Automation Accelerator program to help you navigate things and create your own customized blueprint for execution!