Introduction to AI and Its Current State
The recent launch of DeepSeek has generated a lot of excitement and headlines, but the technology behind this latest iteration of Generative AI is not without its limitations. While it’s interesting and promising, it’s also a little overhyped. This phenomenon may be partly due to a generational difference in how technology is perceived and utilized.
The Evolution of IT and AI
The baby boomer generation was the first to be widely employed in IT and learned the lessons of business the hard way. Projects had to be cost-justified, and technology was expensive, requiring a robust ROI case. In contrast, today’s IT industry is enormous, with the Fortune 50 replete with major tech brands, and other sectors marveling at the profit margins of the software sector. However, this may not be the case in the real world of corporate IT, where caution, pragmatism, and a raised eyebrow or two are necessary.
The Role of AI in Business
AI is far from new, with its roots dating back to the middle of the previous century. Despite the excitement, it has played only a moderate role in the business world. The success of tools like Chat-GPT has catapulted it to mainstream attention, but it is still beset by familiar issues, such as high deployment costs, enormous compute power requirements, and questionable responses. There are also serious questions to be asked about legal liability and copyright.
A Balancing Act
We need to strike a happy balance between the boosterism and experimentation inherent in AI today and a healthy sense of pragmatism. We should begin with the business case and ask how AI helps us. What is our mission? Where are our strategic opportunities and risks? OK, now how can AI help us? Today, there is too much "AI is great, let’s see what we can do with it."
The Opportunities and Limitations of AI
AI is great at massive computation tasks that human beings are bad at. It can study patterns and detect trends faster than our feeble human brains can. It doesn’t get tired or require time off, and it’s surprisingly excellent at a limited number of creative tasks such as making images, music, poems, and videos. However, it’s bad at seeing the big picture, lacks the human sense of caution, and has no experience of the real world of work.
The Current State of AI in Business
AI today is great at the edge: in powering bots that answer predictable questions or agents that help us achieve rote tasks faster than would otherwise be the case. Robotic process automation has been a useful aid and has changed the dynamic of how the human being interacts with computers. There are grey areas too, such as conversational AI, which is a work in progress, but we can expect rapid improvements based on iterative continuous learning.
The Future of AI and Humanity
We are some way off from having robot CEOs, and we need to ensure that AI ‘decisions’ are tempered by human bosses that have common sense, the ability to check, test, and revert. The future is one where AI and humanity work in concert, but for now, we are wise to deploy with care and with sensible budgets and the appropriate level of commitment.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while AI is a massive opportunity, we need to approach it with caution and pragmatism. We should begin with the business case and ask how AI helps us, rather than simply adopting it because it’s new and exciting. By striking a balance between boosterism and pragmatism, we can harness the power of AI to improve our businesses and our lives.
FAQs
- Q: What is the current state of AI in business?
A: AI is still in its early stages, but it has the potential to revolutionize the way we work and live. - Q: What are the limitations of AI?
A: AI is bad at seeing the big picture, lacks the human sense of caution, and has no experience of the real world of work. - Q: What is the future of AI and humanity?
A: The future is one where AI and humanity work in concert, but for now, we are wise to deploy with care and with sensible budgets and the appropriate level of commitment. - Q: How can I learn more about AI and big data?
A: You can check out the AI & Big Data Expo, which is taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London, and explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge.
