Don’t be scared of AI – learn how to harness it

The release of ChatGPT in November 2022 prompted the fastest public adoption of any new technology we have seen in a long time — perhaps ever. Many businesses however, are largely taking a “wait and see” approach and are hesitant to go all-in with this nascent technology.

A lack of relevant skills, regulatory concerns and security issues all feed into an overarching fear of use, spurred on by the media narrative of ‘AI is coming for your jobs’.

Those who watch from the sidelines in fear always get left behind. The key to success is to jump in while the technology is still finding its feet, or otherwise risk having to play catch-up. There is of course nothing to be afraid of. In fact, the potential that AI holds should be harnessed by people to further their own capabilities.

The first thing to establish is that humans will always be integral to the process and AI will take on the role of co-pilots. While it is without doubt that Generative AI technology can compute large data sets to produce content, the human element to this entire process is key. Firstly, any output by AI bots is only as good as the prompt that it’s fed – something human intelligence and judgement is integral for. The output also then needs to be reviewed and refined. If you leave all responses to automated AI you may get the most logical answer – which may even be good enough to use – but you won’t get the best possible answer for a solution. This is where human creativity and insight is important. With AI taking away the legwork, people can focus on getting the best possible final result.

Once this mindset shift is achieved, AI tools will be viewed for what they are; very powerful tools but not replacements. The best way to start integrating AI tools into your tech infrastructure is by first looking at specific business use cases. Appropriate AI tools can be used for various business-centric decisions. For instance, tools can churn through all available employee data to pick out employees best suited to a particular project. Or they can look through historic data to predict the future impact of any business decisions. The use cases are endless and we’re only just getting started.

The most exciting element is how easily accessible these tools are and will continue to be. You don’t need to be a coder or have a technical background to use them and the potential for everyone to become an ‘everyday innovator’ is endless. You can personalise these tools however you want to –even at the touch of a button on your smartphones!

We’re already starting to see enterprises and public sector entities putting bots in place for specific tasks with tangible effects. The development of GOV.UK Chat by the Government Digital Service has shown very promising results as of 2024 based on trials with central government users. Quite understandably the government is taking a balanced, measured and data-driven approach to the technology – but that is balanced by a healthy attitude to experimentation and bringing in ideas from across government departments.

It’s time to start taking this experimental approach while thinking deeply about the specific use-case you want AI to solve. As the world changes rapidly, make sure you’re getting ahead of the curve as AI bots are already changing the way we work and live.

If you are thinking of incorporating AI into your business then contact us to find out more about the proven 6point6 approach to incorporating AI in a responsible manner.