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Everyone in the tech world, from the giants at Microsoft and Alphabet to small start ups, are looking for new ways to invest in Generative AI. The launch of ChatGPT last year excited everyone and opened everyone’s minds to what could be possible for this new technology.
As happens with almost all technological innovations, as soon as the first wave of excitement showed up, there was an air of hesitation. Many executives worried about the cost of this new tool while employees wondered if their job was at risk.
Each individual company will have different answers for all the questions and concerns surrounding the power of generative AI, but one thing is universal. We are in charge of the ways generative AI will shape the future of the products we offer and the work we do.
Let us explain.
Generative AI is only as powerful as its foundation
Generative AI can do many things, but at its core, it is a tool. It provides recommendations based on the most relevant and accurate data it can find. With accurate, granular data sets, it can recommend with shocking precision the next best action. It can tell you what to write, who to talk to, and which steps a customer should follow for a successful onboarding.
That is, as long as the data it collects is reliable. If garbage data goes into Generative AI tools, garbage will come out.
What does that mean for the future of work? We have to prioritize exact, granular data across our organizations. We can’t rely on self-reported information anymore. In addition to wasting valuable time for our employees, it negatively impacts the power of the tools we invest in. We also have to pull data from as many sources as possible. Tools that aren’t designed to seamlessly share or collect data from a comprehensive list of applications are going to become less and less useful for teams looking to do more with their data and AI.
To harness the power of Generative AI for our organizations, we must be diligent about the way we evaluate our solutions and how we invest in data. Those companies that don’t build a strong data infrastructure to feed their AI tools will start to fall behind the competition. The time to make those changes in your workflow data is now.
The power of Generative AI is what it allows for your team
The other decision you can make right now about the future of your company and operations is how you will use Generative AI to help your team do more. We’re not talking only about productivity (although that is important). We have an opportunity right now to think about the low-value activities that push our colleagues to burnout. We can reimagine what the workday looks like, both in terms of location and hours.
Generative AI tools can help automate the tedious tasks that bog down employees and make it difficult to work asynchronously. The result is more freedom to work in ways that feed each of our interests while still accomplishing all our business goals. The future of work could be both more productive and more fulfilling. But only if we are honest about what is completely necessary.
Ask yourself, what are the high-value activities that only your team can complete? What are the low-value activities that you’re asking your team to participate in that, ultimately, hurt your bottom line? What are you doing now simply because you’ve always done it?
Be ruthless with your answers. The future success of your company depends on it.