AI is just a tool, but let’s not act like tools
“AI” is not inherently bad. The technology empowering today’s generative AI are a very empowering and when implemented wisely with proper processes in place and QA aligned, it can help businesses transform to deliver effective solutions faster and more reliably.
This story about how IKEA used AI to succeed in business AND offered job training to not carelessly downsize loyal employees impacted by their highly effective organizational change.
Decisions people, especially business leaders, who make decisions on the use of technology tells you a lot about a person, a company, and its culture.
For example, I have been disengaged by almost all of Meta’s social media platforms lately.
What I’m seeing on there makes me seriously question the culture being encouraged at Facebook and its executive leadership team, if this is what they default to allowing show up in Messages to desperately boost Facebook engagement metrics.
Below are actual screen shots from Facebook Messenger, which seems to enable people to just push AI slop at the user, intended to exploit people and maliciously collect data on them.
Screenshots of weird AI accounts slipping into my Facebook DMs
Screenshots of the account called “My mommy,” an AI account probably looking to exploit me for personal information.
I find all of this very off-putting.
I do NOT want to talk to an “AI mommy” about any challenges I may be facing in my life. The last person I would tell them to is someone’s bad idea for an AI tool.
Not all AI is the same
When friends of mine told me what they were able to do with ChatGPT, I was curious.
As competitors came for the gold rush of what could be achieved with generative AI, I experimented with them as well.
But it’s very clear to me why people I know, including my rabbi, say they don’t like or trust “AI,” and why the Pope is calling out some for making decisions that encourage the harmful use of this technology.
AI has a branding problem and the people running the platform should probably stop talking about how it will eliminate employment opportunities. That’s a great pitch for a venture capitalist firm looking to persuade business executives to use their proprietary large language model.
I’m just not sure some people in charge of social media organizations are trustworthy and reliable enough with user data to want to engage with THEIR AI products.
AI is like any technology, sitting inert without a human giving it purpose. Like any computer, it can automate tasks, but unlike previous forms of automation, like the assembly line, these forms of automation do not wait for a person to give it something to do. For example, it’s impressive to see how AI can be used to help people with various forms of disabilities:
