Hearing more discussion about importance of human decision making in AI. What it is and should be. Practically what does that mean? Let’s find out .
Human decision communications we see/hear around AI are at operational level. Running the business. This 4 week series concentrates on strategic executive level.
Before we can focus we need to understand
What’s really going on in AI today...big picture, not just our companies.
What our individual companies need to understand about AI…to avoid unknowingly screwing up.
How our companies are and should be using AI. To fullest benefit for our companies, employees and customers. Practical uses. Always looking at least 3 years down the road.
What each of our actual 3-year AI plans should include.
AI Today
Goal? Like all goals of company. Out innovate and out perform competition.
Big Picture is Emerging…and it’s not good
AI is moving too fast. To many players. Thousands of applications. Developed individually to address specific problems, issues, or opportunities.
That’s fine but…. Individuals and companies are merging different AI applications. In ways developers never thought about, much less intended.
The danger in AI is common sense. AI’s and Users. Users rarely know or understand purpose and solution this AI application was designed for. Developers only know what they intended. Users view? “Shoot if it does this well it should be able to…. “ Fill in the blank on what users think applications should be able to do.
Result? Users ask and expect, AI applications to do all kinds of things the application was never designed for. This is where glitches and hacks come in.
Side note: 3 part solution to above. (We were amazed how few companies, even with revenue in hundreds of millions are doing this. If you are congratulations.)
First, make sure your AI department fully understands what each application can and can’t do.
Second, make sure AI communicates that, in simple English, to people using each application. Make sure employees know what application can’t do or wasn’t designed for.
Our employees are much more savvy than we credit them. If they know application wasn’t designed for issue they won’t ask. Employees don’t like egg on their face.
Third, there needs to be corporate policy on how employees can suggest new AI applications. AI needs to review, test and respond within 7 days.
The challenge?
Unless you have very large AI team, they don’t even know all AI applications being used, much less detailed ins and outs of each. Employees on daily basis are downloading AI applications to experiment with. Employee objective? Do their job better to contribute more to company.
Questions:
Does your company have team within AI, that can test suggested AI applications?
Policy for employees to follow to request use of new AI application?
Policy for AI to review and respond within a week? (Response can be yes, no, we need additional ___ days to review. (Never more than 7 more days.)
We need to understand employee’s excitement. If they are suggesting an AI application, they are already excited. The think they are bringing something valuable to the company. Maybe they are the next Jobs or Musk. No, unlikely they are shooting that high. But they do feel they are offering value.
Slowing them down is telling them to quit trying. None of us can afford to discourage employees. Not in this new age.
Our challenge as strategic leaders?
First, wrapping the company arms around all applications in company.
Second, creating and communicating simple rules before anyone can introduce or use a different application.
There have to be serious consequences. We’re trying to avoid multi-million dollar+ mistakes or hacks.
Any employee breaking the rules needs to be summarily fired.
Companies need to be committed to enforce this very strictly. (Yes, you probably will fire few employees you really don’t want to lose.) When employee is fired for breaking rules, publicize everywhere within company. Every company employee needs to understand importance of the rules.
Why? Said it above. Avoiding multi-million dollar hacks and unwitting mistakes.
Back to common sense and User expectations
Last 2 weeks read number articles on major screw-ups AI has caused. Screw-ups that have embarrassed companies. Screw-ups companies had no idea were coming or what they had done to cause them. Much less what to do to minimize damage and correct.
Elon Musk characterized AI as the “wild, wild west.”
There are no regulations. Companies are not working together, everyone is competing against each other Thousands eager entrepreneurs. Who all think they are going to be the next Jobs or Musk. Eager to get their version of solution to market…next week.
Developers taking short cuts? Always. Expect it. As buyers we need to check out everything. Hasn’t it always been “buyer beware?” Why are people acting as though this is different? Nothing different about AI than any other major shift.
Last week Elon Musk warned to be very careful of AI. Neither Federal Government nor major corporations are creating any standards. Elon was saying AI is the wild-wild west. No-one is controlling or guiding AI big picture. Major players are more interested in one-upmanship and being first to market. Ethics? In the eye of the beholder.
Now we have hackers trying to exploit every and all AI applications to steal as much information from companies as possible. Financial info, customers, sales and marketing, operational secrets, etc. With no standards it’s open season for them.
EU has been taking current state of AI more seriously than US. But they are only 1-3% ahead of us when it comes to solving industry wide problems and issues. (Lots of talk, very little action.)
Few States are trying things. Just what we need 50+ different standards. States talking to each other? Most “no.” I’m not hearing results.
How about AI itself? None of major players in AI appear to be talking with each other. Much less working together. (Unless it’s some type of merger.) Corporations have always competed to get an edge. Companies in AI are doing the same thing.
What is everybody missing?
We are hearing conversations about better communications. I don’t hear understanding. Communications without a company plan and understanding of goals and objectives is just talk.
Major world issue #1: Corporations (inside and outside of AI) are still acting like we are in 1990’s. When all of us could just worry about our own companies.
Today, communications have been turned upside down. Business issues are the same they have always been. How we approach and succeed requires different communication style. Great deal more collaboration between companies.
Each of us need to be cooperating with competitors and other companies to solve AI issues. We are a;; collaborators, no longer “just competitors.”
Starting to hear lot about importance of communications. Particularily CHRO. CHRO has been in background for decades. They see chance to sit at the table. They are pushing hard to take their place. Can’t blame them. They’ve made major strides last decade. But getting to the main table is evolutionary, not revolutionary. They no more belong there than AI does…today.
But CHRO has made very valuable contribution. They have pointed out that communications have changed.
My way of thinking, everyone is concentrating on wrong communication issues.
It starts with Strategic Corporate Communications. Between Chairmen, Presidents, CEO’s, and EVP’s resetting corporate direction for next 3 years. How do we work in conjunction with people and companies we have considered serious rivals? These people from various companies need to come together. This is not a function for delegation.
Groups of like-minded competitors need to start meeting monthly. Just for an hour or so. Initially concentrating on common things companies are all working on. Where can we make faster progress working together? Conceptually, not operationally.
Next would come discussions on plans of each company for next 3 years. Not detailed plans, again conceptual plans. What are they working on? What could be turned into team effort? At least to a certain point.
Those of us at top of our companies need to figure out better communication methods and styles. As we do, we can start to introduce them into our companies. This is top down thinking, not bottom up.
CHRO trying to change communication methods and styles within our companies at this point is premature. Noble, but slow down.
Have CHRO concentrate on critical operational communications issues between teams. We can’t allow our companies to skip steps. Not when missed steps mean embarrassing glitches or hacks. Corporate wide conceptual communications from very top first. Not as glamorous as CHRO would like, but it is what our companies need.
Crawl, then walk, then run. You can’t train for marathon until you have conquered the crawl and walk steps. (Our companies are in early miles of marathon.) I’ve seen inside of hundreds of corporations. When it comes to effective communications they (and ours) are at walking stage.
Objective in meeting with Collaborators: Compare problems, opportunities and issues.
How, as an industry group what can we change in next 3 months? This isn’t company secrets, marketing plans, operational issues, or financial issues. This is strategic business planning at the highest level.
What issues will we jointly work on? That will save each of us time. While streamlining, accelerating and enhancing each of our companies. Building revenues, profits while expanding company reach.
We are in world that needs a different communications model. How can we work together instead of each of going our own way?
Just in AI, how many collaborators are using some of same applications? What’s working? Frustrating your teams? What can you address better as a group?
We all have teams in our companies. Why not teams for like-minded companies working common issues? Collaborate synergistically.
At this point my philosophy needs to be made clear.
First “how not who.” Who is already working this issue? That is smarter than I am and/or further along? Reach out to them. Team up. Can’t speak for you, but I hate re-inventing the wheel.
Second. I don’t think any meeting should take more than an hour. (Ok first session of a group of companies collaborating can take 2 hours. But just this once.)
Issues that come up needing more time and discussion? Schedule just the people needed for issue. But don’t give them more than hour to come up with workable solutions.
Read article his week. People in business world are averaging 62 meetings a month. Article pointed out,” that‘s only 3 daily.” Ridiculous.
Huge percentage of meetings are unnecessary. Frequent reports, stats, and data can eliminate many meetings. Memos can eliminate more. Analysis and reports of progress, issues, and problems can eliminate other meetings.
When Ferree & Associates had 5 Divisions I allowed one meeting per Division per week. That was still 20 meetings monthly. Drove me nuts that we had that many.
7 summary points this week.
World of business has changed…forever. Implications are greater than computer, internet or AI. Notice each of those were significant steps in magnitude.
AI is wonderful and terrible. But we can’t do without it. Even if it is breaking, getting hacked, and embarrassing companies weekly.
Neither AI Developers nor our companies have clue how it really works. Ability to ask anything and get instant responses lulls us. We assume answers are factual and true…rarely doing any interpretative fact checking. That’s blowing up in company faces weekly. (AI has matured, but view it as 6 month old child.)
People and companies are integrating different AI applications. Without understanding individual applications and their pitfalls first.
Major world issue: Communications have changed worldwide…forever…and in ways we don’t understand.
To repeat, AI is like 6 month infant, but acting like it has string of Ph D’s. Like many Ph D’s, education does not guarantee common sense or understanding.
Communications are being talked about…at the wrong levels.Issue above means companies need to work together synergistically. We are all collaborators, not competitors. Create teams of Chairmen, Pres, and EVPs of companies that used to be competitors but are now compatriots. Identify areas you can work together…at the highest levels. These are not topics to pass along to junior executives.
“How not who.” Apply concept internally. When collaborating look at other companies that could do what is being done jointly.
Coming in next 3 weeks:
-How to Approach Overall AI in Your Company
-Managing AI Today, Tomorrow and Next Week
-Gaining Control of AI Without Breaking the Bank
Make sure you don’t miss any of above.
Like assistance, or have question before next week? Reach out.
These are the most exciting times of our careers and companies. There are no limits to opportunities. Challenge is picking the right opportunities.
Tom Ferree is the founder of Ferree & Associates and SecureEmploy, organizations focused on helping companies find exceptional talent and helping professionals advance their careers. Since founding Ferree & Associates in 1977, Tom has worked extensively with hospitality companies, executives, and rising leaders across the industry. Through SecureEmploy, he shares practical career strategies, leadership insights, and real-world advice to help professionals grow their careers and help organizations build stronger teams.
