Caught in the rush.
It is easy to do. And it comes with consequences and costs. The latter may be financial, social, political, cultural and operational. Take pause, the business landscape is littered with the fallout of past rushes centred on mass production, just-in-time, cloud computing and online sales. More contemporary examples feature production zero-emissions, green-energy, algorithms, renewable fuels and autonomous operations.
And now, there is AI – artificial intelligence.
There are lessons to be learnt. Sugar rushes effect changes in behaviour, waistlines, eating habits and attention spans. Many of those were not considered, anticipated, or subjected to rational cost: benefit equations at the time of purchase.
Value is difficult to measure, monitor and control. It can be, and often is a weighty issue.
Few want to be left behind… behind what? The sentiments evolve into truisms, founded on emotions and well-intended intensions and idealisms which typically lack objective, substantive and rational reasoning.
Generative AI is representative of the subject matter. The term is both explicit and implicit. Generational, strategic and quantum change, if not progress, advancement and competitive advantage, is significant in scale.
IT DON’T COME EASY
Enhanced efficiency, effectiveness and productivity of innovations, technologies and disruptive processes may not result in better outcomes, advantages, benefits and rewards for clients, customers, service providers, business managers and stakeholders.
Indeed, they can have profound impacts on morale, cohesion, job security, employee attrition rates, customer service and service delivery.
Skill-gaps become evident rapidly. Internal and external satisfaction levels can decline.
Therefore, installing innovations and change is only an initial phase. Ensuring and optimising “fit” may require attention, time and resources to facilitate, install and support changes in structures, systems, processes and skill sets.
Australia, Australians and Australian businesses are beneficiaries of the mining resources. We are foremost in operations, profitability and adaptability. Autonomous trucks and trains are examples. Admittedly, the sector is populated with risk-takers, entrepreneurs and opportunists.
A commonly applied philosophy is founded on three pillars:
· MINE
· REFINE
· DEFINE
Each, and all, have relevance and application to commerce at large, particularly when addressing artificial intelligence.
A key preceding phase is: EXPLORE.
Artificial Intelligence has many dimensions. Some are customised. Others have been commoditised. None can be secured, installed and left to its own devices. Inevitably deficiencies, shortfalls and errors become apparent – with potentially significant implications, complications and consequences. Therefore, mining the marketplace for the “right’ or most appropriate AI is imperative. One size does not fit all.
Mining, scoping and documenting the potential will identify the needs for complementary, contributing and supportive infrastructure.
That will enable pre-emptive refinement to the intended introduced artificial intelligence and the existing operations.
Gaps will need to be filled, only then can outcomes, intended and unintended, advantages and disadvantages, enhancing and improving be identified, analysed, documented, implemented, monitored, measured, improved and provided with optimal infrastructural support.
ChatGPT, or similar, are timely case studies. Pre-existing phone, computer and online systems maybe incompatible or limiting.
Human overview checking, verification and approval are advisable, if not mandatory. Legal practitioners, medical specialists, engineering experts and psychology consultants will attest to that.
Set and forget is fraught with potential pending or inevitable non-identifiable consequences.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
Artificial Intelligence should be secured and implemented for specific purpose or intended outcomes. Accordingly, goals, outcomes and key performance indicators need to be determined and qualified first, with input from relevant internal and external stakeholders.
Variances and refinements may be necessary. They should be tolerated, recognised, respected and actioned.
Delegated authorities and responsibilities need to be determined and agreed upon, implemented and enforced. Transparency and accountability are important. There should be no space to hide.
The process is called:
Rhyme and Reason
ALERT:
Beware AI snake-oil-salespeople. They abound.
They seem to appear without invitation or solicitation,
then disappear. Follow-up, follow-through and
accountabilities are difficult to implement.
CREATIVE MISSIVES
Artificial Intelligence works best from a broad and extensive existing database. It is those that determine parameters and content.
Therefore, original and unprecedent thought, texts, expressions, responses and actions have severely restrained scopes.
AI is fundamentally a tool which complements existing human, systemic and structural resources. It does not and should not be employed to replace such. Operating in or from a void is, well, hollow.
CONCLUSION
Artificial Intelligence, in its many guises, represents exciting prospects. Commerce at large should be open, positive and enthusiastic about the prospects.
However, it comes with inherent costs, strengths, weaknesses, limitations and needs.
Each phase, step if you will, needs to be explored, mined, refined and defined before acquisition, introduction, implementation and operation.
We at Marketing Focus have contributed to many deliberations on how customer service will be affected, can be effected and improved because of AI. The circumstances are situational and individualised. The benefits are immense, when perceived through client and customer perspectives, particularly personalised customer service.
Think about it – That is intelligent, but not artificial.
Barry Urquhart
Business Strategist
Marketing Focus
M: 041 983 5555
E: Urquhart@marketingfocus.net.au