Are we overreacting when it comes to AI?
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It could be that we’ve been raised on too much good science fiction. That we’ve had the perilous “rise of the machines” embedded in our collective consciousness, so AI now brings out a sense of anxious doom. Whatever the reason, the stats confirm it. In the space of just two years, we’ve gone from conducting surveys suggesting that six percent of people felt that intelligent automation posed a threat to their employment to reports finding that 49 percent of employees are fearful of losing their jobs to AI.
The fact is, the corporate landscape is in constant flux, always looking for ways to improve. It’s where innovation goes to thrive, where ways of working continually evolve, and we’re expected to adapt to new technology, often in ways that shift the core of our businesses. And by and large, that’s what we’ve learned to do; we’ve learned to embrace the importance of being agile and being able to adapt.
So, to be fearful or overwhelmed by the craze of AI isn’t just counterintuitive in a modern business setting, it’s counterproductive. We shouldn’t be hiding behind the sofa waiting for it to go away, we should be excited by the world of possibilities AI brings. At least cautiously excited, looking for ways to harness its incredible potential.
Our most recent research revealed two very pertinent points. One, that by 2028, 94 percent of new digital products and services will have developed using AI technologies. And secondly, three-quarters of industry leaders in the UK and the US already believe that AI will shape how their sectors evolve over the next 36 months. As such, we see it as a huge part of our job to understand its limitations, to highlight its business value, and, crucially, to close the gap between executive expectations and implementation realities.
One mistake that numerous companies are making at the moment is to pose the question: “What’s our AI strategy?”
Instead, they should focus on “What’s our strategy?” and then consider how AI can be adopted to create or advance their competitive advantage. Looking at the business and the value streams end-to-end, AI presents unique opportunities to improve your business outcomes.
At Emergn, our mission has always been to improve the way people and companies work. Forever. And looking to the future, AI will undoubtedly be an enormous part of that.
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