AI, or artificial intelligence, is a technology that has received a lot of attention in recent years. Many believe it will fundamentally change the way we live and work. But what does it really mean for humanity and our future?
In recent years, there has been a lot of talk about AI threatening our jobs - not only those with 'simple' routine tasks, but also the more skilled professions that require analytical skills and/or creativity. According to some, the breakthrough of automation and robotics is only a matter of time and virtually everything will eventually be automated. While others argue that we humans carry something that can never be replaced by AI and robots. They argue that in a world where much is digitized, the value of what cannot be digitized increases, i.e. the human factor, the creative and emotional layer.
By 2023, we know that AI has started to produce music, art and content that cannot be easily distinguished from human-produced content. November 2022 saw the launch of ChatGPT, the first AI capable of writing longer texts such as expository essays, poems, and helping programmers solve coding problems with quick solution suggestions. The first paragraph of this article is written by ChatGPT.
What, then, are the human and non-replaceable characteristics? Our understanding of this is something that has been upgraded over time. A while ago, we didn't think AI would be able to produce creatively authored text, and today there are smart AI engines that produce higher quality text. Translation engines are getting smarter every day and it won't be long before they replace the need to learn an entire language to communicate with other people.
In sales, the trend towards automation started more than 10 years ago. With CRM and Marketing Automation solutions, we can automate the repetitive, let the computer handle large amounts of data and inform us when a human touch or a personalized approach is needed. The role of the salesperson will be to create trust and build relationships, while the digital solutions will handle the boring and repetitive. However, we are barely there. Today's CRM and Marketing Automation solutions depend on and rely on the data that we humans feed into the systems to provide us with insights and streamline sales and marketing efforts. But have we reached the limits of development?
Are we sure we can't automate data entry or the relationship and trust building parts of sales? Is it safe to say that there will always be a need for a personalized approach as it is ultimately individuals who buy services?
There is an interesting anecdote in Harari's "Homo Deus" about music professor David Cope. After 7 years of research and development, his controversial EMI (Experiment in Musical Intelligence) program produced 5,000 Bach-style chorales in a single day. After being challenged by another music professor, Cope organized a listening session where the AI-generated works were played alongside Bach and Larson, a modern composer. This was to see if the participants could distinguish who composed which work. The end result shocked everyone:
"On the appointed date, hundreds of lecturers, students and music fans gathered in the University of Oregon's concert hall. At the end of the session, a vote was taken. The result? The audience believed that EMI's work was the real Bach, that Bach's work was composed by Larson, and that Larson's work was produced by a computer."
Hararis 'Homo Deus' P.324
So, is it possible to hand over even the creative work to AI? If it is possible to create creative content, is it also possible to leave tasks such as building relationships and trust to these smart creations?
If we look back at how we thought about these things less than 10 years ago and then look at the developments that have taken place in such a short time, it becomes increasingly clear that it is only a matter of time before the impact of automation and robotization is really felt. Some tasks are slightly easier to robotize, while others will take slightly longer and require more advanced algorithms. But every time we install an application and give the system permission to collect and analyze our data, we are feeding algorithms with valuable data about how we work, how we think and what is needed to imitate us. In the long run, services will be bought by AI and the importance of personal chemistry and the relationship between buyer and seller will become completely irrelevant.
What to do in such a future?
If we are to stay relevant in a digital world driven by AI, we need to educate ourselves and ensure that our knowledge and data remain relevant. It is also important to keep in mind that we live in a crucial era. We have a great responsibility to shape the impact of AI on our lives and the future of humanity.
As Steven Hawkings once said:
"Success in creating effective AI, could be the biggest event in the history of our civilization. Or the worst. We just don't know. So we cannot know if we will be infinitely helped by AI, or ignored by it and side-lined, or conceivably destroyed by it. Unless we learn how to prepare for, and avoid, the potential risks, AI could be the worst event in the history of our civilization. It brings dangers, like powerful autonomous weapons, or new ways for the few to oppress the many. It could bring great disruption to our economy."