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Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1505828
O ver the past year, generative AI has exploded into the cultural zeitgeist. While discussions around AI and its capabilities have been prevalent for some time, OpenAI's rollout of tools such as Chat GPT and DALL-E has led to a level of mass adoption by the general public that would have been close to unthinkable a few years ago. Now, the race is on to see which companies can leverage generative AI to win—or simply to survive— over the years ahead. Chat GPT, the most well- known of the current crop of apps, is a generative AI chat app based on OpenAI's large language model (the GPT in the name). These models are absolute monsters of pattern recognition; when given a simple prompt, they can create original writings that can only be described as eerily articulate. The internet has been flooded with use cases: efficiently summarizing large texts, creating complex essays or even drafting an outline for an article (such as the one you're reading right now). The flagship example of how advanced Chat GPT has be- come is when it comfortably passed an MBA exam ad- ministered by the renowned Wharton School of Business in Pennsylvania. That very advancement has led to significant fear, particularly among knowl- edge workers, many of whom provide value through the gathering, analysis, syn- thesis and communication of information—all tasks at which generative AI is ruth- lessly efficient. Companies now face a choice: adapt to the reality of generative AI, or be left behind. In the words of Charles Darwin, "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change." Many organizations will be tempted to shrug off gen- erative AI; others will avoid it out of fear or become over- whelmed by it. The most im- portant thing to focus on is that these tools are designed to augment and enhance hu- man intellect, not to replace it. In this context, they are not so different from other tools we already use every day; by way of an example, Microsoft Excel is a comple- ment to our human capac- ity to analyze and action data—but it is not a complete substitute for that work. I N T O T H E F U T U R E You, Me and ChatGPT How business leaders can harness the power of generative AI ISTOCK ( the informer ) 22 BCBUSINESS.CA SEPTEMBER 2023 HOW TO INTRODUCE GENERATIVE AI IN YOUR COMPANY SET ETHICAL USE STANDARDS Much like the invention of the internet, generative AI will bring up ethical questions and discussions that have never existed before. This discourse will vary dramatically by company and industry, but there are some general questions you can use as a starting point: • For what tasks and processes is our team authorized to use AI tools? • When should a team member disclose if they have used an AI tool to produce work? • How will our team moderate and verify the quality of outputs produced by generative AI? • What guidance and constraints does our company's privacy and security policies set on the use of generative AI? ADOPT (OR STRENGTHEN) A CULTURE OF LIFELONG LEARNING ChatGPT and apps like it represent only the first wave in generative AI. In order to keep up, companies must adopt a culture of continuous improvement, or materially elevate the culture they have already established. People tend to underestimate the ability of adult learners to improve their capabilities and performance at work. In my view, the best way to help professionals continuously adapt is through encouraging micro-changes to help them form new or better habits. MONITOR AND ADJUST STRATEGIES AT AN EXECUTIVE LEVEL The reality of generative AI is that every organization will now exist in a more complex, faster-evolving and higher-potential environment. Executives are responsible for monitoring legal, political, economic and technological developments in this space and for adjusting their strategies accordingly. It is ultimately up to business leaders to continuously evolve their company's own unique vision and use cases for generative AI. £ By Josh Blair Josh Blair is the co-founder and CEO of Impro.AI and the vice-chair of Telus International