When we think about AI, we often focus solely on various things like productivity and time. It’s been the go-to metric in tech announcements for ages. But let’s rewind a bit. Back when Windows 95 was launching, it was all about how it would supercharge productivity, promising ROI within a year. In contrast it didn’t go the way people anticipated. In this blog we will understand is AI dangerous.
Now, AI’s ROI could be even dicier.In addition, our tech issues nowadays aren’t so much about lacking productivity but about making irrelevant decisions. I recently attended a Computex event, and amidst all the presentations, guess what I saw lurking?
An old productivity pitch made through AI tools. But here’s the catch, if we ramp up speed without improving decision quality, we can see fatal results.
Back in my IBM days, they told us that quality was king. I remember this one class from the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP) that drilled into the importance of direction over speed. Most companies sprint towards speed without setting the right course first. And guess what? That leads to zooming in the wrong direction and that too faster.
During my journey as a competitive analyst at various companies, I’d often see my well-founded recommendations go ignored, with catastrophic results. Why? Because some execs would rather look right than be right. Eventually, my team got axed because they didn’t like being called out for ignoring solid advice.
But here’s the kicker, “when I switched gears and became an external analyst, suddenly, my advice was important. Execs didn’t see me as competition, so they were more open to taking a different path.”
Executives are drowning in data these days, yet many still make boneheaded decisions. That’s where AI should step in, helping companies make smarter calls. But here’s the thing: until we nail decision quality, focusing on AI for productivity is like slapping a Band-Aid on a broken leg.
With Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the mix, we’re making decisions faster than ever. But are they any good? Take Microsoft and Intel, big backers of the AI wave. Despite their influence, they’ve made some serious blunders over the years, costing them CEOs left and right.
Steve Ballmer, for instance. Harvard whiz, brains behind the Xbox, but couldn’t quite crack the code after that. Zune? Flop. Microsoft Phone? Bust. Yahoo? Technology is not that easy.
First off, AI, AGI, Generative AI are impressive, no doubt. But it’s also hella inaccurate. Just look at OpenAI ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and Microsoft’s Copilot—top dogs in AI, but bottom feeders in quality, according to the Wall Street Journal.
And even if AI was spot-on, would the CEO’s government trust it? Past behavior says nope. They’d sooner trust their gut than a fancy algorithm. So, even if we fix AI’s quality woes, it still won’t reach its full potential if execs keep snubbing it.
Even as an individual, you can play a role in shaping how AI is developed and used. AI is dangerous or not completely lies in our hand. Here are some ways you can contribute to ethical AI.
We need tech we can trust, not just speed demons. And we need to teach folks to embrace good advice, AI or not, without feeling like their jobs are on the chopping block.AI’s got the potential to make our world better, but only if it delivers quality results and we actually use them to make smart choices.
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SEO-savvy content writer and technical specialist with over 5 years of cross-industry experience. MBA graduate dedicated to crafting impactful narratives for your brand.