Three predictions on AI and the future of work
Going from tech-curious to tech-literate can be simple if you have access to the right resources. Here are some recent highlights to keep you informed:
Welcome to the new subscribers who have joined us since the last newsletter! We’ve heard your feedback and understand that many of you are eager to enhance your skills in emerging technologies like AI and understand their practical impacts on your life.
Going from tech-curious to tech-literate can be simple if you have access to the right resources. Here are some recent highlights to keep you informed:
How would you describe AI to a 6 year old?
This is a thought-provoking and optimistic TED talk by Mustafa Suleyman, the CEO of Microsoft AI, that starts with a simple question asked by his 6-year old nephew: What is AI?
Some takeaways from the talk:
With AI, we’re headed towards the emergence of something we’re all struggling to describe. Yet we can’t control what we don’t understand.
Mustafa likens AI to a new digital species, or our digital companions for the future. We’re in the fastest and most consequential wave of technology yet.
A few years ago, people said AI would never be creative and empathetic but now we’re seeing all that come to life. Everything will soon be represented through personal AIs, with perfect IQ and EQ. They will be infinitely knowledgable, factually accurate and reliable.
There is no path to progress where we leave technology behind. We desperately need solutions in health care, education and for the climate. Mustafa argues that if AI delivers even a fraction of its potential, the next decade is going to be the most productive in human history.
A must-watch talk for anyone curious about AI! What do you think?
Three predictions on AI and the future of work:
The number one question I get asked when I speak on panels regarding AI is “how is it going to change the future of work?”
Here are three predictions:
Role Reversal: Humans Assisting Machines
We are approaching a major shift where humans will start assisting machines, rather than the other way around. This could usher in an era of personal AI agents, capable of handling tasks from online shopping to work assistance, by predicting our needs.
A crucial skill in this context will be ‘AI prompting,’ which involves knowing how to effectively instruct AI models to perform the tasks you want.
Increased Efficiency in White-Collar Jobs
AI will significantly boost efficiency in white-collar sectors such as coding, finance, and law. This transformation will happen gradually at first and then accelerate rapidly.
The initial phase will see a slow reduction of jobs, similar to offshoring trends, but as technology matures and business processes evolve, the decline will quicken. This shift can benefit workplace safety by having AI handle physically demanding and hazardous tasks.
A New Era for Entrepreneurship
AI is lowering the barriers to creating software-powered businesses, making execution straightforward.
With easy access to tools and platforms for product development, the key to success will be the idea itself and how effectively you distribute it.
How to build a custom ChatGPT chatbot:
I talk a lot about how businesses can create their own generative AI chatbots for specialised tasks. Here’s a great article from Fast Company on how to do it.
Creating a custom GPT requires no coding knowledge or skills. Just start a conversation with the GPT Builder and explain what you want the GPT to do.
Step 1. Define a purpose: Describe what you want the bot to do.Be clear, specific and brief.
Step 2. Pick a name and image: ChatGPT will propose a name and image for the bot based on your description.
Step 3. Refine your bot: Answer ChatGPT’s questions about whether you’d prefer the bot to interact with a professional or casual tone, and whether it should ask for clarifications or guess the user’s intent. Tell the bot if there are topics it should avoid. You can optionally upload a how-to document or other reference to help power the bot.
Step 4. Test and launch: Sample your new bot. See how it responds to queries. Tweak as necessary. Make the bot available to others, or keep it private.
Let me know what you think?
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