AI technologies have the potential to revolutionize the way we live and work, and businesses are taking notice. In fact, many businesses are already leveraging AI to gain a competitive edge in their industries. By leveraging AI, startups can improve customer experiences, automate routine tasks, make better decisions, and stay ahead of the competition. In a MIT Technology Review study of 600 CIO’s and business tech executives, it was found that scaling AI in an overwhelming 70% of businesses was a top priority by 2025. Recently, I have come to realize an important factor in the implementation of AI that you should consider as you utilize it in your business.
I sat with my partner on a Monday night, bored and wanting to have some fun, though we both had work at 7 the next morning. She yawned, scrolling to the next page in her ebook. I wanted to do something, anything that wasn’t mind numbing like staring at a screen. I want to write her a poem, I thought. I’d done it before, a couple times it’d even been good. But that takes effort, and I was tired. I scrolled to the next Tiktok video on my phone. It was a funny bit of a comedy troupe acting out a chaotic scene written by A.I. Hilarious. Maybe I can get ChatGPT to write her a poem, I joked to myself and then shuddered. What if it wrote a poem better than mine? I was weary but curious. Curiosity won. I pulled up ChatGPT, typed “Write an ode to_____” and pressed enter. To me, the poem was not better than what I could’ve come up with. It was cheesy. I read it aloud and watched as my partner tried to seem touched. When I told her that I hadn’t written it, that in fact an artificial-intelligence chatbot had created the amorous content, she was shocked. We went down a rabbit hole, seeing what we could get ChatGPT to write. After many entries that ultimately had us holding our bellies laughing, a sobering response to the command “Write a breakup text” stopped us in our tracks. It read:
“I’m sorry, but as an AI language model, I cannot generate inappropriate content, including a breakup text… My purpose is to assist and provide informative and helpful responses…I encourage you to seek advice from a trusted friend, family member, or mental health professional”
It had morals. OpenAi’s (ChatGpt’s parent company) engineers made sure to establish specific boundaries that prevented their AI from enacting harm. This is huge to consider when thinking about how you are going to implement AI in your business. When scaled consciously, AI is a tool that can be used to optimize processes and also foster the values that you want to uphold.
Harvard Business Review identifies three key types of AI used to fulfill business needs which are as follows: AI for process automation, cognitive insight and cognitive engagement. Each embodiment of AI holds unique opportunities for value implementation, so that your values are aligned throughout the functioning of your business:
Process automation takes care of routine tasks and processes in order to increase efficiency, reduce errors, and save time and money. From executing payroll to evaluating skills on job applications, businesses can use process automation to eliminate bias or consistently operate within certain standards.
Cognitive insight is used to detect patterns in data and interpret their meanings. AI can be used to help identify systemic bias, such as gender or racial disparities in hiring or promotion. AI systems can be used to analyze data and identify patterns that may indicate fraudulent or unethical behavior. It is important to note that AI systems can perpetuate existing biases if they are trained on biased datasets.
Cognitive engagement uses natural language processing and machine learning to interact with employees or customers. Businesses can use AI to address people directly and answer their needs depending on key words. AI systems can be trained on diverse datasets that represent a range of perspectives and experiences, helping to ensure that the systems are not biased against certain groups. This can aid in accessibility, navigation, and troubleshooting.
It is important for businesses to know the functions of AI to take a proactive approach and ensure that their systems are aligned with their values and ethical principles. You are in control of promoting the processes and limiting the functions of the AI used for your business. AI is capable of identifying and mitigating potential ethical issues, promoting diversity and inclusivity, and promoting sustainability and environmental responsibility. By having AI aligned with your values, you can build trust and credibility with their stakeholders, while also contributing to building the society you envision.
