As AI continues to advance at breakneck speed, transforming industries and pushing boundaries, preparing for General Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is no longer a future concern, but a present reality.
This is according to Chris Wiggett, Director of AI at NTT DATA Middle East and Africa. He was speaking at the ITWeb Cloud and Data Summit last month on ‘Preparing for Generative AI disruption: strategic imperatives for CIOs’. Wiggett said organisations must swiftly adapt to the new landscape or risk being left behind.
He emphasised that GenAI is already unfolding, with AI technologies like Open AI's Canvas, Claude 3.5, Perplexity, Gemini, and Copilot revolutionising industries.
"When we talk about preparing for GenAI, it is like we are preparing for a future event, however, GenAI is happening as we speak."
Wiggett said for the first time in his career, he is nervous. "I have mixed feelings about AI. While I'm enthusiastic about its potential, I'm also apprehensive. We're on the cusp of a revolution where AI will transform our computers into autonomous agents, capable of making decisions based on promises and commitments. Currently, we're in the agent phase, where AI systems like OpenAI are changing the landscape. However, this raises concerns about trust and credibility. It's either Reuters or Bloomberg, and you say, well, it's fairly credible, I'll go with that."
Looking ahead, he predicts a significant breakthrough in the next 12-18 months with the emergence of innovators in the field. "With these machines, we'll start thinking at a different level, even to the point where they will generate new AI models that we haven't seen before,” he said.
Wiggett said using the word AI years ago was like blasphemy. "And if I think of how we approached the market in the early years, nobody had the guts to call it AI. It was blasphemy.So we called it advanced analytics. And then, over the years, we started getting confidence and started speaking about AI."
Wiggett also spoke about employees who are using AI tools regardless of organisational policies, leading to risks and potential data breaches. He emphasised the need for governance and understanding of AI tools in corporate settings.
"In companies where a certain AI tool has been banned, international research shows that 40% of employees are using it in any case. So for organisations to place bans is not good enough. There will be a moment when someone will use it – and it won’t turn out well. There is a need for guardrails, training, and governance to safeguard against sensitive information being shared inadvertently, and then becoming public."
Bans and blocks are inefficient, says Wiggett. "You can block it on the PC, but I can ran it on Meta AI and WhatsApp on my phone, and still put information at risk. And why would people not use it? Properly implemented, GenAI can save at least 30% on productivity.”
To navigate this landscape, individuals and organisations must take proactive steps. "Embracing the unknown and taking proactive steps will help individuals and organisations thrive in this new era." He also reiterated that continuous learning and adaptation will become essential.
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