Deus ex (est?) machina

The other day I saw photos of colleagues attending different trade shows. While I’m sure there were plenty of holograms, NFTs, and the obligatory “VR” experiences, something else caught my eye.

People are still staffing booths featuring paper-based brochures, handouts, and an assortment of “tactile” merchandise. In times of disruptive technologies, and innovation at a breathtaking pace, these pictures might as well have been from the 80s or 90s.

Strangely, it made me feel good. I guess it’s a generational thing, but I still prefer the “old school” approach to solving certain problems in some ways.

This reminded when, in my early 20s, as an airline “Station Manager”, I had to deal with my first firing. The employee in question was a former colleague, much older than me. In our previous company, he had a lot of seniority and a higher management position. In the new organization, I was his boss.

And while the cause for his dismissal had been appropriately investigated, documented, and legally verified, it didn’t make the process or the conversation any easier.

I had no previous experience in firing anyone. I had no counsel, mentor, or advisor, other than a corporate HR delegate who assured me the case was airtight.

In a similar situation, what would happen if the inexperienced manager had access to all the current AI tools? I tried it.

I used the most popular version of a large language model. I formulated a prompt that included: “Write five, 2-minute scripts, to communicate a dismissal for cause…”, etc. I refreshed the entry using different options, including legal, regulatory, contractual, and geographic contexts. I also wanted to see different versions of “tone”: “more empathetic”, or “firm but compassionate”.

Of course, the “machine” produced amazing results. The more detailed and nuanced the prompt, the more sophisticated the output.

As a young leader of people and projects, I can only wish I had access to these “assistants”. Who knows how much more effective, efficient, and productive one could have been?

Experience is a human feature: we learn, do, fail, and re-do, to solve problems and achieve results. We’re used to the concept being attached to time, as it takes years or decades to become very good at something. AI is showing us that all of this knowledge, thus “experience”, can be crunched as data points at speeds previously unknown, reframing conventional thinking.

One of the pros of AI is the “augmentation” of our standard capabilities, allowing for new approaches and more successful outcomes. On the other hand, are we going to lose the advantage of experience and life-long learning as a value to trade in the workplace?

Difficult to say. Lots of mixed feelings. Concern, and anxiety, but also curiosity and the welcoming of new ways.

What worries or excites you about these times of continuous change? Let’s talk.