Properly designed AI has the potential to make our health care system more efficient and less expensive, ease the paperwork burden that has many doctors considering new careers, and serve as an unblinking watchdog for medical errors that kill 200,000 people per year.
But that’s just the beginning. AI is also revolutionizing video production.
Productivity
The earliest applications of artificial intelligence (AI) focused on automating repetitive tasks that human workers were previously doing by hand. However, recent advancements in processing power and memory, as well as the availability of large training data sets (often by-products of the Internet age), have transformed AI into a technology capable of assisting or replacing humans across all industries. High-profile examples include self-driving cars and medical diagnosis. Vision and language processing also enable automation of a vast range of low profile, menial tasks.
Many people worry that AI will eliminate jobs and leave workers unprepared for the future, but experts say the opposite is more likely to occur. Instead, AI tools will augment jobs by reducing workloads and freeing up time to focus on more complex projects or tasks.
For example, analytics consultant Nick Kelly founded his own business, an analytics training and consulting company, to help clients navigate the complexities of big data. Recently, he started using generative AI to streamline his workflow. “I’m able to get more done, and my clients are happier,” says Kelly.
Similarly, a genAI tool called Heliograf is capable of writing short recaps of significant events in minutes and has generated over 850 of them for news outlets. It can also produce social media posts and job listings that align with a business’s branding.
But not all generative AI tools are created equal. Many are prone to mimicking the biases of the human creators who train them. Microsoft’s Tay, a Twitter chatbot that was widely deployed during the 2016 Olympics, and Meta’s Galactica, an AI that learns from scientific articles, were both shut down for exhibiting sexist and racist biases.
This is why it’s important for businesses to develop and implement a digital transformation strategy that includes the integration of AI. It may involve a plan to identify what AI can do for them, as well as how to prepare employees for new roles or shifts in work. This may include setting up a skills development program or exploring upskilling opportunities. It may also involve a set of agreed-upon ethical guidelines that ensure that AI tools operate in accordance with legal and regulatory standards.
Efficiency
Some view the rise of AI in a negative light, with concerns about robots taking away jobs. But what many don’t realize is that AI can not only boost productivity, it can also be used to replace tasks that would otherwise be difficult or impossible for humans to do. This is especially true for tasks that require creativity and judgment. For example, a human could never create a piece of music the way an AI can generate new melodies.
AI To-Do List Generator
Similarly, humans cannot match the ability of AI to analyze and interpret large volumes of data. This is why data analytics tools are being used by many businesses today, helping to free up workers’ time for more creative work. In fact, McKinsey estimates that using AI for basic analytical work can increase productivity by more than 20 percent.
Generative AI, in particular, can make significant contributions to worker productivity. In fact, one study found that using generative AI to write content saved workers an average of 17 minutes per day. Additionally, the study found that generative AI helped even lower performers become more productive because it “leveled out the performance gap between high and low performer.”
In addition to writing, generative AI can assist with other aspects of content creation. For instance, it can help with planning and designing content. For example, a senior manager can provide a generative AI tool with a set of bullet points on different market trends and have it quickly produce an initial draft in any writing style or format needed to support their content strategy.
Another area where generative AI is revolutionizing work is in the production of video. With augmented reality (AR) becoming increasingly popular, the technology has the potential to completely change how we produce video content in the future. For example, with the right tools, an AI can track an actor and then produce high-quality visual effects that are mapped to the character and environment in real-time.
A properly-designed AI could also make our health care system more efficient and less expensive, ease the paperwork burden that has many doctors considering new careers, fill the gaping holes in access to quality healthcare in the world’s poorest places, and serve as an unblinking watchdog on the lookout for medical errors that kill an estimated 200,000 people every year.
Automation
In today’s business world, chasing productivity is a way of life. One area where companies can see huge gains is through automation, which helps eliminate tedious tasks, frees up employees’ time and boosts efficiency and accuracy. But what many people don’t realize is that automation can go far beyond simple task execution.
Machine learning has become more transformative thanks to massive increases in processing power and memory as well as the availability of large data sets, often by-products of the Internet age. This has enabled the development of a wide range of applications, from self-driving cars to medical diagnosis. More recently, advances in computer vision and natural language understanding have allowed the automation of a broad range of low-profile but menial human-only tasks.
Generative AI, which is able to generate text, images and other media based on user input, has also been a major force in this transformation. For example, when OpenAI’s generative AI platform ChatGPT was released in November 2022, it quickly exceeded one million users, something that took Instagram and Spotify more than two-and-a-half months and five months respectively to achieve. Similarly, a wide range of apps and platforms now tout their own generative AI capabilities and integrations.
While some predict that generative AI will eventually displace humans in the workplace, others argue it will simply augment their work rather than replace them. And in fact, ARK Big Ideas 2023 predicted that knowledge workers will see a fourfold increase in productivity by 2030 through the use of generative AI.
But while augmented intelligence may be the future, the benefits of automation should be considered carefully before deploying it to a company’s core processes. A good place to start is with a “test and learn” approach whereby AI tools are incorporated into smaller, less critical projects or tasks first. This can help employees get used to the technology and identify areas for improvement.
Using AI to automate repetitive, low-level work will save your organization time and money without sacrificing quality or efficiency. But while there’s no doubt that the future is a more automated, data-driven and collaborative workplace, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of the new reality against your company’s specific needs.
Personalization
Keeping up with all the AI productivity tools that pop up daily is a challenge. Many are designed to help streamline task management and free up time without sacrificing quality. These can range from AI writing assistants to workflow automation apps and even image and video generators.
One of the newest and most interesting types of AI is generative artificial intelligence (GAI). GAI uses machine learning to create text, images and other media based on prompts from users. This type of AI has been used in various fields, including programming, writing, cybersecurity and art. In fact, a recent study found that people using generative AI were faster and more accurate than those who didn’t.
Generative AI could have a significant impact on how we work in the future, but it’s important to remember that the technology is still new. It’s essential to start small and incorporate it into your work stream gradually. This will give you and your team a chance to get comfortable with the tools and learn how to best use them. In addition, it’s critical to get everyone involved in the process, so everyone is on board with the new technology and understands how to use it correctly.
Another thing to keep in mind is that despite the hype surrounding AI, it’s not a cure-all for all problems. Many experts, including Elon Musk, have warned that if we aren’t careful, AI may destroy more jobs than it creates. This isn’t a new fear – the same was said about steam engines, radio and telephones.
While it’s impossible to predict exactly how much AI will affect the workplace, it is clear that it will change the way we do business. Whether it’s creating content more efficiently or reducing costs, AI will continue to improve our work processes and enable us to do more with less.
Ultimately, AI will exist symbiotically with humans, helping us to complete tasks more quickly and accurately. Rather than replacing humans, it will allow them to focus on more complex and demanding tasks that require human-like thought and creativity. This will increase productivity and free up employees to do more high-level work that requires creativity, collaboration and empathy.
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