“I know a profound pattern humans deny with words even while their actions affirm it.”
Emperor Leto II, God Emperor of Dune, Frank Herbert 1981

The Golden Path

You may or may not be familiar with the Dune books and movies – the source material itself isn’t important – but to me, the quote above reads like an analogy for the age of digital intelligence in which we live. The data analysis at the heart of AI works by ingesting all available information and then using advanced computation to do whatever specific “AI task” is required. Such deep learning and layers of data transformation reveal insights and connections that human cognition struggles to replicate. In other words, AI can see a ‘profound pattern’ in data that may not reveal itself to ordinary humans but is nonetheless true, insightful and valuable.

In the Dune books these allusions to a ‘Golden Path’ are made by a messianic post-human Galactic Emperor. By knowing and understanding all history and all possible futures, he lays out an ideal ‘Golden Path’ for humanity to follow. In our world it is the new AI tech that is ingesting vast quantities of information that revealing how humans, companies and even nature itself behaves. Can it also reveal to us a Golden Path towards better-run companies delivering better products and services, efficient and ethical supply chains and fulfilled workforces?

The latest mainstream AIs can talk to us, draw pictures of what we ask it to draw, sing and make music, interpret graphs and other pictorial information, write code for us and more. They can also make massive mistakes. As I have argued in my previous pieces in this series, this means AI is not here to take our jobs. Instead, I believe AI is here to change our jobs.

AI hype?

Does AI show us the way to a future of enlightenment through deep learning? Meantime, can it deal with replying to my emails and suggest recipes?

The hype cycle is a real thing, but so is the fact that more and more of us are using tools like ChatGPT every day, as well as other freely available AI services. Your organisation may not change overnight due to the new technology, but it will surely change. Industry giants that failed to innovate fell and crumbled to dust when the digital age became mainstream (Kodak, Blockbuster, Woolworths et al), because the hype was real. Companies that embrace AI fully and successfully may well eclipse even some of today’s household names. Organisations that fail to grapple with AI – and the fact that ones and zeroes count for more than bricks and mortar – run the risk of missing the Golden Path.

All areas of organisational life are impacted, from Customer Experience and Retention to Sales and Marketing, Operations, HR & Legal, Health and Wellbeing. Key tasks and entire processes can now be improved through automation, with one common thread – that all of this brings massive opportunity, but also new categories of risk and unexpected consequences.

Data and AI Strategy

The Golden Path consists of using the technology to our common advantage by taking this opportunity to organise and govern the use of the new tech. Typically, this all begins with understanding the key processes by which an organisation functions, the data and tech they use today, mapping how these interrelate and assigning ownership and accountability for them, and providing an organisational structure so that each may thrive.

Key questions you might ask yourself at this point might include: “How do we procure the right AI solutions for our organisation? Have we organised and optimised our own data so that it can interact with AI applications? Are our employees already starting to use AI and if so, is this being done in line with regulatory requirements?

Driving change is at the heart of DWG’s Data, AI and Automation proposition that sits within our Strategy and Innovation practice. And of course, if the above has relevance for you we invite you to get in touch for a chat.

Need help with AI?

If you’re unsure about AI and need to understand better what benefits it can bring to your business, then why not check out our free guide: How to unlock the benefits of Data, AI, & Automation.

This blog was taken from a LinkedIn article by Rafael Bloom.