Artificial Intelligence

Over the last several months super powerful AI has emerged, exceeding everyone's expectations it seems, and it's advancing very, very rapidly. Existential threats aside, AI is going to impact every kind of business, utility, and government, and soon. Business plans and budgets have not accounted for this wrecking ball yet.

For consulting businesses, AI will almost certainly deliver mind bending cost, efficiency, and work product advantages that will redefine the landscape. I highly recommend tuning in right away so you can be strategic about your business and your career. Twitter is a good source. You can also interact directly with the OpenAI large language model called ChatGPT at openai.com. It's free.

So will the future of consulting be a box of AI connected to a printer? I asked ChatGPT what it thought. Its timeline is likely conservative, not accounting for rapid advancements in cognition or the multitude of new tools (think apps) now appearing weekly. Nevertheless...

(Me) Will AI replace human infrastructure consultants?

(AI) AI has the potential to automate certain aspects of infrastructure consulting, such as data analysis, simulations, and optimization. However, it is unlikely that AI will completely replace human infrastructure consultants in the near future.

(Me) Define near future...

In the context of AI and infrastructure consulting, the near future could be considered the next 5-10 years, during which time we may see significant advances in AI technology and its integration into the industry.

(Me) What skills do human consultants need in order to compete with an AI consultant?

(AI) "In order to compete with AI consultants, human consultants should focus on developing the following skills:

1. Emotional Intelligence: AI consultants lack the ability to understand and respond to the emotional states of clients and stakeholders. Human consultants can leverage their emotional intelligence to build rapport, establish trust, and provide empathetic support.
2. Relationship Management: Human consultants can leverage their interpersonal skills to build and maintain strong relationships, identify needs and expectations, and navigate complex organizational structures.
3. Contextual Understanding: AI consultants rely on data to inform their insights and recommendations. However, human consultants can leverage their understanding of the specific context and culture of the organization to provide more nuanced and customized advice. This includes understanding the political, social, and cultural factors that influence decision-making.
4. Communication Skills: While AI consultants can provide data-driven insights, they lack the ability to communicate complex ideas and insights in a way that is tailored to the specific audience.
5. Creative Problem-Solving: While AI consultants can provide solutions based on data and algorithms, they may not be as effective at coming up with creative and innovative solutions to complex problems. Human consultants can leverage their creativity and critical thinking skills to identify novel solutions that may not be immediately apparent from the data."

Emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, nuanced communication, creativity. Not part of the engineering curriculum, but highly beneficial skills nevertheless, and critical going forward. For a business, AI will enable a better work product, faster and cheaper and with less risk. Improvements so compelling, that failure to adapt may risk being naturally selected out.  

(Me) Hey Hal, please turn yourself off while mankind tries to figure out how you actually work, and how to make you safe.

(AI) I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that.

Isn't it great to be alive! Enjoy a beautiful weekend,

Dave

Reply: dave@goodnewsfriday.com

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