I generally don’t get too excited by new technology in business.
I’m definitely not an ‘early adopter’ – I prefer to let other people find out all the bugs, discover the best ways to make it useful, and then I’ll take advantage of what they have found.
We can’t escape from technology, but at the end of the day, these products are tools, and it’s up to you to use them in a way that is beneficial to your business.
And just because it is new tech, doesn’t mean it is better.
I recently had a ‘smart’ shower installed at home, which came with an app, so I could switch on the shower from my phone.
What? Why would I need to do that?
But that brings me to Artificial Intelligence – everyone’s talking about it.
Recently I listened to a group of tech-savvy doctors discussing the merits of using Artificial Intelligence to summarise a patient’s medical notes. The provider of the AI said it would save valuable time as they wouldn’t have to read the full medical history.
Interestingly, the doctors threw out the idea. As the AI is summarising information, they explained, it will need to leave some things out. But which bits? And who takes responsibility if critical things get missed?
As medical notes are already brief and highly factual, it was agreed that the right thing was for trained, intelligent doctors to take time to read them in person, and use their experience to evaluate the important parts.
So is AI a useful tool? Or is it just the ‘Emperor’s New Clothes’?
In truth, it is both – and next month I’ll show you some ways AI should – and shouldn’t – be used if you want it to help your business!
