Why the AI ecosystem needs to be less rock star and more ‘Relevant & Responsible’ to enable AI to perform to its full capabilities

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 The reality is, the majority of the world population in Africa, Asia, Europe or the USA, frankly don’t know, nor do they care about AI

AI hallucination isn't the primary problem. What's more concerning is watching people in the AI bubble who assume that like them, everyone must be super excited about AI and that just like them, they too will adopt and adapt to AI as quickly as they did. Imagine thinking that AI tools currently being trained on biased data is the way forward?

Unlike the mobile phone where most people immediately saw its benefits, this is not the case with AI

The reality is, the majority of the world population in Africa, Asia, Europe or the USA, frankly don’t know, nor do they care about AI. Studies have shown that many remain sceptical about AI, don’t trust AI, nor do they see how AI can improve their lives today. 

Unlike the mobile phone where most people immediately saw its benefits and the different ways (both personal as well as professional), in which mobile phones could immediately improve their lives (long before smartphones came along), AI is not receiving such a welcome. If anything, AI is currently facing a lot of push back.

The idea that we are soon entering the "AI First" era sounds like human hallucination more than an achievable reality

And yet, we have many AI advocates enthusiastically proclaiming that we're soon entering the "AI First" era! This sounds like human hallucination more than an achievable reality.

That’s not to say that AI will disappear – far from it. Instead, AI will look different and cater to diverse (local/cultural) needs

Whether it's globalisation, fast changing demographics, vulnerable supply chains, changing consumer trends, and more, AI tools built (intentionally or unintentionally), for a narrow subset of users, face disruption in the near future especially as the open source movement gains ground, one day leaving frontier AI models losing relevance and being confined to the privileged few.

So while I remain a firm proponent of AI because of the huge potential that it holds in edutech, agritech, healthtech and more, I am not for one minute drinking the Kool-Aid & nor do I believe that current frontier models (often built on limited data sets), are ready for widespread adoption or use

That’s not to say that AI will disappear – far from it. Instead, AI will look different and cater to diverse (local/cultural) needs. Countries with some of the fastest growing number of AI developers on GitHub include: India, Brazil & China, as well as other countries representing fast growing, younger demographics from communities long ignored by much of the current AI tools, even though many of these same western economies rely heavily on said countries for their supply chains.

So while I remain a firm proponent of AI because of the huge potential that it holds in edutech, agritech, healthtech and more, I am not for one minute drinking the Kool-Aid & nor do I believe that current frontier models (often built on limited data sets), are relevant, ready for widespread adoption or use. 

Yes, AI can help me code, tell me where I left my glasses, when my next appointment is, solve linear equations, recommend movies to watch, whom to recruit, & other developments currently being rolled out but how does AI help me secure a well paying job tomorrow without a university education because I can tell you how my mobile phone can? How can AI provide me with the means to pay my bills, communicate with people without using expensive internet, find out the results of my recent medical tests from an expert? These are the sort of questions people have although tech developers seem more keen on building other tools.

... the AI field is currently like an orchestra without a conductor. There needs to be intervention. Silly tech bro vs tech bro fights are not the way forward...

Imagine how AI could assist healthcare (clinical trials, diagnosis, prognosis, assist GPs by reducing paperwork (drafting & filing letters, patient notes), booking new & follow-up appointments etc. Computer vision picking up where human eyes cannot, including: identifying the gender & even race of the patient from their retina, lungs etc given some demographics are more vulnerable to certain illnesses. AI's capabilities include detecting diabetes, heart disease, early stages of cancer. Imagine if we lived in a world where we could also have personalised medicine?

That said, the AI field is currently like an orchestra without a conductor. There needs to be intervention and more grown ups in the room(s). Silly tech bro vs tech bro rivalry is not the way forward and the public will soon tire of these one-upmanships. Leaders (especially non-technical ones), need to be less passive and intimidated by AI and take the time to use & understand AI tools. After all, there are very few people with 5+ years of LLM experience. 

HR and DEI leaders also need to be more visible as their organisations start to roll out AI tools.

In addition, HR and DEI leaders also need to be more visible as their organisations start to roll out AI tools.  With the incoming EU AI Act, some SaaS tools including Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), could fall under the EU AI Act high risk category, which if not used properly, could result in organisations facing high financial penalties or being blocked altogether from conducting business in the EU. 

So, until the AI community starts to become more inclusive and leaders start to educate themselves and their teams about AI, unprepared orgs. could face challenges when it comes to recruitment if current and future talent remains sceptical about AI with no motivation or incentive to learn, never mind use, AI tools. 

Relevant and Responsible AI begins with Inclusive data sets driven by Inclusive Leadership.

What we need going forward is less rock star treatment towards AI organisations and instead, leadership stepping up to encourage Relevant and Responsible AI. This begins with Inclusive data sets driven by Inclusive Leadership. Only then will more people begin to recognise the potential benefits of AI both in their personal as well as, professional lives leading to high ROIs.

Subscribe to my TWO Newsletters and receive alerts as soon as new editions are published: (1) Inclusive Leadership in the era of AI and (2) Leading with Emotional Intelligence (EQ) . You can learn more About me below

MY INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP COACHING PROGRAMME

My Level-1 EQ+CQ=DQ coaching programme is designed for leaders and those in succession to provide them with the tools they need to build & promote a culture of inclusion in the workplace. The course is an introduction to leading with Emotional Intelligence (EQ), Cultural Intelligence (CQ), and Diversity Intelligence (DQ) and covers:

• The importance of EQ, CQ, and DQ in leadership

• How to create an inclusive work environment

• Building cultural competence and promoting understanding and respect for different cultures

LEVEL 2 - LEVERAGING INCLUSIVE AI

This course focuses on the human rather than technical side of AI

• While leaders may not be technical, they can collaborate with AI developers, data scientists, and ethics experts to better understand and address potential biases in AI systems starting with datasets.

• Building on the foundation provided in Level 1 (EQ+CQ=DQ), Level 2 looks to utilise EQ, CQ and DQ as tools to mitigate biases found in AI which if left unchecked, can amplify biases that already exist within organisations and society. Level 2 advises leaders on strategies, questions to ask, and tools for collaborating with colleagues and third-party suppliers responsible for AI development, deployment and oversight.

ABOUT ME - I'm a Consultant specialising in ‘Inclusive Leadership and AI’ advising C-Level executives, leaders, and those in succession, on navigating the dynamic intersection of leadership, technology and inclusivity. My 'Inclusive Leadership & AI' programme begins with fostering Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Cultural Intelligence (CQ), recognising these as fundamental pillars in navigating the transformative and ever-changing environments shaped by emerging technologies including AI. I am deeply passionate about the transformative potential of AI - not just as a tool for speed, efficiency, or automating mundane tasks but also, as a tool for enhancing inclusion, self-improvement (by speeding up the learning process) and medical breakthroughs, to name but a few AI use cases. My focus and what I am looking to help build is Emotional Intelligence (EQ) in AI - utilising my 15+ years of experience in global recruitment, Executive Search & Coaching. I am also the co-founder of two tech startups: a digital recruitment platform; and a geocode system tailored for emerging markets.  If you wish to learn more about my EQ+CQ=DQ course then feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn.