Interview with an AI - Insights into Education, Technology, Health, Innovation and Climate Change

As part of my research into AI and machine learning, I am formulating the core principles that contribute to the foundation of my future product offering for digital business development that I believe organisations should embrace as we advance into the "Information Learning Age".

 

 

So I grabbed a beer, sat down at my computer and decided to do a series of interview questions with one of the most ground-breaking machine learning platforms to surface in the last few years - OpenAI.  I was keen to understand the insights of the latest GPT-3 predictive language model whose output is driven by data input at a scale through one of the now many service provider start-ups using the platform, www.copy.ai and one that uses algorithms trained through the mass collation of content on the internet.

In many ways, the wide net of output responses from OpenAI used by copyAI can be considered, in part, to be a mirror of today's global thinking So for me, it helps to crystalise the important ideas around Education, Technology, Health, Innovation and Climate Change - five principles that I believe can help shape successful businesses of the future.

It's clear that questioning AI software in this way currently only provides a top-level response in the answers given, but it makes for interesting reading.  Emotional context and empathy are lacking as the responses are purely factual - an area that I hope to investigate further in my mission for using Tech for Good...

 

 

What are your insights on the future of further education and giving employees the best opportunities for ongoing personal development?

 

OpenAI response: "I think the future of further education for employees will be highly development based. This is even including the development and growth of more alternative learning approaches such as MOOC’s (Massive Open Online Courses). The reason I say this is because, with the exponential growth of information, I see a need for employees to continue to become more knowledgeable through ongoing learning.

We are all well aware of the fact that there is a huge global chain reaction for education, globally speaking. More and more people from different countries like to partake in higher learning as this helps them acquire new knowledge and skills that can ultimately help them be more competitive in the job market. There are thousands of online universities and e-learning programs out there providing people with a chance to get an advanced degree or just take some courses. Online universities save time and cost compared to getting degrees locally, so it has turned into a serious option for lots of young people.

Education is one of the most crucial elements of the development of mankind. It is constantly evolving, growing, and adapting to the many changes in our culture. It has had a major impact on family life, food choices, housing options, and much more. The development of education over the years has given us exposure to new methods for learning, new styles for teaching and sharing wisdom, and more ways to conceptualize what is being taught. With technological advances along with access to information becoming ever more readily available, there are numerous avenues for early learners to take advantage of learning opportunities today."

 

 

How do you think advancement in technology is impacting global business today and what are your thoughts on future digital developments?

 

OpenAI response: "The advance of technology has become a catalyst for advancement in how global businesses operate. There is a lot of buzz around digital developments, environment-aware countermeasures and new age technologies that are being implemented today, reshaping how we work and how we transact. As the world economy continues to grow, the demand for better ideas as to how advancements in technology can be leveraged grows with it. Data/analytics/convergence of innovation is topping the list at the moment when it comes to technology strategy and developments globally.

Today’s digital communication has made the world smaller than ever without actually travelling to that country or continent. It has increased the speed of delivering information within seconds which used to take more than a few days before. As a result, business has developed faster. Indeed, technology will continue to impact global business by making it better day by day.

Usability is a key aspect of successful digital development since the key here are users and customers who use various applications and services for their own needs and purposes.

I think we are at the brink of disruption in many industries through technology. In some sense, our business and technology models are at odds with one another. While technology could be very beneficial to companies as well as consumers, there is no guarantee that this is always the case.

I believe that shared knowledge will continue to be the key driver of innovation. Indeed, Elon Musk himself said when building a company, “we felt that since the true value of the Internet was empowerment of people to help themselves, then we should do everything we can to make it ubiquitous and free.”

I must say that I am getting very enthusiastic about the possibilities of Blockchain technology to make the world a better place. Blockchain shows great promise to upend industries because it enables us to transact peer-to-peer, and so it has the potential to make intermediaries within industries obsolete. I am a strong believer in that technology will continue to evolve and allow us to improve our state of living while minimizing impact on nature as we know it."

 

 

Can you explain how better health improves productivity and wellbeing?

 

OpenAI response: "Performance, retention and motivation can be impacted by the health of your workforce. Studies have shown that productivity can be reduced by as much as 20% due to factors related to health, with illness being a key contributor. A healthy workforce is not only more productive, but it’s also better for your business and has proven time and again to improve business outcomes. In fact, employees who feel they are in better health are fully engaged in their jobs and stay with a company longer.

As organizations grow, the best leaders are those who know how to develop a strategy which supports their culture. While many leaders focus solely on process and policies, others concentrate on building a healthier organizational culture that focuses on the wellbeing of employees and encouraging them to be more productive. By focusing on health management, leaders and entrepreneurs can create more positive work environments, leading to operational excellence in their organizations.

Health is one of the most important resources people have, and it has a significant impact on our productivity and wellbeing. It has an equal impact for both employees and employers; from reduced absenteeism to keeping on top of your job, emotional stability, increased motivation and ensuring you’re getting the best out of your abilities.

In a global workforce, your employees affect each other in ways you might not realize until it’s too late: stress, bad health or even poor productivity can have a significant impact on the rest of your team. Few researchers have studied this effect, in part because measuring it requires large amounts of data and detailed information about people’s lives that most outfits are reluctant to share.

People in general are living much longer. Therefore it is important that we all take good care of our health. Health does not just mean good physical health but also mental health and relationships with family and friends. Everyone knows the importance of exercise, maintaining a healthy diet and using sun protection, but do we really know how our health influences us?

More and more employers are beginning to recognise the impact that a healthy workforce can have on productivity and profitability. According to the Commonwealth Fund, approximately 46 percent of non-elderly adults in the US today have conditions that prevent them from working or limit the amount they can work; extreme obesity is one of those conditions. The World Economic Forum estimates that by 2025 the global economy will only operate at 60% of its potential due to lack of health. Yet measures that aim to improve workforce health do not yet appear in economic models. By taking this into consideration we might be able to help close this gap.

It's pretty important that we are in good health, right?"

 

 

How can digital innovation improve business performance?

 

OpenAI response: "Everyone knows digital innovation is key when it comes to staying ahead in the competitive marketplace, but the challenge is how to do this at a cost-effective level. The question partners always ask is whether performance has been improved by this particular digitalisation effort or investment.

In order to address the question of digital innovation, we must first define the term "digital innovation". In general, digital innovation is a sustainable, business-centred approach to improve an existing business practice in response to changes in the market or technology. Digital innovations are usually not a technical solution but rather repurpose technology in order to support business processes.

In the past, companies have invested in physical infrastructures and assets. Now, as software makes many of these assets obsolete, we see this trend continuing with the development of new digital technologies and business models. As a consequence, many organizations are using advanced technology solutions to improve their business performance. Businesses are changing how they deliver goods and services to consumers and connect with suppliers; at the same time, they are leveraging new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics process automation (RPA) and blockchain to optimize business operations. Increased use of cloud computing is already giving companies the opportunity to save on capital expenditure and accelerate innovation. In addition, we see businesses using emerging digital technologies – such as machine learning (ML)-based applications

One of the biggest trends in business today is digital innovation. Firms of all sizes are trying to find new ways to improve their performance by embracing technology and data. Here are some examples that might help you:

1. Better customer service via a chatbot
2. More personalized content via content recommendation engine
3. Increased supply chain efficiency using big data analytics
4. Improved client management by automating contracts and processes
5. Decreased costs related to compliance issues through effective fraud detection techniques
6. Innovative workforce solutions that improve performance.

In a world that is quickly becoming more connected, it’s no surprise to see the rapid increase of digital innovation. It's now easier than ever to launch and develop new products and services on a global scale. The integration of digital technologies into every industry has given rise to different types of business models. Businesses have been able to leverage immense value from disruptive technologies through either internal capabilities or outsourcing. The use cases of these innovations are unlimited and their impact can be staggering.

For digital business to succeed, it must be built on an integrated system of organizations and assets. So what does this really mean? If we want to build a sustainable digital business, we need to drive performance across the organization, not in silos. By leveraging platforms, systems and platforms as a service (SaaS), you can pull together people, processes, business intelligence and customer insight to manage complex tasks such as global supply chains and consumer data more easily."

 

 

When it comes to climate change, how can businesses adapt to become more sustainable, eco-friendly and create less waste?

 

OpenAI response: "Whether you're a big business or a start-up, it is important to adapt to how climate change impacts your industry.

No doubt that the world’s climate is changing, making it more and more important for us to take measures now so that we are prepared in the years to come. As a business owner, you may be concerned with how you can become greener and how your company can contribute positively to what is an increasingly pressing global issue.

Business has the critical role to play in driving and supporting meaningful climate change solutions. Companies, governments, non-profits and other organizations across sectors are committing to becoming more efficient and creating less waste. Playing a major role in climate action presents opportunities for business growth, job creation and tackling global challenges related to water scarcity, pollution, deforestation, social injustice and extreme poverty. These issues are interlinked – tackling one requires addressing them all.

While many businesses now have environmental policies in place, there is a tangible gap between the drive for effective use of resources and the reality of how organizations actually operate. Practitioners have described this as a ‘paradox’.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is crucial to the modern business landscape. Not only does it help inspire a proactive, ethical culture within companies that often extends to their customers, but it can also make good business sense. Today's society demands that businesses be mindful of their impact, whether that be on the environment, society or both. Understanding your audience and potential impact can help you find a balance between cost and sustainability.

Modern society and its insatiable appetite for resources is causing the Earth’s climate to change. With temperatures rising sharply over recent decades and extreme weather becoming more frequent, businesses of all sizes are being forced to adapt to a rapidly deteriorating environment. However, companies can’t fight the climate alone; they need consumers to join them in a bid to save the planet.

Whether it’s through infrastructure projects working to reduce the footprint on our planet or by consumer-led activities encouraging people to think about what they make and buy, sustainability is being revolutionized. What has emerged over recent years is a clear pattern of companies who are taking the initiative to lead this revolution, but who are also facing major challenges when it comes to adapting and changing their business models in our current system.

We live in a time where the current generation is leaving a bigger footprint than ever before. This is becoming an issue for future generations and it has become a major topic of debate."

 

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If you enjoyed this article and would like to read more, please check out How AI technology is capable of changing the world for good

 

Byline:

I am a big advocate of "disruption for good" and the rise of the machine learning technology with it's adopted development use and deployment across digital touchpoints in our lives is something I find fascinating.

In a series of short articles, with the accelerated content creation support of AI tech, I am investigating how this new technology is shaping the world we live in.

My passion is to create software using AI that improves the health and well-being for people in their everyday lives. I see a future where, if technology is used for good and not just for profit, we will see a step-change in individuals' improved access to education, healthcare services, a better quality of life for the under-privileged and a general cost reduction in the delivery of health care services through improved administration efficiencies that will benefit us all.

Let's connect and continue the conversation...

 

Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com