Why Knowing AI Is the New Professional Edge

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In my last article for the IBA Group blog here, I explored the big difference between the AI ambitions of the Big Tech companies in Silicon Valley and the companies that are actually using AI to build real business solutions today. Any business leader that wants to stay ahead of the wave of change really needs to stop worrying about how there seems to be too much change and too much information – just experiment and see what can be achieved right now.

This is also an important message for society more generally. Digital literacy is becoming essential for success at work. Modern companies are embracing a myriad of new technologies and innovation and it is not just the IT teams that need to understand how it all works – we all do.

Think about how we have traditionally seen literacy. Most people think of literacy as the ability to read and write, but when you apply for a job in a modern professional organization, there are many assumptions being made about what you can do.

Imagine arriving in a job today and telling your new boss that you don’t know how to use email because you never had to use it before this job. Or your boss asks you to share a positive new story about the business on your social media channels and you reply ‘what is social media?’

The ability to use technologies such as email and social media is taken for granted today. A movement has been developing throughout the past decade where it was expected that basic coding abilities would be the next expected form of literacy – because most professional jobs involve some form of searching through data and coding ability makes this easier.

But Generative AI has mostly usurped the need for any basic coding skills. If you now need to query a large set of documents or a database, then you can use a generative AI tool. Even publicly available tools like ChatGPT allow you to upload documents to be summarized or to find trends or insights.

But now this experience and knowledge of how to use AI systems is becoming the new level of basic digital literacy that companies expect from employees.

The British government recently stated that they wanted to ensure the workforce of the entire nation is ready for AI. They were talking about the ambition to train 20% of all employees in AI techniques by 2030.

This sounds hopelessly inadequate.

This technology is changing so fast that nobody can now design a training plan that will take five years to be delivered. Imagine how advanced the AI systems will be in 2030 – will the government still be training people based on 2025 models?

But this emphasizes the point I expressed in my last article. Modern business leaders cannot wait for Silicon Valley to achieve perfection with the best possible AI system. They cannot wait for governments or universities to train and educate the workforce.

It is entirely up to you and your businesses to embrace the change and to determine what you can do with these technologies today.

How can you use AI to increase productivity and efficiency in the current business environment? How can you use AI to improve the link between your business and your customers? How can you use AI to innovate and stay one or two steps ahead of your competition?

These pragmatic steps are what is needed. Everyone on your team needs to embrace an AI-first culture so you can use their daily experience of the technology to inform how your business can develop.

One of the biggest issues with AI today is that every analyst says it is difficult to make it work, the assumption is that projects often fail. Yet the technology industry is demonstrating that when applied well this can be a transformative technology.

It is up to you to lead your business into the future. Embrace the change and explore what is possible. It may initially only create small, iterative improvements, but there could also be a transformation.

Take some time this summer to read more about the background of AI as a device for transformation — not just as a new IT project. Your entire business will thank you later in the year.

IBA Group has an experienced practice focused on data management, data analytics, and AI. Check the website here for case studies and examples of projects that have been designed and delivered in addition to ideas, insights, and project suggestions.

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