A new Verge and Vox Media survey looked at consumer sentiment on AI. From the summary: One in three Americans over the age of 18 has already used generative artificial intelligence tools. AI is already dominating our conversations – 44% of Americans surveyed say they’ve been in conversations where AI has been mentioned “several times a week,” with AI cropping up in Gen Z conversations most frequently (61%). Consumers stated they want AI usage to be clearly disclosed in digital content (78%). Nearly half believe AI will be very or moderately disruptive to the sector they work in (47%), and most agreed that society will need to make significant changes in order to adjust to a post-AI world (69%)
The White House appreciates that, with CNN reporting making AI a priority. Quote “Steered by the White House chief of staff’s office, senior administration officials have been meeting two to three times a week to advance AI policy work since earlier this spring, tackling AI on multiple fronts, from misinformation and cybersecurity to economic transformation and equity. AI has also become a consistent topic of conversation during the weekly Saturday strategy sessions between Biden’s senior-most advisers.”
And you can add the House of Representatives to the list with new rules – lawmakers and staff are limited to using ChatGPT Plus due to its enhanced privacy features.
My statement last week about personal assistants for work seems to resonate – The Information reports that OpenAI wants to turn it into a “super smart personal assistant for work.” That could certainly lead to a collision with Microsoft.
The rapid growth in AI is outpacing responsibility and accountability in AI systems per a recent survey of 1,240 executives published by MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group (MIT SMR and BCG), which looked at the progress of responsible AI initiatives, and the adoption of both internally built and externally sourced AI tools – what the researchers call “shadow AI.” The researchers refer to the importance of responsible AI, which they define as “a framework with principles, policies, tools, and processes to ensure that AI systems are developed and operated in the service of good for individuals and society while still achieving transformative business impact.”
And that’s your business! Literally, that’s your business. That whole paragraph and paper outline precisely what IT services organizations should be doing with their time. This is thematically all of the things focused on before. Shadow IT had the same rhythm. The one significant difference is that I expect more of a policy element than other technologies. Cybersecurity didn’t start regulated and barely is now. AI will not follow the same path. It’s why I’m spending so much time here – the emerging patterns are great for IT.