AI for Orchestrators - Newsletter #13

The latest AI insights for Business Leaders and Organisational Orchestrators.

Staccato provocation…

AI’s don’t yet disrupt jobs; Leaders do…with the decisions they make based on emergent capabilities…

Hello Business Orchestrators!

We’re well into the phase shift known as Generative AI (aka GenAI, aka LLMs, aka…AI), and we find ourselves at a crossroads comparable to the most transformative periods in history—think of the introduction of the steam engine, electricity, or the internet. Known sometimes as General Purpose Technologies…or GPTs ironically. Each of these revolutions fundamentally reshaped industries, economies, and societies. Today, Generative AI stands poised to have a similarly profound impact, yet there is a big difference in the tempo and scope of change.

Historically, technological shifts allowed for gradual adaptation. Steam power, electricity, and even the internet took decades to spin out across society and redefine job roles. Traditional positions faded slowly, making way for new opportunities over time. This measured pace afforded individuals and businesses a window to adapt and evolve.

However, the trajectory with Generative AI is not as forgiving. Or rather decisions that Leaders make based on AI capabilities fused into their organisations are sometimes not forgiving. It’s not the AI causing the job disruption (yet). The humans need to own the decisions they make! And the possibilities for new directions and business models by retraining employees.

Back on track…the speed at which this technology advances is unprecedented. It isn't merely altering existing jobs but is also continuously reinventing itself at a pace that is difficult to keep up with. Today, a role may be transformed by AI, and within a short span, the very essence of this new role may be disrupted again by newer AI capabilities.

This relentless progression raises a crucial question: As jobs evolve or are created in the wake of Generative AI, how permanent are these roles? Can we prepare for careers that may only be transient? How long is transient? As business leaders, the challenge before us is not only to adapt to this new technology but also to anticipate its rapid iterations.

The implications are vast and the stakes are high. Staying ahead means rethinking not just strategies (which are now overlapping with tactics), but also the very core of how we manage change and prepare for future shifts that we can't yet see.

Now let’s take a dive into some of the items that have pulling on my strings!

This weeks attention grabbers:

• Microsoft just made a massive $1.5BN investment (Venture Beat) into UAE AI giant, G42.

• The pace of Generative AI model development and how it is being adopted, looping back on itself, is stretching traditional assumptions on risk management and regulation to breaking point, so says the FT (paywall). Ironically, AI-augmented humans are probably the only solution.

• New reasoning methods coming along in the next big version jumps of LLMs, according to the FT again (paywall). Look beyond to what this will mean in terms of business and research simulation. Discovery of new materials, molecules, manufacturing processes and more are on the short-term horizon. Lots to look forward to, and many risks to mitigate.

• One of my go-to thought leaders on business and AI is Ethan Mollick from Wharton’s Business School. His new book, Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI, is out and packed with up to date insights. I got the audio book, but if you’re not a native english speaker then you might want to get the physical book. He’s a fast speaker/narrator!

• Compute power users are shifting to Finland. In this most recent case, XTX Markets, the algorithmic financial trading company, have announced plans to build a 250MW facility in Kajaani, which is also home to CSC’s LUMI supercomputer.

• Creatives and non-creatives (like me) just got a boost with the announcement that Adobe Premiere Pro is getting integrations to OpenAI’s new SORA, Runway Gen 2 and Pikalabs AI video generators built into it. This is an important business model shift, and has profound implications for many types of organisations, bringing down the time, cost and skills requirements for video content creation. Here’s one of my favourite AI YouTube news sites, The AI Advantage, with early insights.

• Still on video/presentation creativity, Google sent out a promo for their soon-to-be-released Gemini-powered AI video content creation tool, Google Vids.

• I was discussing with some CEOs from the Nordic countries last week about the convergence of LLMs & agents with Robotics. Here’s some latest thoughts from Venture Beat.

• Costs are soaring across compute/energy consumption, data gathering and research, to name a few. Here’s more on a Stanford report fed to us via Venture Beat. Looks like we’ll need more AI to help us figure this one out, and a dose of nuclear. Or how about building data centres in orbit. Apparently it’s cold up there, and has a bit of sunlight!

Bonus Orchestrator hack: ChatGPT Word Cloud based on newsletter introduction above (I give it a B-):

Five questions for Organisational Orchestrators:

1. How can we ensure that our workforce remains adaptable and resilient in the face of jobs that may no longer exist in their current form within a few years?

2. What strategies should we implement to continuously identify the skills that will be essential in an environment where job descriptions may need frequent updates?

3. How can we foster a company culture that not only embraces rapid change but also proactively engages with emerging technologies to drive innovation?

4. In what ways can we redefine leadership and development programs to prepare our teams not just for the next role, but for several potential future scenarios?

5. How should we adjust our investment priorities to support both the immediate integration of AI technologies and the long-term sustainability of our workforce amidst ongoing technological disruption?

…and here’s that in a mind-map, generated in ChatGPT with Whimsical GPT:

Staccato closing burst…

Adapt workforce resilience, redefine skills frequently, embrace rapid change, innovate leadership training, and strategically invest to thrive amid relentless AI-driven job evolution!

That’s all for this week. If you’re curious you can also check out more insights from The Nordic Bridge on YouTube, on the organisational implications from applying (or not applying) GenAI.