Is AI The Answer?

I am sorry to disappoint those of you who read the title of this post and are now eagerly anticipating a thorough analysis of the 2001 Philadelphia 76ers attempt to win the NBA championship with a single transcendent superstar (Allen Iverson aka AI aka The Answer) and a roster full of mediocre role players (spoiler alert: they did not).

Instead, the focus of today’s post is to solicit the questions you have about utilizing artificial intelligence as you determine whether generative AI is the answer for your workplace needs. Whether it’s Maillardet’s Automaton writing poetry in multiple languages in the 19^th century, Johnny 5 quoting the Three Stooges in the 1980’s, or trained AI voice model’s impersonating Johnny Cash singing “Barbie Girl” in 2023, there are plenty of examples of the frivolous use of artificial intelligence. But unless your boss is a huge Frank Sinatra fan who has been dying to hear what it would sound like if Old Blue Eyes crooned Green Day’s “Basket Case,” not terribly useful at work.

Fortunately, our Do We Really Need Another Session About AI? session at CMEpalooza Fall (Wednesday, October 18 — mark it in your calendar now) is here to help you figure out how AI can make your work life a little bit easier. In order to streamline this session and focus the presentations on the needs and knowledge gaps of the audience, our panelists have put together a few questions that they would love to have as many of you as possible answer (note from Scott: The over/under on participation is the same as the jersey number that Derek’s precious AI wore back in the day).

You can answer one question or you can answer all four (or two, or three questions), but we’re hoping that you can take a moment now to at least share your thoughts. I’ll leave the survey open until September 1 in case you would like to take a few days to reflect and come back later to respond.