Generative AI’s value is becoming more transparent. Learn why AI champions, reskilling and continuous learning are critical for IT leaders.
Let the AI experts continue their raging debate about the impact artificial general intelligence (AGI) will have if and when it lands. As an IT leader, you have more pressing concerns when it comes to deploying generative AI technologies.
Like, for example, picking the right tools that help turbocharge productivity while yielding the highest return-on-investment. The importance of selecting the right tools can’t be understated, as more empirical and anecdotal evidence emerges about GenAI.
Seventy-four percent of leaders surveyed by Deloitte said that their GenAI deployments are meeting or exceeding their expectations for return on investment (ROI), a lofty number when you consider the early doubts about the value of this new class of content generation technologies.
Human-machine collaboration, it seems, is thriving in some organizations. Goldman Sachs, for one, has found that GenAI can draft 95% of an IPO filing within minutes, with employees completing the remainder.
The reality is that GenAI is likely already entrenched in your business through a combination of IT deployments and a groundswell of shadow AI. So how do you get your arms around these technologies?
Follow this tip sheet to ensure that your organization is keeping pace with AI developments.
Install Champions. Your AI champions should be early adopters who both master how to use specific tools and can train their colleagues how to get the most out of them. For example, OpenAI in December released Canvas to the masses, a collaborative environment for text editing and coding; Advanced Voice Mode, in which ChatGPT can see users’ camera feeds and screen in real time to provide visual assistance; and Projects, a project management tool highlighted by “smart folders.” And those don’t begin to cover the legions of general-purpose copilots that help workers create text, code and vertical-specific tools that help employees create marketing collateral. Champions will test, learn and share their findings with teams, even detailing what tools will work great for some teams and not others. They’ll also emphasize the importance of ensuring their organizations have a human-in-the-loop to protect the brand.
Reskilling. AI champions may be the tip of the spear when it comes to educating fellow staff about new tools. However, they shouldn’t be the only tool in your arsenal. You’ll want to institute formal training programs that help augment your employees’ skills. Ideally, you’ll start at the beginner’s level, training employees on the basics of prompting GenAI chatbots and associated tools as well as covering tasks that LLMs may work well for versus not. Instruction might also cover model sizes and critical AI programming techniques, such as reinforcement learning from human feedback. Then progress to a more advanced course, which may cover prompting workflows, such as how to apply GenAI to summarize meeting notes, craft whole eBooks, or presentations. Bonus points for creating organizational glossaries, or eBooks that teach staff the difference between say, zero shot, single shot or many shot prompting, as well as chain of thought and recursion. What role do AI champions play here? They should be an integral part of creating these assets and championing them across the organization.
Continuous Learning. Here’s something AI champions know well that others may not. The GenAI tools you began using a year ago are not the same GenAI tool you’re using today. They’re likely better, faster and more comprehensive. The AI tech market is moving almost too fast for anyone to keep up. Case in point: OpenAI upgraded its Canvas tool in January, roughly a month after releasing it for general consumption. What this means is that AI champions and even employees who want to keep up with best practices for AI use, must constantly stay atop evolving technologies. As my AI champion colleague pointed out, “self-education” is the key to steering through learning curves. Curiosity is essential for continued success.
Ultimately, while AI experts may continue to dream of (or fear) AGI, IT leaders have more practical matters to attend to: ensuring their organizations enjoy the productivity and ROI gains GenAI offers.
All this is challenging to execute—even for IT leaders with robust staffs. Fortunately, you needn’t take the AI journey alone. Just as GenAI copilots require supervision, your AI strategy needs humans to serve as champion educators and trusted advisors.
Ask yourself: Are you educating and reskilling your organization’s teams to ensure its AI strategy will be successful?
Learn more about the Dell AI Factory.