Hooked on Generative AI - Issue 5
Supercharge Your [Company, Career, Fill in the Blank] with Generative AI
In the last couple issues of Hooked, we delved into the critical role performance plays for both the business as well as individuals. When in sync, the converging of these two worlds has the power to promote optionality for both sides, even in the most challenging market conditions. But with the latest buzz surrounding generative AI, we’d be remiss to not discuss the power emerging tech brings to essentially up-level, well… everything.
What’s going on?
A red alert moment in the history of tech! Influencers are describing two types of generative apps emerging: generative native (Runway, Jasper) and generative enhanced or retrofitted (Inercom, Highspot). Just eight weeks since OpenAI’s prototype artificial intelligence chatbot launched, Intercom announced in a tweet that they’ve deployed the first wave of features to “make Intercom better at customer service,” made possible through the use of OpenAI’s GPT technology. A great example of how an existing software tool is being retrofitted with chatGPT to make a step function improvement in efficiency. Teams are sprinting to identify practical use cases to retrofit and drive efficiencies across their own businesses and disrupt industry. Lexion is a recent example in the Madrona portfolio.
Why does it matter?
All companies should be empowering their teams to step up to this moment or risk being left behind by the competition and great talent. Consider the impact these technical decisions have on culture, team, and ability to recruit top talent. Existing employees want to understand where they can leverage this technology, what it means for the future of their work, and how they can be empowered to experiment. This requires that you, as a leader, open the dialogue, inspire collaboration, and cultivate a supportive attitude to push the boundaries of what currently exists. Things like technical investments and experimentation will be more important than ever to keep top performers engaged and attract new stars from other companies that are already lagging.
What do others think?
“We're seeing an explosion of interest in the promise of AI-assisted software development. There are many tasks in programming where large language models (LLMs) can immediately add value. Writing boilerplate code, authoring unit tests, fixing syntax errors, documentation -- these are important yet tedious tasks that are natural fits for LLMs. However, these models don't yet have the sophistication of human intuition and context. We're still far away from AI replacing a Data Scientist tasked with analyzing trends unique to your business. But the path forward is exciting! There are immense possibilities for leveraging AI to make us more productive at our jobs. If we can offload some of the day-to-day execution to an AI-assistant, that frees us up to spend more of our time innovating, experimenting, and driving real business value. The workplaces that learn how to use AI to amplify creativity will become the center of gravity for the top talent.” - Weston Hutchins, Product at Databricks
What do we think?
Generative AI went from cool, to amazing, to astounding, to now simply table stakes, all in the matter of a few weeks. It is now widely recognized as the defining technology of this decade, if not the next era. Cutting-edge tech disrupts the talent market. Always. And great talent wants in on the action early. Innovative companies who embrace emerging tech will reap the rewards with fast followers and hype, especially when they find ways to quickly deliver instant and measurable value. Those who don’t will stagnate and lose. Now is the time to reinvent and challenge your team to experiment while balancing the existing needs of the business.
Take Action
Founders and Leaders:
- Are you already retrofitting with or leveraging emerging tech? Run, don’t walk, to revamp your EVP (employee value prop) to ensure employees and those you recruit understand how these technologies are elevating your business.
-Encourage and empower your team to step up, be curious, and ask what if?
-Reward experimentation and find areas to test and invest. Start small and validate.
Talent:
- If you are searching for your next opportunity, seek startups and businesses that will empower you to build differently. Ask questions to validate what generative AI investments are being made and why.
- Question any company who isn’t already testing and investing in their future.
What do YOU think?
Events, Tools, Insights
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