Yes, there will be profound changes in all aspects of life; a hundred times greater than I’ve seen in my baby boomer lifetime, and that’s been a lot. For a primer on the state of AI, I recommend you watch the two segments run on April 16th on CBS’s 60 Minutes focusing on Google’s Bard. As with all massive changes, this will be used for good and for evil.
As a child, I watched the lone switchboard operator in a small town manage a constantly lit up board, plugging and unplugging calls. When my family first moved to a college town in California, we were on a party line. Now, like you, I carry a powerful computer around in my pocket soon to be replaced by a ‘Dick Tracy’ watch. All that advancement and yet people still find a way to use their Apple watches for fraud and prank calls.
I’m personally excited about artificial intelligence. It’s estimated that two-thirds of all jobs will change because of it. Maybe more. And sooner than we think. My business is helping trade and charity organizations serve their members and goals. Associations are constructed by people for people. It’s hard to imagine the robot or software that can replace the kind of varied and detailed work we do every day. So much of our communication is based on our relationships, the human relations among our staff and the boards of directors we serve.
If I’m reading this right, it’s how we serve our clients that will change. Many of our clients share the same challenges. I look forward to AI helping me solve those challenges while valuing the human relations among us. After all, the mission of the Association Society of Association Executives is: To advance the association profession through knowledge, valued relationships, and trusted resources.
If I can be a more creative resource utilizing AI, I will embrace it, not fear it.
