[rank_math_breadcrumb]

AI should change what you do

  • Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Author:  Mike Walsh

Short Description

Everyone these days seems to have a plan or AI SHOULD CHANGE, Or at least, they plan to mention it as often as possible in press releases and briefings to analysts. Paying lip service to AI is a dangerous distraction and a missed opportunity. A few may be fooled for a while – but unless […]

Everyone these days seems to have a plan or AI SHOULD CHANGE, Or at least, they plan to mention it as often as possible in press releases and briefings to analysts.

Paying lip service to AI is a dangerous distraction and a missed opportunity. A few may be fooled for a while – but unless you do the hard work now to reimagine what you do, you are likely to be left behind as we shift into a new era of AI-powered competition.

What has become abundantly clear in the current pandemic is that there is a widening divide between organizations pursuing a course of digital incrementalism and those that are truly embracing digital transformation. Figuring out how to engage and serve your customers and clients on digital channels was a smart move. So was rapidly enabling your employees to work remotely with the right collaboration tools. Unfortunately, all of that is just table stakes.

As a leader, the real question you should be asking yourself is: what is possible now in this new age of machine intelligence that wasn’t possible before? It could be the creation of entirely new data-driven products, serving entirely new customer segments or markets, or utilizing automation to unleash the full potential of your backend operations.

AI SHOULD CHANGE WHAT YOU DO, NOT JUST HOW YOU DO IT

There is a divergence between organizations evolving in the current crisis, and those that are merely treading water. As research for my latest article in the Harvard Business Review, I spoke to Harit Talwar, Global Head of Consumer (Marcus by Goldman Sachs), and Mike Dargan, Group Chief Information Officer at UBS. In different ways, both organizations have been investing heavily in AI, algorithms, and automation. Their stories provide valuable lessons in the art of transformation and big thinking.

Here are the key takeaways from the piece:

The increased use of AI and automation during the pandemic and forthcoming economic crisis will accelerate the transformation of the workforce. Job polarization is a serious risk for both inequality and the future of work.
Innovative organizations and leaders are not standing still. Companies like Goldman Sachs and UBS are leveraging their brands, relationships, and technology to redefine their customers’ experiences and fully leverage themselves as platforms.

Technology is important, but even more critical is extreme customer-centricity and the ability to solve customer problems at scale.

AI’s real value is not cutting costs or jobs, but finding better things for talented people to do. You need to be clear about the kind of work machines should do, and where humans add the most value.

Moving to an agile team structure requires leaders to carefully balance tactical goals with a long term vision of the future. Expect a widening gap between those organizations that can figure out new ways of working and engaging their customers – and those that don’t and how AI should change.

I think you will find these two case studies interesting – especially if you are involved in thinking about digital transformation or your organization’s future. I would welcome your thoughts and any stories about your own experiences on how AI should change.

Contact Us at WeSpeak Global and follow us on Twitter

Author Profile

The articles, video and images embedded on these pages are from various speakers and talent.

These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.

Similar to AI should change what you do

Sterling Hawkins | Predictable Results

Hunting Discomfort Landed TED is critical to preparing a successful TED talk, even more so after you’re accepted. And with how exclusive TED talks are to give, you want to do everything in your power to give a meaningful talk, right? We’ve all heard countless stories about how a TED talk has transformed a company, […]

  • Author: Sterling Hawkins
WS Logo 512

Business success isn’t only reserved for large corporations with seemingly unlimited budgets to design customer experience. There are countless stories of small businesses that have grown to incredible heights simply by treating customers in a way that made them want to share their experience with family, friends, colleagues and on social media and encourage them […]

  • Author: Juanita Vorster
Adam Markel | Change Proof Podcast

Practice These Resilient Skills to becoming a Resilient Leader When my friend Petra was diagnosed with cancer, not once, but twice, life gave her no choice but to be strong. When she went into remission for the second time, she decided she was going to wake people up to the precious gift of time. Through […]

  • Author: Adam Markel
WS Logo 512

At 26 years old, Tramayne Monaghan was the youngest divisional CFO for Tencent and a Top-35-under-35. He has spoken at global conferences and is a mentor to three digital businesses: Broadley Speaking, African Secret and TurnUp Music. He has launched and run various consumer mobile products such as WeChat, WeChat Wallet, VOOV, JOOX and PUBG […]

  • Author: WeSpeak: SAICA
Jason Hewlett

Imagine this scenario: You are considered THE BEST in the world at your chosen profession – according to critics, peers, well known in the public – and suddenly you MUST change your career. Does this thought excite you, or terrify you? If it is YOUR choice, then it’s a great thing! If it’s doctor’s orders […]

  • Author: Jason Hewlett
Ryan Jenkins | Next Generation Catalyst Podcast

We are only as unified as our loneliest team or Disconnected Worker community members.   No one is immune to feeling lonely at work—not even the outgoing top sales associate, the customer success representative that brings her dog into the office, or the charming vice president who always declines every happy hour invitation due to “overcommitments.” Entry-level […]

  • Author: Ryan Jenkins
WS Logo 512

In life, we get so much input. It is hard to keep up. One piece of advice that I got was to Focus on your skills and on my strengths. We are not meant to be great at everything, but we all have talent. At times we try to improve skills we don’t have a […]

  • Author: Theresa Robberts
Make AI Work

Rebel technologists thrive when a couple of key environmental factors are in place The first thing is budget.  Making sure that you can find the necessary budget to be able to instil these changes is an ideal starting point. If you aren’t working towards some kind of return on investment, somewhere along the line, why should […]

  • Author: Brett StClair

Our Mission

We are your partner creating memorable and engaging experiences that go beyond the event itself.

© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME