Thought-provoking Things Worth Sharing - Issue #154
AI projects derailed by poor data management?
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but many organizations are suddenly discovering that keeping everything forever and lacking security and records management policies might be a problem.
AI is making the problem known and causing massive delays in rolling out AI tools.
Why data is the Achilles Heel of AI (and every other business plan)
Companies need to put their data houses in order before moving ahead with generative AI initiatives, warn two new surveys.
Welcome to this week’s collection of thought-provoking things. For each issue, I’ll share information about careers and workplace culture, mental health in the workplace, talent development, and important information about privacy, security, and legal tech.
You can find out all about me here - Mike McBride Online.
It’s the nightmare scenario: rolling out a Generative AI tool that grabs information from a data repository that includes data the user shouldn’t have access to or is outdated and inaccurate. Then, it pulls that into our current documents.
I’ve had this conversation more than once in the last couple of weeks.
We want to think everyone is checking the AI’s work, but as you’ll see below, that’s not always happening.
So, as you start using Copilot or other AI tools inside your environment, you must be honest about what your data house looks like.
Is it ready for AI?
Careers and the Workplace
The last two times I’ve gone to the office, I’ve gotten sick because people need to come when sick for some reason. It’s better for everyone if you let people get better, no matter where they are - Managers: Please Do Not Ask Employees to Work When Sick.
Related - Why Do So Many People Like Remote Work?
Not catching my coworkers' illnesses is one reason, but the other reasons include the lack of commute, eating my food in my own space, etc. I have no intention of ever having an in-office job again.
This week, especially, celebrate the wins going on at work:
Give Yourself Credit - Celebrate Those Small Wins!
Artificial Intelligence
This headline seems ominous - OpenAI's AGI Czar Quits, Saying the Company Isn't Ready for What It's Building.
So does this one - Trump plans to dismantle Biden AI safeguards after victory.
Put them together, and AI development may continue without guardrails at the Federal level. AI regulation will be in the same boat as privacy regulation now, with no federal privacy rules and just different state ones. It’s worked out so well for protecting our privacy; what could go wrong? (HA!)
It’s not like we haven’t seen examples of it going wrong already:
Have you heard of RAG? - Unlocking the Power of Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) Models in the Legal Industry (Or Play Some of that Ragtime Music)
AI in Law: Complementing, Not Replacing, Human Expertise. - We hope partners see it this way instead of replacing staff with AI. I’m not sure I trust too many of them not to see AI as cheaper and “good enough.”
Training and Development
Linked - Public speaking, TEDx, and well-articulated points of view
Now, before you start with "they work in IT so that they don't have to do public speaking," I am going to argue that even if you've never wanted to present to a large conference audience or be asked to present webinars, etc., you would do well to learn how to do it anyway. You will need to tell a compelling story about what you do at some point in your career. Whether it be to defend your budget, ask for headcount, or explain your role on the team, being able to present your ideas well will go a long way. But, it's not something we train for with many of our technical employees.
Another thing we don’t teach managers how to do:
On a similar note:
Mental Health in the Workplace
Linked - Why Workplace Well-Being Programs Don’t Achieve Better Outcomes
Well-being programs place the responsibility for managing employee mental health in the hands of the employees, who have no power to change the things causing the problem.
I know too many people to whom this might apply—and I’m willing to bet you do too—How to Heal After a Layoff.
Look at the science - What Science says about Workplace Mental Health.
Privacy, Security, and Legal Tech
Linked - It's Not Just in Your Head—Tech Companies Are Getting Desperate
I've heard a few folks in the legal industry talking about how much more expensive renewals are becoming because every tech tool is adding AI, and as we know, AI isn't cheap. Someone has to pay for it, and it looks like that'll be all of us, in the form of higher prices for the tools we use to get our work done just fine the way they are now.
Not because we need it. They need it to show growth and satisfy investors. The fact they are likely creating a bubble that will burst and end dozens of perfectly profitable companies will be chalked up to bad luck.
I’ve heard this said many times, and we’re still waiting - It’s The End Of The Legal Industry As We Know It.
I hope I don’t have to find another browser. Arc has been the best I’ve used in years, but this is worrisome: Try the world's best browser while you can - because Arc's creator has other plans.
Ransomware hasn’t gone anywhere - A Ghost Stole my Data!
That’s all, folks. If you found something interesting in this week’s newsletter, please share it with your friends. It’s the best way to help support the effort I put in each week to share this with you.