Despite the benefits of artificial intelligence, there are downsides to all of this head-spinning technological progress, says Warren Bailey, chief information officer at Vancouver, BC-based grower-shipper The Oppenheimer Group (Oppy) BB #:116424.
“It can seem promising in theory, but AI can encounter challenges in real-world applications,” he says, “especially when dealing with complex problems like financial data or software development. Additionally, ensuring AI’s accuracy and safety remains a challenge.
“Nonetheless, there have been benefits in terms of enhanced security measures and streamlining simple tasks,” he adds. “We’ve also explored AI for technical questions and creative input through its language models, which has been helpful.”
Thuan Ngo, vice president of data and technical services with San Jose, CA-based IT consultancy ZAG Technical Services, Inc. BB #:365534 reminds us to view the positives and negatives.
“As with any new technology, there’s potential for abuse,” he warns. “There’s also the potential for people to rely too heavily on AI answers without verifying the information, until they have a good feel for what can be relied upon.”
Mackenzie McLeod, executive director of brand management with Dallas, TX-based marketing consultant DMA Solutions, Inc., BB #:188910 agrees. “Language-based ChatGPT is generating a lot of buzz in marketing circles right now, but marketers must keep in mind that AI—however impressive—simply can’t replace human creativity.”
Ngo reiterates the importance of the underlying data, as AI results can be skewed by old data or gaps. “This is changing rapidly as newer versions are now trained on more recent data and can search the web in real time.
“It will take time for users to learn what they can trust and what should be verified, and for staff to know they’re using the technology properly.”
This is an excerpt from the Applied Technology feature in the November/December 2023 issue of Produce Blueprints Magazine. Click here to read the whole issue.
