Reflections on Technology + Productivity
I was intrigued with a recent McKinsey article/podcast – “Technology Alone is Never Enough for True Productivity”- the key to unlocking AI's true potential lies not in the technology itself, but in how we integrate it into our existing processes and workforce.
The quote that resonated with me from the article “One of the things we learned was that awesome technology alone is not enough. What you really need is to update your business processes, reskill your workforce, and sometimes even change your business models and organization in a big way.” Yes! – fully agree we need to update business processes, change our models, and look at reskilling our workforce, specifically prioritizing knowledge work.
The focus of these tools is not to simply replicate human intelligence. Successful implementation will focus on complementing human intelligence and enhancing human capabilities. We will all be impacted by AI’s transformation of tasks within roles.
Humans still need to interpret and contextualize the produced work and draw unique insights to add value to the output. AI can help to process and analyze large volumes of data quickly, allowing humans to spend more time applying their specific expertise and critical thinking to inform decisions. AI still struggles to handle exceptions and rare instances that fall outside of the training data, which is where human intelligence is still superior.
Another key insight from this article is the idea that our conventional metrics don’t work well in this AI-driven digital economy. Rather than measuring goods (widgets) and services (units of time), we need to measure the value and benefits of the work we do.
What should we be doing with AI?
1. Identify Opportunities: Look for areas where AI can make the most significant impact.
2. Augment, Don't Replace: Focus on how AI can enhance human abilities rather than substitute them.
3. Prioritize Reskilling: Invest in retraining your workforce to work alongside AI effectively.
4. Redesign Processes: Don't just add AI to existing processes; reimagine how work can be done more efficiently with AI assistance.
5. Foster Adaptability: Develop skills in large-scale planning, critical thinking and problem-solving, and handling exceptions.
As we stand on the brink of this AI revolution, it's clear that the most successful organizations will be those that view AI not as a replacement for human workers, but as a powerful tool to augment human potential. This is also a moment for knowledge management. Rethink your KM strategy and focus on content development, supporting critical thinking and knowledge sharing, and redefining work processes. There is a mountain of work to do, so let’s get to it.
(Originally posted to LinkedIn October 2024)