Happy Birthday Chat GPT: But Where is the AI Revolution?

We recently marked the second anniversary of ChatGPT, released at the end of November 2022 with much media coverage and reactions across all industries.  

I must confess, I do like anniversaries, milestones and key events that have punctuated our collective technological history. Somehow, I have always found looking back a very helpful way to understand what is coming next and why.  

I thought we should  pause  to  wonder,  what  role  is  artificial  intelligence going to play  in  our business and personal  lives, truthfully?  

Looking Back: what really happened?  

Our  journey of reflection  begins  in  the  19th  century  with  a  visionary  woman  named  Ada  Lovelace, the  daughter  of  the  famous  poet  Lord  Byron she was  introduced  to  mathematics  at  a  young  age. But  it  was  her  remarkable collaboration  with  Charles  Babbage,  the  inventor  of  the  first  mechanical  computer,  that  truly  set  her  apart.  

Ada Loverlace was one of the earliest to foresee what we now know as Artificial Intelligence

Ada Lovelace  saw  beyond  simple  computations, she  envisioned  a  future  where  machines  could  create  art,  music,  and  more. She  essentially imagined  the  earliest  concept  of  AI.  

Fast  forward  to  the  mid  20th  century, the  term  artificial  intelligence  was  coined  by  John  McCarthy  at  the  Dartmouth  Conference.  This  was  the  dawn  of  a  new  era  of  AI,  one  where  the  focus  was  not  just  on  creating  intelligent  machines,  but  on  understanding  human  intelligence  itself. 

AI's  journey  in  popular  culture  is  as  fascinating  as  its  technical  evolution.    From  the  ominous  HAL  9000  in  Stanley  Kubrick's  2001:  A  Space  Odyssey  to  the  endearing  R2D2  in  Star  Wars,  literature and cinema  have  been  a  mirror  reflecting  our  hopes  and  fears  about  the  technology.   

The  late  20th  and  early  21st  centuries  saw  AI  becoming  more  mainstream  thanks  to  advancements  in  machine  learning  and  neural  networks. Like many of you, I remember vividly when companies  like  IBM  with  their  chess  playing  Deep  Blue  and  Google  with  their  Go  champion  AlphaGo  showcased  the  power  of  AI  to  the  world.   

The  recent  chapter  in  this  story  is  the rise of the Digital Assistants, with brand names such as Chat GPT, Perplexity, Microsoft CoPilot, Google  Gemini, Claude and Meta AI.   All designed  as  platforms  that  aim  to  use  AI  to  answer  complex  real-world  problems.   

The  possibilities  are  endless, from  revolutionising  healthcare  to  optimising  agriculture,  AI  has  the  potential  to  transform  every  industry, and make information more accessible.  

But  as  we  embrace  AI's  capabilities,  it's  crucial  to  remember  the  ethical  implications. We  must  ensure  that  AI  is  used  responsibly,  respecting  privacy  and  promoting  fairness.   For me, the  story  of  AI  is  a  story  of  human  ingenuity.   From  Ada  Lovelace  to  ChatGPT, autonomous vehicles, and more, each  chapter  in  this  journey  has  been  about  pushing  boundaries  and  redefining  what's  possible.   

Looking Now: What should we focus on first? 

I am certain that the focus should be on becoming a skilled operator of AI solutions, no matter the brand or design. Here are a couple of suggestions which will help:  

Rethink and Reset your AI Roadmap 

This is an easy 8-step programme of activities and something that my clients have really enjoyed implementing: 

1. List all your essential business apps and tools, from admin to operations and marketing, and make it as comprehensive as possible.  

2. Contact the vendors and request an update on how they are planning to integrate AI into the existing solutions and book demonstrations.  

3. Schedule dedicated AI training days for the new and improved tools, which could include the financial management suite, the CRM system, the website, social media dashboard, etc. 

4. Next, start to get more organised and use AI to help you create a 90-day content marketing plan for your chosen international target customers. Once completed, you can move onto the 4 Rs of AI for digital marketing:  

5. Rewrite and update all the sales messages and promotional content throughout your online and printed media to appeal to your prospects.  

6. Repurpose all your content on your website, LinkedIn profiles and pages, and other directories, listings, etc. that are likely to be accessed by your current and future customers.  

7. Research your international target customers’ Trust Network (from trade publications to trade shows, expos, membership organisations, etc.) with the help of AI and traditional Google search.  

8. Reach out to key contacts throughout your target customers’ Trust Network and explore opportunities for guest speaking, co-hosting webinars, submitting thought pieces and advertising.  

9. 
   

Take your time, no need to rush through this, and you will learn so much more about how your Digital Assistant can help you with your business development activities. 

Rethink and Reset your ‘Prompting’ Skills 

Prompt is not a term that I am particularly fond of, I think it is misleading, uninspiring and a very poor representation of the task at hand: getting the best from your digital assistant by compiling as helpful and comprehensive a brief as you would for a real assistant.   Here is a model that will help improve the results you get from your favourite platform, from ChatGPT to Gemini or even Meta AI: A-B-C, Authority, Briefing, Complement: 

Authority: 

Your first exchange is to set the level of expertise and mastery, so always begin by asking ‘how is it done’, for example: 

I need your help to write a press release announcing the launch of a new product/service/programme (delete as appropriate).  Acting as my marketing and pr expert can you please provide me a breakdown of the structure and key elements of a successful press release. 

Briefing: 

Your next exchange is to formulate your request for a draft press release and you can use the following breakdown for inspiration: 

Acting as my expert copywriter and journalist, and using the press release breakdown you provided, can you please write a press release that I can send to the editor of (enter trade publication name).  Here is some information about our business, audience, products/services, features and benefits.  

Here is some information about the publication, its readership and the ultimate goal(s) for our press release to be featured in the next issue.  The tone of voice needs to be (enter details here) – avoid words such as (enter list here)  

The content should be concise, factual, and journalistic, avoiding jargon, unverified claims, and personal opinions.  Here are some additional facts, quotes, and information for you: (add details here) 

Complement: 

No matter how good you feel your draft press release is, there is always something that can be done to improve its impact and appeal. Try using the following instruction:  

Thank you very much, that is a great first version of the press release from my new product/service/programme. Your role is to be my Public Relations and Marketing expert advisor, I have two follow up questions for you: 

1. How can the press release be improved? Please share your advice in a table format. 

2. What additional questions do you have for me to help improve the press release? 

REMEMBER, the key is to have a conversation, think of it as having a one-hour consultation with an expert and you want to get maximum value from that appointment by asking lots of questions! 

Looking Ahead: What is the next chapter in AI’s story? 

The journey of AI from Ada Lovelace's theoretical concepts to today's practical applications is truly remarkable.  

As we stand on the cusp of another leap forward, it's worth considering what the near future might bring.  

So,  what  does  the  near future  hold  for  AI?   Has the AI Revolution happened yet?  

Well, almost, the next step is the evolution of our current digital assistants into more sophisticated forms: Digital Agents, Digital Twins, and even Humanoid Robots. We are all moments away from entering an era of unprecedented form of interaction with AI-powered solutions, a level of co-existence with technology that is turning science-fiction into science facts.  

The vision expressed at the Dartmouth Conferences decades ago is becoming a reality. 

The question of how machines could be made to simulate aspects of human intelligence is being answered as the disciplines of Machine Learning, Neural Networks, Natural Language Processing, and Robotics are converging. 

As we witness these changes, we should approach them with both excitement and responsibility. The potential of AI to improve our lives is immense, but so too is the need for thoughtful implementation and ethical considerations.  It is essential that we draw on the lessons from our past (both distant and recent) and aim to design AI solutions in ways that benefit all of humanity. The story of AI is still being written, and we all have a part to play in shaping its next chapters.  

To your success!