With AI’s expanding role comes an overwhelming influx of information and options, leading to a ‘noise’ that businesses must navigate. This surge underscores a growing need for expert guidance to help professionals answer: Which AI tools and strategies best fit our objectives? How do we encourage AI and innovation in our organizations while staying agile and compliant?
This conversation with Scienz AI’s Barry Harrigan and Cyndy Sandor explores the current state of AI, its impacts on various industries, and how professionals prepare for an AI-driven future. Barry, referencing a study by Demand Science, pointed out that AI is not just a topic of interest but a primary concern for IT professionals, signaling a significant shift in focus for the tech industry. This dialogue serves as a reflection of the times, underscoring the need for B2B decision-makers to join the conversation and steer the way forward.
Watch the video or read the transcript below:
Excitement for AI’s Omnipresence and Societal Impact
Barry: One of the things that excites me is how AI is just so omnipresent everywhere, and how it’s going to affect so many businesses. Just think of the impacts and opportunities it’s going to have on us as people and as a society. I mean, what do you think about that? Isn’t this like, are we in a moment in time that’s incredibly special?
Cyndy: Absolutely. It is a moment in time, and I’m so happy to be here to witness this because I think AI is going to change everything that we will touch, I believe, going forward—from a societal standpoint. I mean, if you just look at the opportunities that we have now, you know, with applications that are controlling things in our homes, driving our cars, and helping us think better with, for instance, generative AI like ChatGPT. I do a lot of writing, and you know, I use ChatGPT every day. It helps me think better, write better, and do it faster, making me feel like I’m a superhuman in a way. And I think that’s one of the superpowers of AI—it will help all of us do whatever we need to do better because applications are coming out everywhere for everything.
Anticipating AI’s Impact on Business and Careers
Cyndy: The thing that I’m most excited about, specifically with Pure Incubation Ventures and also working with Demand Science, is in the business world. So, as we look at the B2B IT buyer, the decision-maker, the influencer, all of these individuals are struggling to understand how we use AI in our jobs and what it’s going to do for our careers. What is the future of work, and what are we looking at with this whole thing? Because what we see today with AI, we think it’s really amazing and fantastic. We can’t move fast enough to capture the applications, implement them into our lives, and figure out how to use them—what’s good, what’s bad.
Cyndy: But for business people, for IT people, for B2B people, think about their jobs and the things that they have to consider regarding data and privacy compliance. Also, how do you integrate it, so they can be more competitive, move faster, and have speed to market? These are all really exciting things that I think we’ll be able to explore more with Scienz AI.
Something Big is Happening, Be Part of It
Barry: Cyndy, I couldn’t agree more about the enthusiasm of IT people. You know, there was a little study that we had done at Demand Science a year ago, and it confirmed that of all the interests that IT people had, their number one concern was actually AI. And, you know, that was buried in this research study. Because I’m a student of research, I found that and thought, well, if that’s the most important thing they’re concerned about, why aren’t we addressing that more readily if that’s top of mind? You can’t hide the lead. You really have to focus your communication and everything around the thing that’s most important to them. And I agree with you, with IT people today, while they have lots of other concerns, such as network security, compliance issues, and keeping up with all the latest technologies, the reality is they all recognize something big is happening, and they need to be part of it.
