YOU'RE FIRED!
Will the inevitable integration of AI into consultancy businesses enhance what we do... or will it replace us entirely?
‘‘I don’t believe that this current revolution will leave thousands of consultants out of work. AI is a tool that enhances human capability rather than replacing it entirely.’’
‘‘Imagine a system where your experts actually have more time to PROBLEM-SOLVE, INNOVATE and simply THINK (with a new range of powerful tools to help them do it!). Perhaps AI will be the key to unlocking such systems.’’
This article in brief:
It’s here! ChatGPT is leading the way in the new wave of Large Language Model AI tools.
Will consultants be replaced with AI chat-bots, or will this new technology create more opportunities, and even enhance the human expertise that we rely on?
I discuss some of the dangers of the use of AI tools within consultancy businesses.
Reflecting on the potential ‘wins’, however, perhaps being too late to the AI party is also too big a risk to take?
Through the creation of a dynamic AI Policy document, I hope to be able to find a good balance within my own consultancy business.
It’s here!
The era of Large Language Model, Artificial Intelligence is upon us!
I’m sure the number of you who haven’t yet tried feeding a ‘prompt’ into ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas, help write a paragraph, or find answers to questions is shrinking fast.
And it’s not just OpenAI’s ChatGPT either; Microsoft’s Bing, Google’s Bard and so many other recently released AI systems are all now jostling for position.
Then there are all of the countless applications and plugins being built on top of these powerful large language models. There is a new gold-rush for AI-powered apps with many thousands being released each month.
Turn just a few prompts into flashy presentations or even entire websites; generate CV’s, write computer code, even get legal advice (!).. the list literally goes on and on!
This technology has the potential to be just as disruptive as the search-engine or email. I have seen commentators describe this moment as a major stepping stone on the way to artificial general intelligence (or ‘AGI’)*, making it as significant as the arrival of the internet itself!
(* AGI is the ability of an artificial agent to perform any intellectual task that humans can).
As well as impacting us in our social lives, AI’s powerful applications will touch pretty much every industry to some degree. Including my own; environmental consultancy.
Will we be out of a job?
This is one of the first questions that comes up in any AI discussion; one that I’ve already had more than once with employees in my own consultancy business.
I don’t believe that this current revolution will leave thousands of consultants out of work. In its current iteration, AI is a tool that enhances human capability rather than replaces it entirely.
While AI can automate certain tasks, it also creates new opportunities, enabling people to focus on complex problem-solving, creativity and innovation, all of which are endeavors that lie at the heart of consultancy businesses.
A person still needs to use judgement around the deployment of AI systems. Human supervision will still be required for maintenance and development, potentially generating new demands and job opportunities in these areas.
Even if - and it’s a big ‘if’ - a large language model can provide the satisfactory level of professional knowledge required for advisory and consultancy-type work, there are also questions of liability and culpability to consider; who would you come after if such advise causes some sort of harm or loss? A chat-bot?!
By augmenting human labor, AI can improve productivity and efficiency, ultimately reshaping job functions rather than eliminating them entirely.
Rather than replace it, I am actually optimistic that AI-augmented business systems will enable the expert human judgement that lies within consultancy businesses to be applied much more effectively.
Imagine such a system where you can remove much of the mundane tasks from your day-to-day schedule.
Imagine a system where your experts actually have more time to PROBLEM-SOLVE, INNOVATE and THINK (with a new range of powerful tools to help them do it!). Perhaps AI will be the key to unlocking such systems.
(Disclaimer: Ok, all bets are off if artificial *general* intelligence becomes real!).
Use it or Lose it
In my own consultancy business my business partners and I have discussed the use of large language model AI tools within the company.
The views that have been expressed range all the way from ‘BAN IT’ through to ‘EMBRACE IT’!
The argument against…
The argument for an outright ban is tempting.
There is currently a propensity for LLM’s to provide results that are objectively wrong. The temptation for people to seek quick answers to difficult questions when deadlines are looming, to rely on a result that can be called up on a screen in seconds, and the ability for potential mistakes to slip through review protocols is a big concern.
Moreover, we believe that the author of any document must be able to stand by and justify each and every word within it. This would be extremely difficult if large swathes of the report have been generated by AI.
If asked to justify where a particular statement of opinion has come from, replying ‘Chat-GPT told me’ will not cut it! It will be akin to cheating, in my opinion.
If a client finds out you’ve used ChatGPT to basically write their report, in part or in whole, what will they think? Well imagine their reaction when they see that you forgot to take out an old client name from their (obviously recycled) report.. now multiply it by TEN!
Case Study: A case surfaced in a recent BBC article highlighting precisely the risk that consultancy businesses need to be aware of in the use of tools like ChatGPT; A lawyer in New York used ChatGPT to help with legal research. He was not aware that it sometimes gives wrong, fake or biased information. In a subsequent court case, the lawyer's team used examples from previous rulings to support their argument. However, the other side couldn't find some of the cases mentioned. The lawyer’s team had used ChatGPT to find those cases… which turned out to be completely fabricated!
I can understand the temptation to simplify the question of whether to allow the use of this new, potentially high-risk technology with a blanket ‘BAN IT’ approach.
I get it.
The argument for…
On the other hand, the ‘EMBRACE IT’ argument is equally compelling when one considers the repercussions of simply not keeping up.
‘What if your is business is the last to arrive at the AI party?!’
As discussed, I think it’s clear that there are huge efficiency gains to be had if used properly.
But how will we learn which tools and techniques will work unless we roll up our sleeves and get stuck in?!
Even if we make a few mistakes along the way, the potential upside is undeniably huge for businesses that can successfully ride the AI technology wave.
You could wait it out until many of the teething problems are resolved, but wait too long, and you might just be too late…
The Middle Ground
Personally I believe that trying to completely cut out the use of LLM AI tools would be something like telling staff not to use Yahoo!, Alta Vista or Ask Jeeves search engines back in the 90’s.
But I am also fully aware of the prospect of making embarrassing mistakes.
In my own consultancy business we will encourage the use of AI, but we will be very careful and selective in what we use it for, and how we use it.
With great power comes great responsibility!
We are now drafting an AI Policy, a document that will no doubt evolve quickly over time, but one that we hope will provide useful oversight, embedding some crucial learning and feedback mechanisms. Three examples of the kind of content that will make up our AI Policy is follows:
The use of AI to perform certain tasks, such as finding answers to technical questions or providing judgement, will be prohibited.
Consultants will be required to declare if and how AI has been used in the production of any deliverables, no matter how seemingly trivial.
We will develop a regularly-reviewed database of AI-tools that add value to workflows in all parts of the business, from basic administration through to technical advisory work.
I believe that good business decisions are are based on foresight rather than fear. This philosophy applies to this new frontier of AI-based technology perhaps more than any other.
Be careful out there!
-Tristan
‘The AI-Enviropreneur’