Generative AI News: How to Keep Your Sanity in Times of Information Overload
Three recommendations for forming your own opinions and maintaining big picture thinking
One thing is for certain these days: There’s no shortage of AI-related news on any given day. We’re seeing the latest tech hype unfold in front of our eyes — and we’re the main protagonists in that story.
From product announcements that are more innovative, more impressive, and more impactful than the last one to opinion pieces, philanthropic messages, academic papers, thought leadership content, and videos by freshly-minted generative AI experts. Trying not to get overwhelmed by the flood of information and commentary is becoming tougher by the day — especially, if you’re looking to form your own opinions and to understand the impact of the technology.
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Generative AI is news everywhere
This past week alone has brought us a 7-page article by Bill Gates about the potential of (generative) AI, a report about potential jobs at risk by Goldman Sachs, findings by OpenAI about 80% of jobs seeing an impact from AI, news that prompt engineers can make up to $335k/ year, a high-profile podcast episode with the CEO of OpenAI, image generation built into popular desktop publishing software, an open letter to cease AI training for regulation to catch up, and many, many more news. Add to that the dozens of carousels of “Top 10 AI tools everyone needs to know” or “50 ChatGPT prompts for any business role” that fill our social feeds. There’s more content out there than you can consume before the next wave reaches your newsfeed.
Everyone wants a piece of it. Their piece.
The more polarizing, the better — for views and likes. That’s why filtering out the noise is getting harder. I’ve had conversations with several peers in the industry recently who’ve shared the same observation. Even if you do stay on top of major stories and developments, there’s hardly a day that goes by without someone asking “Have you heard the news about X?” — and you realize that you’ve missed just exactly that bit of news in the sea of information. But, what’s a practical approach for staying informed without getting overwhelmed?
Balancing information and big picture thinking
Whether you are in an AI leadership role or want to move into one, there’s a risk in following the “he-said, she-said” type news cycle too closely. And that is missing the big picture: Asking the big picture questions. Thinking the big picture thoughts. Here’s what I mean:
What’s the impact (good and bad) of generative AI on our
industry/ business/ competition?
customers/ employees/ society?
values/ ethics?
What do we want to use generative AI for? And what not?
What role do humans play in our generative AI driven future?
What guidelines do we need to create (e.g. information security)?
What new business models/ markets/ products can we create because of generative AI?
And many more…
These are profound questions and the answers to some of them can have far-reaching consequences — for better or worse. If your leadership is asking you to figure out where to use generative AI, what benefits to expect, and how quickly they can get it (because it is 🔥🔥🔥 right now)…Take. A. Breath.
And then:
Read trusted sources
Follow a mix of objective news coverage for facts and respected thought leaders in the industry for additional context and commentary.
Learn about the technology
Experiment with generative AI tools yourself. Use it for all types of media: Text, audio, image, and video. And learn about both, its opportunities and limitations.
Form your own opinions
Engage in discussions and be prepared to adapt your position based on new information: Where can this AI trend go? How does the future of work look? What could be the impact of AI that generates output vs recommend/ classify information?
What will you do the next time the internet goes bonkers over generative AI?
(Psst! That could already happen today…)
» Watch the latest episodes of “What’s the BUZZ?” on YouTube or listen to it wherever you get your podcasts. «
What’s next?
Appearances
April 10 - Together with Joe Reis & Matt Housley, we’ll talk about defining a company’s AI strategy and how data professionals can better collaborate with their business stakeholders. Check out Monday Morning Data Chat and mark your calendar: We’ll go live at 11am ET (event link to follow).
Join us for the upcoming episodes of “What’s the BUZZ?”:
April 11 - Maya Mikhailov, Founder & AI Leader, will join the show to share how as an AI leader, you can Set Expectations With Your Leaders.
April 25 - Ramsay Brown, Founder & CEO Mission Control, will be on the show when we talk about How Businesses Can Trust Generative AI in times of rapid innovation.
May 9 - Brian Evergreen, Founder & CEO The Profitable Good Company & Author, will discuss how manufacturing businesses can Create A Human Future With AI.
Follow me on LinkedIn for daily posts about how you can set up & scale your AI program in the enterprise. Activate notifications (🔔) and never miss an update.
Together, let’s turn hype into outcome. 👍🏻
—Andreas