{"id":35204,"date":"2024-04-15T13:08:30","date_gmt":"2024-04-15T12:08:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digileaders.com\/?p=35204"},"modified":"2024-04-15T13:08:30","modified_gmt":"2024-04-15T12:08:30","slug":"countering-the-ai-hype","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digileaders.com\/countering-the-ai-hype\/","title":{"rendered":"Countering the AI hype"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s hard to look at LinkedIn these days without being instantly confronted by AI enthusiasts, almost foaming at the mouth as they share their vision for how the public sector can save millions if not billions, of pounds by simply using AI.<\/span><\/p>\n

It sounds so easy! As a chief executive, I would be reading this stuff and thinking to myself, ‘Why the hell aren’t my people doing this already?’.<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, I am hearing from digital and technology practitioners in councils all over the country saying that this is happening. That the AI hype is putting pressure on teams to start delivering on some of these promises, and to do so quickly. I find this troubling.<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s always worth referring to my 5 statements of the bleedin’ obvious when it comes to technology in organisations:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. If something sounds like a silver bullet, it probably isn\u2019t one<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. You can\u2019t build new things on shaky, or non-existent, foundations<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. There are no short cuts through taking the time to properly learn, understand and plan<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. There\u2019s no such thing as a free lunch \u2013 investment is always necessary at some point and it\u2019s always best to spend sooner, thoughtfully, rather than later, in a panic<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Don\u2019t go big early in terms of your expectations: start small, learn what works and scale up from that<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    How does this apply to using AI in public services? Here’s my take on the whole thing. Feel free to share it with people in your organisation, especially if you think they may have been spending a little too long at the Kool Aid tap:<\/span><\/p>\n