AI and the Future of Work: Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace, Business, Ethics, HR, and IT for AI Enthusiasts, Leaders and Academics

Meredith Broussard is one of the most visible, vocal leaders in the emerging field of algorithmic accountability. Professor Broussard is a data scientist and Associate Professor at NYU whose research focuses on AI in investigative reporting and using data analysis for social good. Meredith is the author of Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World and the forthcoming More Than a Glitch: Confronting Race, Gender, and Ability Bias in Tech.

Among other things, Professor Broussard was featured in the seminal documentary Coded Bias. Today's discussion is about one of the most important topics in our field and in this episode we explore it with someone whose name is on a shortlist of AI ethics pioneers. You’ve heard me say repeatedly coursework in AI ethics should be required for every student graduating with a technical degree. Here's why!
Listen and learn...

1. How AI reveals bias encoded in society
2. Why it's important to always ask "what could go wrong"
3. What is the new field of "algorithmic accountability reporting"
4. What the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights may mean for bad acting companies
5. What's the right role for the federal government in AI regulation
6. How to assign an "accountability score" to algorithms
7. The ethical issues related to AI we'll be discussing in a decade

References in this episode...

• More Than a Glitch, Professor Broussard's new book... and her "love letter" to an amazing group of women who are pioneers in the emerging field of algorithmic accountability
• Professor Broussard's personal website
• The racist soap dispenser
• Joy Buolamwini's Algorithmic Justice League
• Rumman Choudary, formerly head of the META team at Twitter
• Cathy O'Neil's ORCAA
• The ethical judgments built into generative AI models
• Google's "stochastic parrots" debacle
• The Agnes Irwin School outside Philadelphia

We often discuss the future of work for enterprise employees. What technology will they use, how will people and machines interact, and how teams will be organized when geography and language are no longer barriers. Few have spent more time in and around enterprise service management than today’s guest and few are better qualified to share insights about what’s ahead.

Andi Mann has been a technology leader in technology companies around the world since the 90s. He founded Sageable, the digital transformation advisory services practice, in 2015 and has also recently served in roles that include CTO for DevOps at Splunk and VP Products and Strategy at CA which is now part of Broadcom. Andi and I both did time at BMC Software in the early 2000s. Andi is the author of multiple books including The Innovative CIO, he’s a sought after speaker, and tech provocateur who is never shy about what’s wrong with IT and where the world of digital is headed.

Thanks to friend of the podcast Steve Kaplan for the intro to Andi.

Listen and learn...

1. Why Andi summarizes his career this way: "I make computers do more work to allow people to do more creative things"
2. The best use of enterprise AI Andi has seen
3. How Andi helped an industrial transportation company save a billion dollars
4. Why “less complex systems can’t understand more complex systems”
5. Why the best use of AI is targeting “known knowns” by augmenting vs. replacing human intelligence
6. How to overcome the lack of trust in AI
7. Why AI won’t eliminate any jobs... and why it will create many new ones
8. Skills to invest in today that will never be replaced by automation

References in this episode...

• Dr. Lance Eliot writes about ChatGPT dispensing therapy advice
• Colin Fletcher, father of the term “AIOps”, on AI and the Future of Work
• Andi’s book “The Innovative CIO"
• Andi’s company Sageable

Dr. Eric Siegel is a leading consultant and former Columbia University professor who helps companies deploy machine learning. He is the founder of the long-running Machine Learning Week conference series and its new sister, Generative AI World, the instructor of the acclaimed online course “Machine Learning Leadership and Practice – End-to-End Mastery,” executive editor of The Machine Learning Times, and a frequent keynote speaker. He wrote the bestselling "Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die," which has been used in courses at hundreds of universities, as well as "The AI Playbook: Mastering the Rare Art of Machine Learning Deployment."

Eric’s interdisciplinary work bridges the stubborn technology/business gap. At Columbia, he won the Distinguished Faculty award when teaching the graduate *computer science* courses in ML and AI. Later, he served as a *business school* professor at UVA Darden. Eric has appeared on numerous media channels, including Bloomberg, National Geographic, and NPR, and has published in Newsweek, HBR, SciAm blog, WaPo, WSJ, and more.

Listen and learn

• How he’s progressed in the field of machine learning over 30 years
• 6-step process to usher in machine learning programs from conception to deployment
• What 3 things non-technical people in business should know about how machine learning works & delivers value
• How to know when to use classical machine learning vs generative AI to solve a data problem
• How to mitigate the impact of human bias in shaping AI

Resources

• Purchase "The AI Playbook" — http://www.bizML.com
• Scott Zoldi episode —https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/520474.rss

Chris Dyer is a globally recognized company culture and future of work expert, delivering keynotes for over 15 years to audiences worldwide. As a CEO managing thousands, his companies consistently earn accolades as best places to work and have been recognized five times by Inc. Magazine as some of the fastest-growing companies. Chris is ranked as Inc. Magazine's number one leadership speaker on culture, has published three best-selling books, and is named number five on the leadership power list. He is also a top 40 change management guru, a top 50 global thought leader, and the host of a top 50 leadership podcast. Beyond his professional achievements, Chris is an avid hiker, musician, and world traveler.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The concept of being an "accidental everything" and how curiosity and the willingness to say yes can lead to unexpected opportunities.
• We explore how Chris transitioned from speaking to writing, despite initial doubts and external skepticism.
• We delve into the power of a strong support system, including employees, mentors, and friends, in achieving success.
• We examine the varying perceptions employees have about AI in the workplace, from ignorance to apprehension to enthusiasm.
• We discuss the rapid pace of technological innovation and its impact on both employees and organizations.
• We highlight the importance of helping employees understand and adapt to technological advancements to enhance their value and mitigate job displacement risks.

Resource

Connect with Chris

AI fun fact article

An episode you might like about the future of audio engineering

Today’s guest is one of the most recognized investors and thought leaders in the conversational AI community. Bradley Metrock is the CEO of Project Voice, author of the popular Substack newsletter This Week in Voice with more than 30,000 subscribers, and a General Partner at Project Voice Capital Partners. Congrats to Bradley and the team on their recent announcement of their new rolling fund.

Bradley’s a proud citizen of the Volunteer State of Tennessee. Fair warning: you may be ready to move to Chattanooga after today’s conversation. Oh, and he’s also an ironman in the world of podcasting having just launched season eight of This Week in Voice, a podcast he launched in 2017. We’re on about episode 180 of this podcast going back to 2019 so I admire Bradley’s stamina.

Listen and learn...

1. Where there’s opportunity for entrepreneurs to innovate in conversational AI
2. How conversational AI is changing quick serve restaurants, contact centers, banking, and hospitality
3. How Bradley evaluates new pitches at Project Voice Capital Partners
4. How Bradley defines voice technology in his market map
5. Is voice the new app... or perhaps the “original app”
6. Why generative AI is so disruptive
7. Should we be concerned about voice assistants like Siri and Alexa listening in on our conversations
8. What jobs will AI create over the next decade
9. Bradley sells the great state of Tennessee to entrepreneurs establishing roots outside a coastal state

References in this episode...

• Dr. Lance Eliot describes the risk of sharing your data with ChatGPT
• Applied Brain Research, a Project Voice Capital Partners investment
• Bradley’s voice technology market map
• The Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights
• Project Voice 2023