AI is better, not new.

In 1984 Chaka Khan released Ain’t Nobody (loves me better) in the UK. That same year William Gibson wrote Neuromancer. Paul Plumridge a few years later loaned me the book amongst many others! He said it would change everything. As always he was right. As the Matrix (yes many believe it started here) Stims (simulated augmented reality) and the interface of trodes (attach to your mind), mobile devices (smart phones) automated transports and of course humans thrown into intense mix..slowly blew, grew and transformed my mind in what the future was about to be.

Behind the dark ether, spiritually the stories were about AI’s from large corporations impacting, controlling and shaping human life. (Sound familiar?!) Augmentation of humans is what all technology is about but I have been recently reminded as I have re-read the Gibson trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero & Mona Lisa Overdrive) that we have been contemplating the impact of our evolution for a while. The difference is it’s here now with the internet, mobile/network capability and human/silicon interface. History and human nature cannot be ignored. Energy, Telco and Product that pleases - I’ve been lucky to be involved in all these sectors.

Pink Panther

Technology is all well and good JLR have had an abundance of it in all their products for years! Whatever you think of the re-brand- being bold, technology (EV) in service of purpose and re-imaging a product for growth is all that matters in their reset. I personally LOVE what jaguar are trying to do. Copy Nothing, Break Moulds phrases from the recent press releases. When you are not winning, you must do something different. Those sectors I have worked in the last decade (Energy, Telco, Virgin & FS) will recognise these words - I use them everyday in business to help drive differentiation in difficult established markets & mindsets. CDIO, CIOs need to be more than functional leaders. AI and new models will drive ALL businesses in efficiency and re-think. Those that believe that traditional approaches to established technology patterns (regardless of sector) will suffice, will be left standing still. This next phase of capability will create competitors that continue to experiment and use augmentation to create value and extract value of historic assets faster than you if you don’t have a roadmap that extracts the value from this phase of the ‘Matrix’.

Basics before Bots. Back to the future.

I’ve recently been asked a few times what I stand for or ‘think’ (as a Tech leader) about how to move forward in business in this paradigm? ( I often have a glass of wine in my hand at this point!) Simply, those that do not embrace and work to augment|utilise their business strategies with AI will fall behind. However that is an easy bumper sticker statement. History shows the organisations that only implement differential technologies without the EQ of customer and colleague implications in mind stifle the innovation and value extraction they intended. The real issue in my view is that many leaders, boards, executives believe they must focus on basics before being brave. In my view you can & must do both. Fix the basics of a business while leaping - What about investment/capital outlay I hear you scream at the screen!!! The cost of doing nothing in these new paradigms is infinitely less risky than being left behind. The large tech transforms/multi-year gigantic super blackholes of decades gone by where false sense of surety of outcome was the imperative are gone. “Words| presentations | LI articles 😎 are cheap” …the proof is all the ‘logos’ and deliveries that we look at and say WoW! How did they do that? Simply they were brave, they made mistakes (small ones), moved forward regardless to success. That’s how I think about the work I have done and will do going forward. A reputation of delivery and straightforward strategy.

So, simply when asked what I stand for in this AI world and as I think about what next in 2025/6. Business basics will allow all to leap back to the future. Infrastructure (scaled), Digital, Data linked with Customer | Colleague purpose. All in service of a strong forming product and strategy. Simple lines define clear product.

There will always be legacy, costs and stakeholders & politics in play. Customer first strategies that move with the vogue matter. Tech leaders that have an opinion and help shape all aspects of business, matter in this paradigm. Simply, making complicated easy to take more risks and deliver.

AI is better, but not better than the humans making the change. That’s what I stand for.

Now let’s Bring it On!