“Make it a partner, one thing is very clear, AI is not going to replace humans, but humans with AI are going to replace humans without AI.”
Khyatee Chhabra, Senior Director of Technology at Publicis Sapient, shared a compelling vision for how organizational leaders can embrace and harness the transformative potential of generative AI technologies like ChatGPT.
Drawing Parallels with the Internet Revolution
Chhabra began by drawing parallels between the internet revolution and the current AI revolution. Just as the internet dramatically reduced the cost of information transmission, enabling the rise of tech giants like Google and Amazon, AI is now poised to reduce the cost of cognition.
The Shift from Human-to-Screen to Human-to-Algorithm
Chhabra emphasized that the key difference lies in the nature of these interactions. Whereas the digital transformation era was focused on optimizing human-to-screen interactions, the AI revolution is about enabling seamless human-to-algorithm partnerships. This shift requires a dramatic change in mindset – from viewing AI as a mere tool to embracing it as a collaborative partner.
Four Imperatives for AI Leadership
To navigate this transformation, Chhabra outlined four key imperatives for organizational leaders:
1- Embrace the Change Encourages everyone in the organization to experiment, test, and critically evaluate AI systems. This means shedding the “tool and technology” mindset and instead considering AI as a true partner. Chhabra shared how her own team at Publicis Sapient has road-tested AI systems like MidJourney and Dall-E, iterating on prompts to achieve desired outputs.
2- Establish Governance Define ethical and responsible guardrails for AI usage, drawing from emerging global regulations and internal guidelines. This includes answering crucial questions around accountability, security, and the quality of training data. Chhabra emphasized that leaders ensure that organizations define and evolve the governance framework.
3- Empower Everyone Provide structured learning opportunities to equip all employees, not just data scientists, with the knowledge to collaborate effectively with AI systems. This “collective intelligence” approach enables the entire organization to contribute to the journey of AI integration and optimization.
4- Commit to Ethical Use Instill a strong, organization-wide commitment to the ethical and responsible deployment of AI. This goes beyond mere compliance, requiring a deep understanding of principles like transparency, fairness, and the prevention of unintended harm.
Embracing the Shift from Human-to-Screen to Human-Algorithm Partnerships
Chhabra stressed that the key to success lies in embracing the shift from human-to-screen interactions to human-algorithm partnerships. She illustrated this with examples from daily life, such as using Google Maps or Spotify, where AI-powered algorithms have become integral to our experiences.
“Let’s all join hands, let’s all take this journey together, let’s make this journey magical, and let’s make this journey that is going to transform the way we live, work, and play.”
By empowering everyone in the organization to experiment, establish robust governance, and commit to ethical AI principles, leaders can guide their teams through the Gen AI revolution, transforming it into a journey of empowerment and responsible innovation.
