Top Takeaways from EDPA ACCESS 2023 AI Panel Discussion
AI was the BIG buzz word, couldn’t go anywhere without hearing about it, hot topic in 2023. I mean just scrolling through social media you were bombarded by this new “it” thing. This technology has rapidly changed our world, in both our professional and personal lives, and clearly this is just the beginning.
Recently, I had the privilege of moderating a panel discussion at the EDPA ACCESS 2023 conference called “The Art and Science of Co-Creation: Human Creativity Enhanced by Generative AI”. Here we talked about a wide variety of topics:
The past, present, & future of AI
AI’s basic principles
What are the need-to-know skills to learn in order to master AI
Examples of using AI in our own (event industry) creative process
The Ethics of AI
Here are a few key takeaways from that discussion:
AI, to many, is this big, scary, beast that will take your job. My advice for those that feel this way? Give it a try. You would be surprised how easy it is to use and useful it can be. A great starting tool is the search engine Bing which has AI built in and is simple to navigate. One thing that is important to note is that AI requires the “human factor” to make it work on the front and back ends. It is not perfect or fully autonomous.
AI makes us more efficient which gives us the ability to do more. Ok yes, the elephant in the room, AI may take or replace some jobs, but it is already creating jobs. For example, an AI Prompt Writer is an actual job that exists right now that didn’t a few months ago. We talked about what skills we can learn today that will help us in the future. Hiring Managers are starting to ask, do you use AI or do you have any AI skills? Don’t be a bystander, dive in, learn, and grow your skillset so you can master AI sooner than later.
AI is growing fast and changing every day. There are pros and cons to this. One thing to remember is that like most things, with great expansion comes great uncertainty and a degree of risk. What I mean is, we need to be careful in how we interact with all AI platforms. Our data is sought-after and worth protecting. Governments are trying to keep up with this growing technology and pass regulations and laws to protect us, but many fear it may not be quick enough. My point is, do your research first on all available AI platforms and only trust those that are well-established and have been thoroughly tested.
In short, AI is a powerful tool that when harnessed can propel your personal and professional goals forward. It is well worth your time and attention. AI is not a massive, dangerous mountain that cannot be climbed. It’s an accessible, ever-expanding library ripe for exploration. My advice? Jump in, dive deep, and work smarter not harder with AI, today.
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