AI Appreciation Day: Q&A with Andrew Gunnis
Andrew Gunnis, Co-Founder of GPTStrategic, a pioneering Gen AI development studio specialising in solutions across diverse industries, discusses why AI appreciation day matters and what challenges and opportunities lie ahead.
What excites you about AI innovation in your industry?
Given I work at a recently launched start-up that builds enterprise-grade generative AI solutions, everything about AI innovation excites me! Including the ability to use Gen AI to answer these questions in a fraction of the time it would have taken me back in mid-2022. Here are my hastily jotted down thoughts, as polished up by perplexity.ai, “a free AI search engine designed to revolutionise the way you discover information”.
After many decades of it merely being a “promising technology, we've now moved beyond the initial ‘Peak of Inflated Expectations’ hype, with some prominent voices now sliding into the inevitable ‘Trough of Disillusionment’ negativity because AI hasn’t immediately solved all of humanity’s problems.
But real, tangible benefits are now evident across various sectors. This shift from theoretical potential to practical applications has bolstered confidence. While it may have slowed recently, there’s still enormous amounts of investment flowing into AI, meaning more and better AI-enabled solutions will likely rapidly emerge, many of which we can’t presently imagine. It’s also exciting for those in my line of work that boards are now encouraging CEOs to develop strategic plans for Generative AI implementation.This marks a significant change from the security-centric concerns that dominated discussions 12 months ago.
What are the challenges around AI innovation in your industry?
· Talent shortage: Especially in Australia, there's a significant gap between the demand for AI expertise and the available skilled professionals, potentially slowing progress and implementation
· Limited public awareness: Many stakeholders struggle to grasp how to initiate AI projects or understand the technology's potential benefits for their work and daily lives
· Fear of the unknown: Uncertainty about AI's impact on job security, privacy, and ethical considerations creates resistance and hesitation among some individuals and organisations
· The rapid pace of change: The speed with which Gen AI is evolving makes it challenging for businesses to make well-informed decisions about adoption and integration
· Data quality and availability: AI systems require large amounts of high-quality data, which can be challenging to obtain or manage effectively
Why celebrating AI Appreciation Day matters
Celebrating AI Appreciation Day is important for several reasons:
· Awareness and education: It provides a platform to increase public understanding of AI, its capabilities, and its potential impact on society
· Bridging the knowledge gap: The day can help demystify AI technology, making it more accessible to those who may feel intimidated or left behind by the pace of technological change
· Encouraging participation: We can inspire more people to engage with and contribute to AI development and applications by highlighting AI's positive contributions
· Addressing concerns: It offers an opportunity to discuss and address ethical considerations and societal implications of AI constructively
· Celebrating achievements: The day allows us to celebrate the progress made in AI and acknowledge the hard work of researchers, developers, and innovators in the field
· Future-focused dialogue: AI Appreciation Day can stimulate conversations about the future of work, education, and society in an AI-enhanced world, helping to shape a positive and inclusive vision for the future
Andrew Gunnis is the Co-Founder of GPTStrategic, a pioneering Gen AI development studio specialising in solutions across diverse industries. With a firm belief in the transformative power of innovative thinking and technology, Andrew has dedicated his professional journey to guiding organisations in fields such as Legal, HR, Pharmaceuticals FMG, Sales and Marketing. He is a seasoned technology executive with four decades of experience at leading global organisations such as IBM and Symantec, as well as having founded other start-ups.
