Artificial Intelligence just broke the 4-minute mile

In 1954, Robert Bannister achieved the unthinkable by breaking the 4-minute mile barrier, a feat once considered physiologically impossible. This historic moment marked a shift in what humans believed they could achieve on the track. Just 46 days later, John Landy ran a mile in 3:58, and a year later, three more runners achieved the 4-minute mark.

I believe we had a “Roger Bannister moment”, when Chat-GPT went live in Nov 2022. All-of-a-sudden we were showed what was possible with AI. It took major tech giants like Meta, Google and Apple by surprise due to the app's sophistication in sourcing unstructured data from the internet and generating human-like responses. A year later, features that were thought to be 5-10 years away are available to businesses. Tools like automated marketing campaign generators to business assistants like Mircosoft Co-Pilot are signaling that AI is here, and a new norm is around the corner.  

Rob Thomas, Chief Commercial Office at IBM said that “AI will not replace managers, but the managers that use AI will replace the managers that do not” Something that I believe to be true. Harvard business review published a study in which they found employees that used AI were:

“… significantly more productive (they completed 12.2% more tasks on average, and completed tasks 25.1% more quickly), and produced significantly higher quality results (more than 40% higher quality compared to a control group).”

Imagine being a business owner or CEO with all the extra time and improved efficiency AI brings. Would you create more of the same products, innovate with new offerings, or capitalize on cost savings? These questions underscore the massive improvements in efficiency that AI delivers here and now.

Regardless of your personal beliefs about AI, one thing is clear: your competitors are embracing AI. They are equipping their workforce with the skills needed to harness AI’s potential. They are becoming faster and producing higher quality work. To adopt Rob Thomas’ quote, “AI will not replace an organization, but competition will replace organizations that don’t work with AI.”

My involvement in two software integration projects has led me to reflect on them of late because I anticipate a growing number of similar projects in the future. I think about the exciting use-cases to be discovered and the mundane tasks that can be automated. I think about the foundational infrastructure changes and potential budget requirements. However, I often come back to people and change management. The important steps to develop a culture of innovation and adaptability, to reduce the fear of the unknown, and encourage staff to explore AI are actions that should already be happening.

Chat-GPT's launch was transformative moment. AI's rapid progress, exemplified by productivity gains and improved efficiency, necessitates adaptation by businesses. Quite simply, those that embrace AI will outperform competitors who do not. Reflecting on my experience with software integration projects, I see the importance of nurturing a culture of innovation and change management. Yes, the technology is exciting, but it will sputter and stall if people are resistant.