IT'S QUESTION TIME

Isn't it weird how interviewers – from Paxman to Colbert – are some of the most famous media personalities? You would think, if a question really was just a question, that the people who asked them would simply be interchangeable vessels.

In reality, we all understand on some level that asking questions is both a genuine skill and a genuine duty. And because of that, we have real reverence for the people who know how to ask the right ones to get people talking. 

One of the questions that people ask us most frequently is what AI can do.

And that makes sense: there’s always going to be excitement, anxiety and uncertainty surrounding something so fundamentally market-altering.

But the fact is, AI can do so many things it’s tempting to simply reel off the ever-growing list and watch their jaws drop. 

If we’re honest though, all the things AI can do – impressive as they are – don’t quite get at what is so important about it. And frankly, the extensiveness of the list can be misleading: it’s still humans that can make-or-break any campaign or initiative, regardless of how powerful their tech is.

AI is a powerful tool, not least for its ability to remove human error. But the irony is AI itself is prone to human error and oversight if used incorrectly. And most importantly, if the right questions aren’t being asked of it. 

Rather than what AI can do, we need to ask ourselves what we want AI to do

According to Microsoft’s recent research:

• Two in five executives believe their current business model will cease to exist in the next five years

Clearly, they understand the change AI - coupled with 5G and Big Data - is going to have on the business world.

• Over 50% of business leaders report having no strategy in place for adapting to the new models or adopting AI in any meaningful way.
• In fact, PwC claims that only 4% of executives have truly successfully implemented AI in their business. 

In the same study it was noted, businesses who have adopted AI have already seen a 5% improvement in productivity, performance and enterprise outcomes, compared with those that have not explored its capacities. And that number jumps to 9% for those who adopted it alongside a focus on values, ethics and process.

So clearly, the main question on most business’s lips will be: how can I get me some of that? 

But this isn’t quite the approach to be taking. Instead, they need to be figuring out exactly what it is they actually need some of it for.

And they can do that by asking themselves three simple questions:

1. What is my market going to look like in five years?
2. How is my business going to survive that change?
3. Why do we even want to?

And you might add to that some tough-love: 

• Why aren’t they already amongst that 5% of successful early adopters? 
• What is getting in the way of innovation and how can it be removed?

Agencies and marketers in general need to be better at aligning themselves with their clients:

We need to be partners, with shared goals and shared visions

And I believe AI will be the catalyst for this. 

By becoming partners in this transformation process, agencies and businesses are in prime position for extraordinary mutual gains. But the only way for that to be achieved is through really clear, honest communication and being willing to ask these big, difficult questions.

And part of that process is beginning any relationship with a serious discussion about what the mission is, what we’re ultimately looking to get to and what we’re willing to undertake to get there.

Those are the essential questions for businesses right now, and there's only so long anybody's going to last without starting to ask them.