AI at work. Is it an efficiency booster or Just More Trouble

Mark (00:01)
Hi, AI at work. Is it an efficiency booster or more trouble than it's worth? I'm Mark Andelius.

Jarwuan (00:07)
And I'm Juwan Tucker, and we're your hosts from the AI Guy Show. So Mark, I came across this article in the Washington Post, and it's basically about AI tools being used within the workspace. And so brief overview, they're using Microsoft, Copilot, and Gemini in the workspace, and unfortunately, they got some mixed results. So with the results, you had while AI showed potential in speeding up certain tasks,

and aiding in content creation, it also demonstrated limitations such as making incorrect assumptions, requiring multiple attempts to achieve a desired outcome, and sometimes producing irrelevant or inaccurate content. And I agree with the latter. So where's your tape? Do you think AI's role is enhancing workplace productivity?

Mark (00:58)
I think it does. It's sort of designed to sort of take those mundane tasks and make it automating those processes and really gives them the ability for myself and employees to really focus on the critical thinking that needs to be done versus getting caught up in some of the minutiae of putting stuff together. It's just this, to me, I think it's very incredible that it can sort of...

create that efficiency that we've been looking for. What's your thought?

Jarwuan (01:30)
I beg to differ. I mean, and you said efficiencies. I view it as I see the inefficiencies and inaccuracies within the AI tools, which often lead to me personally having to do more work, you know? And so over the long haul for the everyday user, they're probably going to view it the same because it's not quite where it needs to be. But as the technology stabilizes, maybe my opinion will change. But with that being said, what about the reliability and accuracy of the AI?

Mark (01:34)
Mm -hmm.

Jarwuan (02:00)
generated content.

Mark (02:01)
Well, you gave me a tough question because I wish I could say it's very reliable, but it is. I think what I have learned is with working with it, it does generate that content and it does give it the ability to sort of take those different thoughts because it has so much knowledge out there that I can pull in that I would never had been the ability to do. And it's given me the ability to really.

Focus on the information and get to the deadlines. I can get things done quicker, especially when projects pop up at the last minute or somebody needs something. Then I have this tool there to give me that ability to get that information to him as quickly as possible.

Jarwuan (02:47)
Okay, for me, one word, hallucinating. And when you think of it, it provides a lot of inaccurate information today, which makes it riskier for businesses. I mean, especially for communications. If I'm having to fact check everything that I'm putting out there, that makes it a little riskier. And so I go back to the irrelevant content, Connor undermines its reliability, if you ask me.

Mark (03:16)
Well, I ask you a question back. Well, yes, it does hallucinate and things like that, but what things are you doing to sort of figure out what if it's good information or not a good information?

Jarwuan (03:29)
Well, we have multiple AI platforms and those AI platforms serve various purposes. So with me, I may cross reference it. I may go and try to navigate and look up the sources from a Google search or from a reliable source at that point. But it's just fact checking the information that I'm receiving. And so those are the types of tools that I may use. So that being said.

Mark (03:53)
Yeah, yeah, well, I do want to also want to put it also is how we write your prompts and things like that for things that may not know as much information on I will do especially at the very end of the prompt to say, please put any references material or anything that you're referencing. It just makes it a little bit easier itself.

Jarwuan (04:08)
Okay.

Good point, good point. Okay. So as far as AI impact, how do you think it's going to impact the skills of an employment?

Mark (04:24)
Well, I can believe everybody's feeling this. And I feel it also is that, you know, you see research out there that, you know, some articles said that 40 % of all knowledge -based jobs could be displaced. And I understand the hesitation of it and the skill part of it. It just with anything in skills. I mean, I have put so much time into learning this particular genitive AI.

and also other tools itself. When I first learned how to use Excel, I mean, that was a painful thing. Now I'm very comfortable with using Excel. Yeah, it was clunky at first, but it did impact. So my skills that if I need to go to another employer or something like that, I have skills with different pieces of software out there that employers are going to look at. And I truly believe is as I learned,

you know, Microsoft Copilot or Gemini or other ones out there, those skills that I learn is going to be valuable to those employers too.

Jarwuan (05:29)
Okay, I noticed you said that you obtained some skill sets over time and you put in a lot of hard work, such as with Excel. However, now that we have, if you introduce AI into the workspace, you don't necessarily need those skill sets no more. So those skills are gonna be lost along the way. So degradation of skills at that point, because my biggest fear is the workforce becoming overly dependent on the technology.

And once you do that, what happens should that technology not be available? What do you rely on at that point if your skills have diminished over time?

Mark (06:08)
That's a good point and I I think is that with anything, you know use a I use Ways or Google Maps and things like that. I still know how to get to point a to point B But I if it didn't have that capability I would have to drop the speed limit if I didn't have ways because it would let me know where the cops are and everything but you

Jarwuan (06:22)
Hahaha

Mark (06:33)
With anything, you still got to have the knowledge base of how to do things manually, but automation is coming. And we could talk about days and days of different things have been automated through the years, but it's a skill set that you learn. And I truly believe that you learn this skill set for these large language models and whether it's Microsoft Copilot, you are still going to be valuable.

Jarwuan (06:59)
I get it. And for a moment, I thought you was getting ready to say, Juwan, it's like riding a bike. You don't forget certain things. You know, I thought you were going to say that, but nonetheless. Okay, okay. And, you know, I think that, that our skills may diminish over time due to, depending on how long and how much we're

Mark (07:05)
No, no, no, that's an old one. That may be another time where I may say that to you, but.

Jarwuan (07:28)
depending on the technology. But for anyone out there, I would strongly advise that you continuously brush up on your skills and hone in on your craft and master it because you don't want to become overly dependent on this technology. But that being said, Mark, from a learning curve, I mean, what do you think the learning curve is going to be like for the AI tool?

Mark (07:50)
Well, just myself working with Copilot, I mean, I have spent probably 25 hours of learning the different aspects of Copilot. But I go deep dive and do a lot of experimentation and things like that. So when this is going to be launched in your particular work environment or if you want to be using it in your own personal,

in time, it is going to have to be put into it. And the employer should have a good sort of a plan to deploy this type of technology, because there is going to be a learning curve, even though it will speed up that process. You're going to learn, but once you learn it and understand how this technology works, and I can think of a ton of examples out there that once you've learned something, then you say, oh, that really did save me some time for sure.

with your perspective.

Jarwuan (08:49)
Are they up to, are organizations up to teaching the old dog new tricks? I mean, at the end of the day, historically, I've always utilized the tools that I've had and I've now become pretty efficient with those tools. And now you're going to introduce this technology. And when you start dealing with the, with the complexities and the unreliability of this technology, I mean, I can see frustration setting then. I mean, you said that you said it yourself. You spent a lot of time.

you know, learning and investing and now these organizations are going to have to do the same. But my question to the organizations, are they up to teaching these old dogs new tricks such as myself?

Mark (09:19)
Right.

Well, coming from old dog itself is that you will be able to retain some of your senior talent out there because now a lot of things that would be typically slow us down of sort of these routine tasks and doing stuff that is such a manual process. Now we could sort of automate some of those sort of those, I don't know, nonproductive things that then you could use your

Jarwuan (09:32)
Hahaha.

Mark (09:57)
knowledge base and your skill sets for other things to be to really grow your work life balance and things like that. I truly believe that it's going to keep old dog like me working longer than probably would have been in the past. Just my thoughts.

Jarwuan (10:14)
Or it could eliminate the mundane task and say, we no longer need this old dog. But that's a separate conversation. So I mean, I guess the last thing is the future of AI in the workspace. What is your thoughts?

Mark (10:24)
Yeah, that's true.

I truly believe it's indispensable and sort of like ways or Google Maps or email and things like that. They're indispensable, you know, and with everything that we have been doing inefficiency wise, it's sort of been disparate. And I love about Gen. AI, it sort of brings it all together where you can capture stuff versus doing a Google search and looking at multiple websites. It's now going to really create

that environment where it will integrate all that together and make it more efficient itself. So I'm a big proponent. I'm positive of the future. Yeah, there are going to be bumps, but I truly believe it's going to be a big impact.

Jarwuan (11:16)
Okay, okay. I'll hold you to that and I like that vision, you know, but as it stands right now, if there aren't significant improvements, it's gonna be more supplementary than transformative at this point. And so I fully understand as a tech guy myself that it's gonna take time. I can't stress that enough. It's gonna take time and with time comes higher adoption, but...

with the challenges that they're facing right now and some of the frustrations and heartburn that users are having, there's not gonna be high adoption. There's not gonna be high adoption in the short term. So long term, I lean towards your taking. Yes, I do see it being a part of our everyday lives, but short term, significant improvements are required.

Mark (12:10)
Well, thank you everyone for watching us and letting Joanne and I debate this. It's something that we'll be constantly debating for quite a bit of time, how this is going to work. But we're going to be on the journey with you, with everyday people to really understand how this technology is going to help us in the workspace itself. Any last parting words, Joanne?

Jarwuan (12:31)
Last parting words, I love the technology. But from an everyday person's perspective, these are things that organizations and challenges that organizations are going to have to address as they're trying to present this technology to their employees. I mean, they have to help them navigate those waters to get over the fears.

of bringing this technology to market in their environment and them thinking that their jobs are going to be eliminated as a result and show them that these jobs can, these tools are here to enhance your experience, to help optimize what you're doing and hopefully produce better, more productivity. So those are my last thoughts.

Mark (13:15)
Thank you so much.

Jarwuan (13:16)
Thank you.