Beyond Averting Disaster: How AI Can Assist the Lubricants Industry with Stakeholder Management
Katie King • September 18, 2019
Back in July, I wrote a blog outlining a few of the key benefits that companies in the lubricants industry could reap from AI (you can read it here). A lot of the big players such as Shell, BP and ExxonMobil are already taking big steps to implement artificial intelligence into their practices, and have done so successfully. For example, ExxonMobile has partnered with MIT to build robots to detect potential faults and prevent accidents in deepwater oil production, while BP uses the tech to spot sand-free oil reservoirs in its Baku oil field.
These are amazing developments and massively useful for correcting and preventing costly issues at large scale. But these tools are expensive and time consuming to develop from scratch, and many of the examples in my previous blog required partnerships between the company and either academic or tech giants in order to address major issues. These developments have forever changed the industry, and will likely be credited with preventing several massive blunders akin to the Deepwater Horizon spill as time goes on.
But beyond developing drilling solutions or keeping remotely located equipment running in top shape, what else can be done with AI in the lubricants industry? What smaller, day-to-day issues can be tackled? And better yet, what tools already
exist that are ready for implementation right now, without laborious development?
More Effective Marketing, Image Management, and Sales
The lubricants industry is almost always playing defence when it comes to their marketing and public relations. This is mostly due to the very same blunders that AI is helping to avoid through improved accuracy in drilling operations. But beyond preventing potentially damaging incidents, AI can help you to better attract, understand, and communicate with your customers.
One great tool for this is Concured, which collects data that allows the marketing team to see exactly what topics to focus on to engage key audiences. Messages are more targeted and precise, and the company’s efforts are not wasted. Netbase
uses social listening to gain audience insight, monitor the competition, and gauge public sentiments about your company. This is crucial in the oil industry for understanding how your business’s activities are being perceived, and can help you run point on image management before the court of public opinion shifts against you.
When your company has a good image, customers will be more likely to want to work with you or purchase from you. AI can assist your sales team in capitalising on this. R4 Technologies
is a cross-enterprise AI software that collects a vast amount of industry and customer data, deeply analyses it, uncovers new revenue opportunities, and delivers targeted insights that can then be fed back to the sales team. It’s essentially like having the best market research team there ever was.
Simplifying HR
That’s the external public sorted, so now we can drill down a bit deeper. I’ve already discussed the benefits that AI is creating in customer service with tools like Shell’s Emma and Ethan chatbots. The customer experience has markedly improved thanks to artificial intelligence. But your customers are not the only ones who have a stake in your business. AI can help to manage another essential group of stakeholders: your staff.
In any business, it is absolutely essential to have the right teams in place. Motivated and engaged staff is going to be more productive long term, which will help drive the business forward. In the lubricants industry, it’s imperative that you hire the right staff with the right skills.
There are several startups that are revolutionising the way companies manage their Human Resources department. One great example of these is JamieAi, a UK-based company that matches qualified candidates to available vacancies and helps to reduce bias in the hiring process. This tech helps cut down on the time spent sifting through CVs and helps to create more diverse teams.
Once you’ve found the right talent, AI can help you to maintain it. The World Health Organization recently classified
‘employee burnout’ as a genuine medical condition, and for good reason. Stress and fatigue in the workplace, especially in an industry as demanding as oil and lubricants, can be damaging to both employee and team morale. Cogito’s software guides employees through stressful situations, helps empower them, and helps them perform better. CultureAmp
collects feedback and draws insight from employee engagement and performance to provide advice for improving company culture, retaining at-risk employees, and identifying what management methods do and do not work within the organisation. The right AI tools can help save the company the time-consuming and costly effort of handling turnover, and can improve the in-house stakeholder relationship all around.
Beyond using AI to manage your teams, it’s important to help prepare your team to manage AI. In order to successfully integrate AI—whether it be the tools mentioned here or something more akin to the ExxonMobil and Shell examples—into the business, it is essential that your company has the right culture and the right mindset to guide and accept the change. The scorecard for success in my book
can help to provide a framework for your organisation to follow when integrating AI into the business. It provides clear goals and targets to strive for at every stage of transformation, but none of it means anything if your organisation isn’t ready for change. Take the time to develop the mindset within your team, and allow AI to support you from there.
When it comes to the lubricants industry, AI can be used to tackle both macro issues and smaller day-to-day tasks. It’s all just a matter of being open-minded to change and allowing AI to support you where you need it most.
If you’d like to learn more, I’m hosting a ‘Harnessing AI for Competitive Advantage’ workshop on 23rd October as part of UEIL’s Annual Congress in Cannes, France. There are still places available to book, here.
Jambo! Heading home from my latest trip - this time to Zanzibar. I’ve dreamed of visiting for 30 years or more, ever since my dad shared with me a marriage certificate from 1941, which revealed that my grandmother (the Nan I adored) married the Sultan of Zanzibar’s son, and seeing in the certificate’s margin an intriguing ‘police exhibit one’ stamp. That’s what inspired me to research her complex life story spanning different geographies, and write an historical fiction novel. I recently completed the first draft of 100k words; next step is to edit it and find an agent/publisher. I’ve had 2 - soon to be 3 - business books on AI published by Kogan Page Publishing but this is a whole new experience. This is about giving her a voice; it’s her legacy. Please let me know if you’re aware of any potential interested parties. 🙏 This visit was to the western coast of Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar Archipelago. I’ve travelled far and wide, but this was my first sighting of the exquisite Indian Ocean. The highlight was a walking tour in Stone Town – the old part of the city. The Sultans commissioned many of the incredible buildings. There’s also a museum dedicated to Freddie Mercury who was born in Zanzibar. And I had a rare opportunity to join a school graduation party. My Guide Kassim was a gem – so well informed and so kind. As a business trip it has not been all plain sailing. I’ll remain professional and spare the details. Suffice to say you never give up learning, and doing business across borders and different legal jurisdictions can pose real challenges. A huge positive learning is the Swahili phrase “pole pole" (pronounced pole-ay pole-ay) meaning “slowly, slowly" or "take it easy" and it reflects a cultural philosophy of patience, an unhurried approach to life, and a mindful appreciation for the present moment. It encourages a calm, relaxed mindset, often encountered in the laid-back lifestyle of East Africa, but also used as practical advice for achieving goals. Wise words for many of us living and working in hectic towns and cities…
AI is no longer a buzzword – it’s business-critical. I’ve seen that change in the 6 years since my first AI book was released, compared to the landscape today and the case studies I researched for book 3 (due out in November.) AI is impacting every sector, including insurance. I’m featured in the latest issue of Modern Insurance Magazine – which delves into how AI is transforming every aspect of insurance – from underwriting and fraud prevention to customer experience and claims. You can read the full issue here . On page 13, I explore ethical and responsible AI adoption, as does Sagacity Charles Skamser breaks down the emerging AI landscape and what it means for insurers. There are real-world applications from organisations including FibriCheck, I Love Claims, Steeper Group, Geo Sec, SkinVision and A3 Alternative Accommodation Agency Ltd. There are insightful contributions from the Editorial Board and from the following: Carpenters Group, Digilog UK, e2e Total Loss Claims Management, NWVA, FMG, ParaCode, QuestGates, National Windscreens, Lyons Davidson Limited, Auxilis, Thatcham Research, Rapid Repair Network, Witness Wise, CMG, Copart UK Limited, and Laird Assessors. A Fraud Prevention Spotlight offers expert input from Adele Sumner, Allianz, WHITELK Fraud Performance Consulting, FRISS, RGI Solutions, Charles Taylor, and Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB). I've worked with many Associations, across multiple sectors. This issue features many Association Insights, including BIBA, Motor Accident Solicitors Society (MASS), FOIL - the Forum of Insurance Lawyers, Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL), Chartered Insurance Institute, Managing General Agents’ Association (MGAA), IAEA, CHO on legislative change, ethical innovation, and the broker’s evolving role. The team even asked ChatGPT for its thoughts. What does AI think about its role in the industry? Big thanks to editor Hayley Dalton.
Big thanks to Partnerize for inviting me to deliver the Keynote at their Partnership Day – an event dedicated to AI and innovation in affiliate marketing. My session explored wider company AI strategies, as I shared with the audience ‘stealable innovation’ whereby they can learn from other sectors, as well as a check sheet for measuring the AI potential in a business. Following my talk, Rebecca Betteridge, Hollie Macdonald, Molly Lediard, and Matilda Kousa formed a panel to discuss the future of partnerships for fashion and beauty. AI also featured heavily, as the panel shared the challenges which brands face in gaining buy-in for AI from the business. They talked about the need to educate in order to alleviate concerns; and how important time and patience are. So interesting to hear their advice on the need to shift the narrative of affiliate marketing, focusing instead on innovations with AI such as dynamic commissioning and a personalised approach at the checkout. These incredible ladies represent leading brands and organisations - Selfridges, Puig, Klarna and Fenwick and they were able to advise us all about the need to adapt to changing consumer behaviour, particular during this period of unpredictable socio economics and global uncertainty. They debated the need to research how and when customers shop; also the importance of price sensitivity, given how customers conduct online research and then visit physical stores. We learned how peer reviews have gained importance in how consumers trust brands. Thanks for these learnings. Thanks to Kate Ellis Maura Smith and all the team and congrats on staging such a great event!
What a great week of tech in sunny London! Thanks to RPC for inviting me to speak at their stunning offices in St. Katharine Docks for London Tech Week! Following opening remarks from RPC's Caroline Tuck, I gave the first Keynote on the fact that AI is no longer a distant concept – it's here and fundamentally reshaping the way businesses operate, unlocking opportunities that were once unimaginable. I walked everyone through the ways businesses can harness AI in an ethical way, how to equip your workforce in the AI era and what to consider when rolling out AI initiatives on a global scale. I was followed by Piers Wingfield – a fascinating session on how, in a single workplace, there could be up to 5 generations, each bringing different experiences, ideas and norms. While all are valuable in their own right, intergenerational conflict often stems from differing experiences. He covered how tech, including AI, is being used effectively to relieve tensions, maximise opportunities and improve workplace collaboration and culture. There was then a discussion and networking event for women in the tech industry, covering how tech usage has changed over the last 10–15 years, what the future looks like in terms of tech use in the media and entertainment and retail and consumer industries, whilst also discussing the challenges and opportunities for women in the tech industry, hearing from two incredible leaders. Big thanks to Dawn Airey CBE, Chair at Women’s Super League Football and Maria Raga Venture Partner and Angel Investor.
I've just returned from speaking in Savannah, Georgia (USA) at Nosco 's MasterMinds event. After my Keynote, I joined CEO Craig Curran to record an episode for his podcast Nosco Unpacked . We explored how AI is transforming the printed packaging industry. From reducing labelling errors to enabling hyper-personalised customer experiences, I shared real-world examples of how brands are using AI to drive smarter packaging solutions. Key takeaways from the discussion include: • AI is cutting labelling errors by up to 70%. • Smart packaging is boosting engagement through personalisation. • AI is helping teams balance creativity, compliance and speed to market. • AI is not replacing people, it's amplifying their impact. Whether you're in pharma or consumer goods, this episode is packed with insights to help you lead through innovation. Check it out below:
Inaugural Prairie Business Summit, hosted by Edwards School of Business, University of Saskatchewan.
Heading home from Saskatoon, Canada after a wonderful few days at the very impressive inaugural Prairie Business Summit, hosted by Edwards School of Business, University of Saskatchewan . I gave a Keynote on AI, focused on how to kickstart AI adoption for competitive advantage. I also talked about using ChatGPT to help find a literary agent for my debut novel. And my school AI programme. I have literally just finished my 3rd book for publisher Kogan Page Publishing on how to apply AI to business but like everyone else, I must learn continuously. I listened to some fabulous Keynotes, panel debates and practical workshops, hearing about step prompting, synthetic customers, the accountability of algorithms, model compression, the need for consistent use of AI, AI skill wallets and containers; how software as we know it today is over and that the future of computing involves no apps, and there will be nothing between you and your data. That nuclear fusion will offer unparalleled energy for free. The words ‘secret sauce’ were used many times. I have pages of notes but this is a quick flavour. Highlights included: A really informative, humorous session from Adam Cheyer - Siri co-founder(!) – who shared powerful insights on The Future of AI in Business and how AI, in partnership with people, significantly increases productivity. Quote: “Generative AI will be as important as the Web and Mobile. Challenges exist but ROI is starting to happen, and use cases are expanding for internal and external products. In the future, AI will offer better interfaces, both knowing and doing, and a worldwide ecosystem of partner service.” A great workshop from Scott Meyer , CEO and Co-Founder of Chipp AI – someone who shares my passion for AI in marketing and customer engagement. He outlined some great tools and frameworks involving iterative collaboration between humans and AI. Quote: “1 person with AI = 1.5-2 people without AI.” The best part of travelling around the world delivering these sessions is the opportunity to meet wonderful people and learn about local cultures. Awesome to chat to fellow speaker Ross Pambrun who shared a vision for driving growth and empowering communities in the Prairies. Coming from the UK where age is definitely not revered(!), it’s wonderful to see the respect Canada has for its elders. (I experienced the same in Australia and New Zealand.) We were lucky to hear from Elder Julie Pitzel, who blessed the food, shared prayers and inspired us with her wisdom, reminding us to keep searching for the answers, and how our spirits shine as bright as the stars. Also great to see the indigenous hoop dance by Lawrence A. Roy Jr. So…a very big thanks to the amazing Kristan Embrett Marjorie Delbaere Joelena Leader and all the team for staging such a great event., and for super moderation by the hugely energetic Heather Morrison .
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I am excited to announce that I have joined forces with Champions Speaker Agency, a premier agency specializing in providing top-tier Keynote speakers on AI and the future of technology. This collaboration represents a significant step in my journey as a global AI expert and speaker, allowing me to further my mission of educating and inspiring diverse audiences about the profound impact of artificial intelligence on our world. Champions Speaker Agency has a stellar reputation for connecting clients with thought leaders who are at the forefront of their respective fields. Working in 66 countries, their commitment to excellence and innovation aligns perfectly with my own values and goals. I’m confident that together we can drive meaningful conversations and spark innovative ideas that will help shape the future of technology. As a passionate advocate for AI, I know how crucial it is to demystify this transformative technology and make it accessible to everyone. Through my speaking engagements, I aim to break down complex AI concepts into understandable insights, empowering individuals and organizations to harness the potential of AI for positive change. Joining Champions Speaker Agency amplifies my ability to reach a wider global audience and make a more significant impact. In this new chapter, I look forward to collaborating with Champions' extensive network of clients, ranging from corporate leaders to educational institutions and beyond. Together, we will explore the exciting possibilities that AI and future technologies present, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of these advancements. Jack Hayes , Director of Champions says: "We are thrilled to welcome Katie King to the Champions Speaker Agency. As a world-leading AI expert, her insights and expertise will be invaluable to our clients. Katie's passion for technology and her ability to inspire make her a perfect fit for our roster of distinguished speakers." Champions’ head of AI and technology speakers, Mark Matthews says: “Our sister company has previously worked closely with Katie and always received amazing feedback, ranking Katie as one of the UK’s leading AI speakers and also voted in the top 15 digital disruption expert speakers . I am eager to embark on this journey with Champions Speaker Agency and to contribute to their esteemed roster of speakers." This partnership is an exciting opportunity to continue my work as a leading voice in AI and technology, inspiring and educating audiences around the globe. Having recently been selected as a top 15 women in tech speaker by Champions, I have no doubt that this new partnership will lead to many more great things and look forward to strengthening the relationship going forward. About Champions Speakers Agency Champions Speakers Agency is a leading provider of keynote speakers and experts for events worldwide. With a diverse roster of renowned professionals, the agency is committed to delivering inspirational and impactful speakers to meet the needs of their clients.
Is it me, or did we blink on New Year’s Eve of 2022 and somehow arrive at the last working day of 2023? Now, it may feel like this year went by in a flash, but when taking time to reflect, there’s actually a lot to make note of. Loads of exciting things happened this year in the world of AI, and as a result, it was a busy year for us here at AI in Business. Before we ring in the New Year, let’s reflect on some of 2023’s biggest highlights as I share some of what I learned through it all. Gen AI's Breakout Year It would be remiss of me not to lead with the biggest AI development of the year: generative AI. While this technology is not new by any means, 2023 was a boom year for it thanks to overwhelming levels of public interest in free tools such as ChatGPT, Bard, DALL E, and more. For many, these tools offered a first taste of AI and its capabilities, and a low-risk way to experiment with this technology. It is therefore unsurprising that it became the leading topic of 2023. But along with this new hype around Gen AI came hysteria, misinformation, and fear. I spent as much of this year boosting excitement about Generative AI as I did myth busting. There remains a disconnect between Gen AI’s actual capabilities and our expectations of it. As impressive as it is and as much as it has developed in this past year alone, it still can’t accomplish everything. One key lesson I shared in every Keynote speech and training session is that AI is an assistant, not a boss. It is here to augment, not replace. An Ever-Evolving World of Work Regardless, the Generative AI hype unfortunately spurred a lot of hysteria surrounding the future of jobs this year, with some outlooks more positive than others. The World Economic Forum released a Future of Jobs report for the first time since 2020. In the 2023 edition, they predicted that by 2027, 42% of business tasks will be automated and that as a result, 50% of organisations expect it to create job growth and 25% expect it to create job losses. On a bleaker note, Goldman Sachs made headlines in March and caused quite a stir after estimating that 300 million jobs could be lost or diminished by AI. Understandably, the future of work was a hot topic this year and will continue to be top of mind for professionals across every industry sector as we move into 2024. I had the pleasure of training and speaking to HR leaders and agents of change in Amman, Jordan in both March and June, and at the WorkBuzz Live event in London in November. My focus was helping them understand how AI will reshape how they approach recruitment, retention, employee satisfaction, and people management. Empowering the Next Generation Someday, those leaders and change makers will need to bring in fresh talent into their organisations and maybe even to fill roles that do not yet exist. In 2023, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to continue my work with the next generation of the workforce as they prepare for their future AI-enabled careers. This past spring, we took our Leaders of Tomorrow AI Schools programme international for the first time with our third cohort in Cape Town, South Africa. The insights and ideas produced by the students never cease to amaze and impress me, and certainly fill me with reassurance that our future is in very capable hands. I felt this sentiment again after delivering the annual Peake Lecture to the students at Eltham College earlier this month. One Step Closer to Widespread Regulation By the time those students enter the workforce, AI will be a more regulated technology thanks to strides made in 2023. The most notable of these is the progress the European Parliament made in passing the EU’s AI Act. The final details of the Act are currently being agreed upon by the various member countries, but it is expected to be passed and enacted in 2024. When that happens, the AI Act will become the world’s first official AI law and pave the way for other national frameworks. Here in the UK, a landmark AI Summit was held wherein the UK took steps to form its own regulatory body. Similar progress was made in Canada, Brazil, and China amongst others, with the lattermost enacting rules that regulate the development and use of all generative AI technologies. Alongside the progress being made at the national level, individual industries are making strides of their own towards regulation. This includes law itself, and this summer I had the chance to brainstorm and explore the dilemmas involved in embracing a currently unregulated technology with the legal counsel for some of the world’s top companies at the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Global Summit. Also, in Toronto, Canada, at the SAS Banking Summit, I led discussions with leaders from various global financial services firms about the future of banking. In such a heavily regulated industry, ethical AI adoption and application is of top concern. That’s why so many firms in the industry have restricted their teams’ use of open-source tools like ChatGPT. I expect we will see more industry bodies and individual companies coming up with their own frameworks and guidelines in the year to come. A Year of Firsts Thanks to the surge in AI intrigue and growth this year, 2023 took me to several new locations around the world for the very first time. In February I had the pleasure of visiting India for the first time. During a magnificent whirlwind ‘Golden Triangle’ tour, I developed a deep admiration for this wonderful and still developing country of promise and contradictions. Times are changing and it’s exciting to see progress in the cyber cities. India is currently ranked 15 th in the top 25 AI nations but has the 'the greatest upward potential' according to research by Tufts University's business school. When you consider that India stands out as a global leader in AI skill penetration surpassing even the United States, it’s easy to see how it could one day become an AI superpower. On the opposite end of the spectrum from bustling, vibrant, and busy India sits the tranquil and stunning landscapes of the Faroe Islands, which I had the pleasure of visiting to deliver a Keynote speech at Tonik. Situated in the North Atlantic and a self-governing archipelago that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Faroe Islands is far from an AI powerhouse clawing for dominance against the likes of the US, China, or even India. And yet, what Tonik and my Keynote there demonstrated is that every industry, role, and country around the world can benefit from AI regardless of its size or global standing. I see AI as a great equaliser, levelling the playing field between the heavy hitters and the underdogs. The Faroese are such bright, inspiring, and creative people whom I truly valued my time with, and I have no doubt that they will do great things with this technology. Keynotes and training took me to many exciting places, but also enabled me to work with many interesting people across a wide range of industry sectors. From talking packaging with Gallus in Switzerland, to shedding some light on the future of education for the supporters of Monaco Aide et Presence in Monte Carlo, to speaking about the future of flavour with The European Flavour Association (EFFA) in Amsterdam, it has been fascinating framing AI’s benefits and impacts through the lens of so many different sectors and roles. With demand for our AI services reaching new heights this year, various accolades rolled in as well. In 2023, I ranked in the top 10 of the Technology for Marketing Top 100 Marketing Influencers Index. I won the award for Top AI Strategist; was named a Top 10 Influencer to Follow by the AI Time Journal, and was featured in the CIO Times’ list of "Most Iconic Women Leaders Creating Waves in Modern AI Industry." Flattering for a humble girl from Tottenham. As lovely as these honours are to receive, they’re simply a perk. What I have truly found most rewarding this year - and in the time since I started my own AI journey a decade ago - is getting to stand in front of an interested audience and discuss the very real impacts of this revolutionary technology that is reshaping every aspect of our personal and professional lives. This past year has enabled me to do that at a bigger scale than ever before, and I am truly grateful. I also encourage those I work with to take a proactive rather than a passive approach to helping shape how AI evolves in their industry sector and country. Looking Ahead If the past few years have taught me anything, it’s to expect the unexpected. I could lay out my predictions for 2024, but that seems like a fool’s errand given how swiftly and often this technology evolves. Instead, I will close with my hopes for the year ahead. In a time of so much division and upheaval, my hope is that AI can help us make the world a better place. Technology cannot fix all the problems that man created, but it can help us work towards solving some of the UN's major goals linked to disease, climate change and much more. If this sounds like a pipe dream, I assure you it is not. I refer you to this TED talk from Max Tegmark, who I interviewed for my first AI book and admire deeply. He outlines a very optimistic outlook of how we can make AI work for us and not the other way around. I wish you all a very Happy New Year and look forward to working together in 2024. All the best, Katie King CEO of AI in Business
It has been a busy few months, with Keynotes and training opportunities taking me all over the world. I have had the honour of heading to the Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland, the Faroe Islands, Monaco, Jordan, and beyond. On these trips, I have engaged in amazing and insightful conversations with professionals from various industries and job functions about their challenges and opportunities. But the one topic that always seems to come up is ethics and regulation. At present, AI is still technically unregulated. The EU is very close to enacting their AI Act, which would then become the world’s first official AI law. This will likely spur other nations to follow suit and serve as the blueprint for subsequent AI laws. In the meantime, various countries—including the Vatican—have published their own guidance and best practice to help provide guardrails. Industry and trade bodies have also done the same. But even so, many still fear AI and worry about its potential to cause harm. Is it possible for AI to be ethical, and how can that be achieved without proper regulation? Main Ethical AI Concerns Ethics are a major concern for any new technological advancement, not just AI. Any new, unexplored territory requires consideration and some governance so that it cannot turn sour or cause harm. Ethical AI is any use of AI that does not cause harm and does not contribute to harmful societal structures. Technology should make our lives better, not oppress us or widen existing gaps within our society. In the case of AI, the two primary concerns are privacy and bias and the resulting impacts that improper use of technology and poorly trained algorithms can have on society at large. AI is purely data driven. Unless we feed it information, it cannot do its job. Ethics come into play when we start to consider where this information is coming from, how it is sourced, how it is used, and how it is managed. Are data collection methods transparent and non-invasive? Are customers aware that their data is being collected and used? There is often an unspoken agreement between businesses and their customers these days wherein the customer agrees to let the business collect and use their data in exchange for better, more tailored experiences. Alongside this, there is an expectation that their information will be used responsibly and safely. We have seen the fallout from various data breaches over the years. When these breaches occur, businesses bear the consequences both operationally and reputationally. While there are no solidified AI laws yet, there are data protection regulations in place in the form of policies such as GDPR. These guidelines do offer some protection, but many fear that there are too many gaps and loopholes when it comes to AI. Potentially more dangerous is the impact of bias on AI use. While AI is not inherently biased, it is a product of the data it is trained on. If you put rubbish in, you get rubbish out. Therefore, we need to be mindful of what we are inputting into these algorithms and how that might impact the results produced. For example, we have previously seen issues with the use of facial recognition in law enforcement, as it was resulting in racial profiling. The algorithms behind these tools were trained on a biased data set that taught the AI that individuals of certain racial groups were more likely to be offenders, leading the technology to categorise innocent people falsely and unfairly as threats. These technologies may be well intentioned, but if trained improperly or not given proper oversight, they can become harmful. Bias can be extremely harmful in people-focused business functions such as HR and marketing. Say, for example, you’re looking to use AI for your hiring and recruitment. You would train the algorithm using data about your current staff and likely data from past successful employees. That information will train the algorithm to identify what a ‘successful’ candidate for your organisation looks like. That can be great for finding talent that may be a good culture fit. But consider this. If your organisation is predominantly male and white, you’ve just taught the algorithm to find more white male candidates. You may be overlooking candidates who would be perfect for the role simply because they do not match the criteria set by your data. That means less opportunities for groups who may already be underrepresented. In marketing, an AI system may not effectively forecast or make judgments for specific groups if it is trained on data that is skewed towards one race, gender, or socioeconomic group, which could result unwittingly in prejudice. The products customers are recommended, the messaging they receive, and the experiences they are delivered could all be impacted by bias. Should this happen, it may damage the brand’s reputation, generate unfavourable press, and result in diminished sales and clientele. This is a real problem right now, as AI is still widely unregulated though we have government and trade bodies working on that. But it is also a concern for the future, because if we don’t start off on the right foot now, we will only make the problem worse down the road. Ethical AI Behaviours So, what can be done? If there is no legal guidance for AI, how can we ensure it does not cause harm to ourselves, our businesses, our stakeholders, and our society at large? We as individuals have no say in how the AI tools themselves are created, but we do have power over how we use them. We also have a distinct advantage over technology: the ability to determine right from wrong. AI cannot make moral judgements the way that we can. It lacks the context and rationality that we as humans possess. We saw a prime example of this play out recently with KFC in Germany. The company’s marketing team trained an AI algorithm to monitor a calendar of events and holidays and send out push offers to customers related to that event. No one considered that Kristallnacht—which is the event that is largely regarded as the start of the Holocaust—was included on that calendar. As a result, the bot sent out a message to customers telling them to celebrate Kristallnacht with cheesy chicken. This of course sparked outrage and the brand was forced to apologise. While it is easy to point the finger here and say that AI was in the wrong, that is not actually the case. AI is a specialised technology trained to complete the specific tasks it is created for. In the KFC incident, AI performed its job exactly as it was supposed to. It followed the calendar it was trained on, and sent the offer. This is not a failure of technology. It is a failure of human oversight. That is the key to using AI ethically in an unregulated world. Humans need to remain in the loop and work in partnership with AI rather than leaving it to its own devices. AI is not perfect. It is not all knowing and all capable. Humans still have a part to play. It is on us to ensure that the decisions we make using technology are not harmful, and we need to be aware of potential risks. I have worked with many businesses to create their own ethical frameworks for their teams, and have trained many professionals on what to look out for. If you are interested in a training session, consulting, or booking a Keynote, get in touch with our team.
