In-Person Meetings and AI

Posted in authenticityTagged , , , ,

“We live in a world where there is more and more information, and less and less meaning.” – Jean Baudrillard

For this week, I’ve actually had to leave the house to go to work. It’s made me realize how much technology has changed our lives. I’ve worked remotely for years so somehow it was lost on me how different it is to have to walk out the door every morning, until I experienced a stab of anxiety at the beginning of this week.

Especially with two kids and a dog, the number of things I had to plan for was enormous. Knowing that I can dial-in to a meeting even if any one of the three is sick is an amazing benefit. I’ve been spoiled not having to plan transportation and care outside of their schools for my three when I work from home.

But this week I’ve been attending a Microsoft conference that is here in Seattle. No surprise – but the most predominant topic is Artificial Intelligence (AI). [Is it somewhat ironic that as I started to type Art…that Word suggested Artificial Intelligence to fill in?]

Microsoft has made something like a $20 billion investment in AI. The conference was awash with examples of all the things we can do with AI. I will never claim to be a prognosticator, but as someone that’s been in the computer consulting field for 30 years, it’s interesting to puzzle through the application of this technology. All of the below is just my opinion so take it for what it’s worth.

Fine line between helpful and creepy

The most recognizable use of AI is in natural language search. We can type in or say search terms and Bing (Microsoft’s search product) will return results that are (hopefully) right on target for what you want. I question whether it’s helpful to have that abstraction from where the data comes from which makes it harder to verify the veracity of the source of the research.

And then there’s a line between helpful and creepy. The other day a search result popped up about whether to store your open cheese block in a Ziploc bag. It was something I’d recently pondered but hadn’t done any research on. It must have been just a coincidence? Either way, I refused to click on the result – it was too creepy.

Fine line between cool and useful

I was talking about AI with a Microsoft program manager that was in the booth next to me. As we talked through some of the examples, he offered “that’s there’s also a fine line between cool and useful.” All the prototypes and fun demos that have been shown, there’s a cool factor – that still leaves most people scratching their heads over the utility. No doubt humans will figure out how to leverage it but for now, it’s still an idea that is not very real-world.

We’re not getting replaced

This brings me full-circle to the start of the post and why I’ve been leaving the house every day. Because there’s no substitute for in-person relationships. Meeting others, reading body language, having collaborative conversations – there’s no short-cut for that. Even online there’s a palpable difference between a real conversation and a bot supported one.

As I’ve been away from my computer this week, there’s no AI I can set to read my favorite blogs and leave meaningful comments. Not to mention that I wouldn’t get the benefit of reading them. [Yes, this is a roundabout apology for being behind on my blog reading.] So for many reasons, I’m looking forward to staying home, sitting on my couch, and catching up.

In a timely but also ironic way, we’ve started using Otter AI to provide transcripts of our Sharing the Heart of the Matter podcast. See how it does by visiting our latest podcast: Episode 44: Hot Tips for Writing about Family With Brian Hannon

(featured photo from Pexels)

85 thoughts on “In-Person Meetings and AI”

  1. Love your “fine line” thoughts. So much to consider and while I’m all for convenience and improving the quality of life, I’m with you. No bot can match the fun we have here on WP. (And thank you again for getting the Otter transcripts up and running!) xo! 🥰

    Liked by 7 people

  3. Like you, I don’t think there’s a substitute for face-to-face interaction, and a lot of that has gone missing since the pandemic. It’s so important for building trust and for a sense of belonging in the workplace. I’m not sure that it will come back quite the same way, which makes me sad. Re AI, I was pleased to read between your lines that the MS conf wasn’t hyping AI, either positively or negatively. It’s definitely the fine lines that need to be monitored carefully.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I so agree that so much has gone missing since the pandemic. It was pretty fun to see all the people at this conference and all the interaction. My observation was that we were all pretty tired by the end of the second day – flexing that social muscle again takes work.

      As for MS – they were hyping AI quite a bit. But it was the boots on the ground people that recognize that there’s a gap in utility. I bet given your career in CS, you have a lot of thoughts on this all!!

      Liked by 1 person

  4. “…there’s no substitute for in-person relationships. Meeting others, reading body language, having collaborative conversations – there’s no short-cut for that” . . . Amen Wynne!
    AI is a ‘creepily’ Apersonal Informal relationship you can’t share matters of the heart with over a warm cup of coffee.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. sharing matters of the heart – exactly, Fred. Reading your phrase, “a warm cup of coffee” just brings it home for me. That just has a feeling that goes with it that we can understand!

      Liked by 1 person

  5. I completely agree about the creepiness factor. Dr. Zeus is very privacy oriented and early in our relationship, he pulled up Google Maps on my phone, which showed everywhere I’d ever gone and when. I’ve been very wary of technology since then. No Siri, Alexa, robot vacuums, or doorbell cameras.

    I actually might disagree on your final point. We have a few friends who work and AI and they are 100% convinced most jobs will be replaced (or at least replaceable) within the next decade, as the technological advancements are starting to go parabolic. I do agree that the human factor can’t be replaced, but I can’t help but wonder whether that’s a sacrifice big businesses will make. What’s the cost of a salaried employee versus the cost of a less human interaction? I don’t know, but I’m sure they’ll run the calculations.

    That being said, AI will never replace what we share here on WP, and I’m grateful for that.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Oh, that map thing is so creepy!

      I don’t disagree at all that jobs will be replaced. I just think that in the best case, it frees up our brain to do the uniquely human tasks of relating and creating. But you’re right – there will be downsides as well.

      Like you, I’m so grateful for this WP community.

      Liked by 2 people

  7. I do believe many jobs will be replaced with AI. Although I do agree with you that there is no replacement for in person interaction. Unfortunately our young adults don’t like to have face to face conversations or even speak on the phone.

    Liked by 4 people

      1. I see it with my own kids. My son works remotely and is on zoom calls all day long. My daughter is working at UC Berkeley and has one remote day per week, the rest is in the office. But they both do not like to make phone calls if they can text or do something online.

        Liked by 2 people

      3. I think the stereotype of young people not wanting face-to-face conversations is a bit overexagerated. I definitely agree that young people don’t like to make phone calls to businesses. They expect to be able to do everything online, and I admit to being a bit that way myself. Give me a website but don’t make me pick up the phone and call you to get something done!

        On the other hand, in the workplace and at school, young people are very capable of having face-to-face conversations. They may not necessarily be good at it—but were any of us when we were in our early 20s? I certainly wasn’t.

        Like

  9. Love your thoughts on tech and our future within it Wynne. Totally fascinating but also sorta terrifying at the same time. It is quite uncanny how my laptop seems to know more about me than I know about myself sometimes…

    Liked by 4 people

  10. I like when you say “there’s no substitute for in-person relationships” I agree on that but working from home is so easy and convenient. For instance, I don’t have to rush for the subway, be squeezed among people and don’t have to think how to get dressed (okay this a woman’s thing but it also depends on the weather and outside temperature and sometimes it’s difficult to guess in a city like Brussels where you can have four seasons on a day). On the topic of AI, I am fascinated by it and I am using it to pose questions. The scariest thing is the speed of replies! But, as one friend of mine says, you have to use to get to know it better and turn it into your ally.

    Liked by 6 people

    1. I recently saw a study that showed a difference in how pupils react on a zoom meeting vs in an interview-person meeting. It seems like our bodies react differently on a physiological basis. It’s more than a nagging feeling?

      Liked by 3 people

    2. I can’t agree more about the ease of working from home, Cristiana. It is an incredible time-saver and great for quality of life. I’m grateful that I got to meet my colleagues in person but then I’m happy to go back to working remotely!

      Love your wisdom to make AI an ally. A great way to lean in to the future.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Wow – I love that quote. And that it comes from T.S. Eliot means it’s probably from almost 100 years ago. Too much information and too little knowledge is not a new problem.

      Like

  12. Interesting point about AI being used for searches. I’m so accustomed to using search engines that I didn’t think that AI was behind it. Goes to show you that there are probably loads of AI uses that are happening already. More than just the AI-generated images that I’ve seen recently.

    Liked by 5 people

  13. We’re just barely touching what AI is and what it will be able to do! AI is on a learning curve right now, and parsing all the online human activity and aggregating it to determine how humans interact and speak. With all the negative and angry people filling the air with their negativity, there is a HUGE need right now for people like we see in our WP communities to share the positive aspects and healthy solutions for life! We may feel like a drop in the bucket, but different AI programs may well be reading our posts to gain more insight into humans!

    Liked by 4 people

      1. Right?! Why not, when the AI bots are scanning sites all over! Even our comments! I imagine that one of the reasons that AI has been making up facts is because they have found it to be a common occurrence with humans. If they see all the negative comments that trolls make, they could assume that humans are terrible people. If we present a different kind of reality, then hopefully we can round out the information that they are gathering!

        Like

  14. You’ve read my mind Wynne. I was going to write that I know AI is coming. Heck, it’s here. I’m really trying to face it with a positive attitude, because I think it has a lot of useful purposes. It’s’ interesting to see it start to hit mainstream like LinkedIn and even WordPress. For a neophyte like myself, do you have any suggestions on where to turn or how to use it? I feel like I need to start at the beginning and just dive in. Any thoughts?

    Liked by 3 people

  15. Interesting to read your post, and gain the perceptions of an IT expert. I’ve spent most of today marking essays on how AGI will impact jobs. I agree, it is scary but I agree with Tamara, it’s here to stay; we need to learn to use it, to be comfortable with it. I remember watching an interview on YouTube last year where someone said that we’re not at risk of AI taking our jobs, but people who are more able to work with AI. We need to learn to adapt. Yes, it’s scary. We generally don’t like change, but being ahead of the curve gives us an advantage over others who are still panicking.

    We are being encouraged to use AI in our teaching and i am getting more comfortable with what it can do for me. What I find scary is the expectation that I and my colleagues will be teaching our students about the responsible use of AI platforms.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. It’s funny because I was thinking about you as I wrote this post, Brenda. The whole idea that AI will just give us the answer to our questions seems to go against the responsible check and citing of sources that you’ve talked about in research posts. So interesting that it’s already part of your curriculum. Love your attitude to lean in, Brenda!

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Hi Wynne. I’ve missed chatting to you 😁
        I agree. my experience with AI is you need to have some level of knowledge so that you can judge the validity and accuracy of the information

        Like

  16. I have so, so many thoughts on AI, I’ll say no more than that … beyond that I appreciate seeing your thinking thereon spelled out! I appreciate address that is neither ALL IS LOST! nor IT IS ALL MAGIC. 🙂

    More importantly, I hope you enjoy some calm, quiet, blog-reading time. That, indeed, is an experience that cannot be replaced!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Love this comment, Deborah. Right somewhere between all is lost and it’s all magic seems to be the line to seek!

      I’m so excited for blog-reading time this weekend. Thanks for the lovely comment, my friend!

      Liked by 1 person

  17. We are so fortunate to get to work remotely aren’t we that the in person days become so hard and challenging!

    It’s interesting reading your post about AI. It is the buzz word and continues to be the buzz word for a while. I agree humans are not getting replaced anytime soon, and if anything, it’ll create a new type of human Labour need down the road.

    In the work I do there’s a big focus on AI education and algorithmic literacy – and we hosted an event in September all about AI.

    I don’t fear AI and see a lot of utility in it. The key is around responsible use of AI. And that will be a bit trickier to figure out for sure. 😆

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I love hearing how you are leaning in to AI – and focusing on its responsible use. I agree with you, it’ll be a buzz word for a while and part of our trajectory to figure out how to leverage it and the reshaping that’ll come with it.

      But no way it can replace the fun with our kids – hope you are getting lots of that this weekend!

      Liked by 1 person

  18. I agree AI has a very fine line between creepy and helpful. I am always startled when something pops up on my device that I was recently talking about. Which brings me to something you mention in your post. My spouse taught me the best way to store cheese is to use wax or parchment paper, wrapping the cheese tightly then sealing it with tape. It will “sweat” in a Ziploc bag.

    Liked by 3 people

  20. The increasing reliance on technology, especially AI, raises questions about its impact on our lives. The fine line between helpful and creepy, cool and useful, emphasizes the importance of in-person connections and the irreplaceable nature of human relationships.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Funny that someone made those movies long before it was/is possible. The human imagination is an incredible thing – and something I don’t think AI could ever imitate. But I hear you about those movies!

      Liked by 1 person

  22. As has been mentioned, AI is already making things up. No one has mentioned the word “hallucination,” but that’s what it is called. One might choose a more fitting word like deceitful, fantasy-prone, flagrantly imaginative, error-prone or what have you.

    Assuming AI is in our control for a while or forever, that means that it is vulnerable to misuse, as technological advances always are. Has hallucination become a forbidden word in discussing AI? Just asking.

    Liked by 1 person

  23. I’m so glad you won’t be using AI to respond to comments 🙂..I agree with the line between cool and somewhat creepy at times..it does seem to be a useful tool for helping with rote tasks. Interesting post, thank you for sharing some of the things you learned!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. OMG, this is exactly what I was going to say, word for word. That’s sort of creepy and cool. I’m wondering if Awakening Wonders and I are related? I am very aware that in the hands of a smart and/or evil person AI could be a lethal ally. We’re going to have to be prepared for a Brave New World indeed. Hugs, C

      Liked by 2 people

  28. Pingback: In-Person Meetings and AI | Lets Max It
  30. Pingback: The Intersection of Face-to-Face Meetings and Artificial Intelligence – Ft. Wynee Leon – The Creative Code Canvas
  31. Pingback: AI – techsavvy
  33. Pingback: In-Person Meetings and AI
  36. Pingback: In-Person Meetings and AI – bruzwyn tech

  39. This was a very good read and I really like your viewpoints on this subject. I admittedly do worry that social skills are being prioritized less and less. I’m only 31, but the world has went through pretty significant changes as I grew up in terms of technology.

    The one thing I notice about people like me who truly value face to face and in person interactions is that we actually had the honor of experiencing them. While I my subject matter is video games, I see a social shift that mirrors everything else that has been impacted by the major advances in technology. As a kid, playing online wasn’t a thing so I had to meet up with and play with people in person.

    Today so many people just stay cooped up and interact solely through the Internet, and a lot of people’s social skills are so under developed to where they’re ethier extremely awkward or incredibly rude. What saddens me is that a lot of people in my generation are guilty of this.

    As for AI my main concern is that people are crossing a very fine line in terms of creativity. I only recently heard of AI art and filmmaking and I cannot wrap my head around it because those mediums require heart and passion and a computer will never be able to replicate that.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Some really insightful thoughts, Cory. I recently heard someone (maybe Arthur Brooks?) talk about social media as the junk food of social interaction. Right – we need to work on those skills. Thanks for commenting!

      Like

  41. What a thought-provoking post! The quote from Jean Baudrillard sets the tone perfectly for your reflections on the impact of technology and AI in our daily lives. Your experience of transitioning back to an in-person work environment, especially with the added responsibilities of family and pets, is interesting, I remained a remote worker after the pandemic. While it’s a fine line, I think that if you use AI in a responsible way you can help reduce mundane or, repetitive tasks.

    Liked by 1 person

  42. I love the quote in the beginning on your blog post. It really makes you think deeply about how technology strips away a part of our humanity of truly and genuinely understanding information. I have experienced working remotely for a couple months and it is nothing like working in-person. I loved that I didn’t have to plan out transportation, what I was going to wear to work, what I had to make for lunch to bring to work, if I had enough time to do blank because I had to go into work when I was working remote. It was so continent! However, I 100% would rather work in person. There is nothing like true human communication and collaboration that you can not achieve through a zoom call. For me, a zoom call feels more like a tedious task, whereas meeting in person feel more like a valuable conversation. It’s nice getting to meet your coworkers and understand them as people, it makes your workday 10 times better when you are friends with the people you work with. AI could never, EVER even slightly compare to an in-person experience.

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.