Looking back at it, part of the reason ChatGPT came as such a shock to many people was undoubtedly due to the fact its capabilities were substantially better than anything we had experienced before.
That felt OK at first because we’re used to dealing with disruptive change.
The problem, however, is that every few weeks one of the big tech vendors issues a press release about some new tool they describe as a further, shocking advance. And it’s not all hype. Often these advances really are shocking.
But this creates its own new problems.
Even as CHROs/HR analytics professionals try to come to grips with ChatGPT people are saying they need to understand the capabilities of Bard, Jarvis, Copilot, Auto-GPT, and others.
Then there is the flurry of specialized GenAI tools and plug-ins for creating images, preparing slide decks, doing academic research, and much more.
In fact, there are already more than 400 plug-ins for ChatGPT alone.
It’s exhausting.
So how do you keep up?
Clearly you can’t, so here are some tactics to avoid drowning in all these new AI tools:
Don’t worry about choosing the best GenAI tools now
Any of the tools you’ll use will probably be a big step forward. So start using a few of them, just so you develop some hands-on knowledge of what they can and cannot do. It’s better to really understand a few tools than know a little about dozens that you have never really tried.
Emphasize learning, rather than making long term decisions
For example, if you are thinking about using a chatbot with your HR help desk, think about it as a pilot to better understand the technology, not as the solution you will have in place for the next decade.
Don’t try to draw permanent conclusions
Any problem you notice may already have been solved. Any capability you have discovered may already have been surpassed by something better. We are in a time of rapid change.
Build a community to help you keep up to date
Since it is impossible to keep up with everything yourself, find other people with an interest in GenAI and keep in touch with them frequently to share insights. As mentioned already, it will be more helpful if people in this community develop real expertise by using a tool, rather than just being the first person to have read the press release.
Don’t wait till things settle down
This is arguably the worst thing you can do. We are in a period of chaos right now and it might be tempting to wait until everything calms down a bit. But, in the world of AI, that’s unlikely, and so this school of thought is also unlikely to be a good strategy. There’s no sign of things slowing down anytime soon and you don’t want to fall too far behind. So just face up to the fact that the pace right now is exhausting and that it is not practical to keep up with everything. Set a steady pace of learning, one that you will be able to keep up for the months and years ahead.
If it all feels too overwhelming still, maybe try to remember this. AI YouTuber, Károly Zsolnai-Fehér, always ends his “Two Minute Paper” videos with the phrase “What a time to be alive!”
That’s a great attitude.
What is happening with AI is amazing.
You just need to learn and keep learning. Just find a pace that you can sustain.
Editor’s note: TLNT wants to help you navigate the AI maze. That’s why we’re about to launch a brand new series, where we take a detailed look at a particular piece of AI each time, and ascertain exactly how it can help HR professionals.
Keep your eyes peeled – it’s coming soon…