AI Future and the Fear of Adoption

Summary

Chris Heiden, an AI expert and Walsh College professor, discusses AI adoption and efficiencies. He explains common fears around AI displacing jobs, but views AI as an opportunity to enhance productivity. Heiden outlines uses for AI such as chatbots for customer service, analyzing social media trends for marketing, and code autocompletion for development. He stresses the importance of focusing on cybersecurity despite AI's promise. Looking ahead, Heiden is excited about personalized AI assistants, prompt engineering roles, and academia keeping pace. Overall, he conveys optimism about AI’s benefits with thoughtful perspective on risks.

Takeaways

• 😊 Walsh College is offering AI focused academic programs to prepare students for the future
• 😮 AI adoption is happening rapidly, even faster than previous technological shifts like cloud computing
• 😲 Companies are investing heavily in AI to remain competitive
• 🤔 Employees have concerns about AI automating their jobs away
• 👍 AI chatbots can improve customer experience and reduce costs
• 🔍 AI can help analyze social media trends faster than humans
• ✏️ AI writing tools allow non-creative people to generate marketing content quickly
• ⚠️ Cybersecurity risks need to be addressed as AI adoption grows
• 🎓 The new AI courses teach executives and non-technical people AI fundamentals
• 😎 AI will continue advancing exponentially, bringing more automation and efficiency

Q & A

What areas of expertise does Chris Heiden have?

Chris Heiden has over 20 years of experience working in areas like data analytics, databases, programming, quality assurance, automotive industry, and digital marketing.

How is AI being incorporated into courses at Walsh College?

Dr. Skippers and Chris Heiden are working to incorporate some element of AI into all of their courses at Walsh College.

What are some ways companies can use AI as a competitive advantage?

Companies can use AI for chatbots, analyzing social media trends faster, code completion in development, and quality assurance testing simulations.

How can better prompt engineering improve AI systems?

Better prompt engineering, with human annotation and validation, can further train AI systems and optimize models and algorithms over time.

What does Chris see as a top priority regarding AI adoption?

Chris believes having open discussions around cybersecurity needs to be a top priority as organizations adopt AI, to prevent losing sensitive information and intellectual property.

Who is the intended audience for the new Generative AI course?

The Generative AI course is designed for non-technical business leaders and executives to gain AI literacy and foundational knowledge.

What is the structure of the new MS in AI and Machine Learning degree?

The MS in AI and ML utilizes a hands-on, project-based approach with courses in natural language processing, deep learning, computer vision, mathematics for AI, programming, and databases.

How can students apply their AI skills in the new master's program?

Students can apply their skills via a Capstone project or practicum working with an outside business organization.

Why is having global diversity beneficial in Walsh's AI programs?

Having students from different countries and professional backgrounds leads to more diversity of thought and new perspectives when applying AI.

How can AI transform the medical field?

AI is being used to review medical images and data to assist doctors in diagnosing patients faster and more accurately.