Horses with roller skates

”There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.”

I have absolutely no idea what Sir Winston Churchill was on about here. It makes me feel slightly uncomfortable. Maybe that’s a “me” problem.

Previously at the Volcano Base, I was talking a bit about mapping things in reverse. Since then, I’ve been having some larks working on AI projects in the public sector, cyber security, ecommerce and I became a trusted expert for The Gen AI Academy. More on that coming soon.

I also had some plumbing done. You know, leaky taps, that sort of thing. This is not a metaphor.

Mission Briefing

Horses with roller skates

AI, they said, would revolutionise everything. So naturally, most businesses responded by bolting it onto their existing processes like roller skates on a horse. Impressive to look at, briefly. Then deeply confusing for everyone involved, especially the horse.

If your system already resembles a sack of ferrets trying to file expenses, AI will not make it better. It will just make the ferrets thrash faster. Possibly more angrily. Their expenses will go unpaid. You have been warned.

The sensible approach isn’t to accelerate the chaos. It’s to ask, “What if we didn’t need the horse at all? What if we built something that actually works in an AI world, instead of dragging old nonsense into the future on glittery wheels?”

Because the goal isn’t to gallop into tomorrow with a saddlebag full of broken spreadsheets.

It’s to get out of the saddle altogether.

And maybe learn to drive.

Preferably not into a lake.

Or off a cliff.

Yes, I am now also irritated by the way I’ve formatted this part.

Classified Intel

Some interesting stuff I discovered on my adventures.

Mary Meeker’s back!

Only one interesting thing this week, but that’s because it’s a whopper! The Queen of the Internet returns with one hell of an analysis of the state of AI. If you’re not familiar with her work, digital strategy people like me would literally drool over her annual reports when they came out. And that’s easier to do with a mobile vs a desktop. Just try it.

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Here are some key quotes from the report:

• "AI is the most powerful accelerant of knowledge in our lifetime."
• "Technology trends are not about technology. They're about how people behave."
• "The best products and services win. That has never changed."
• "Every cycle of technology creates more access, and with it, more responsibility."
• "If you want to understand the future, follow the users, especially the youngest ones."
• "The case for optimism remains one of the best bets you can make."
• "We’re still in the early innings of the digital transformation."
• "Data is the new oil, but only if you know how to refine it."
• "AI leadership could beget geopolitical leadership, and not vice-versa."
• "The magic of watching AI do your work for you feels like the early days of email and search."