For anyone following technology trends there seems to be no end to those extolling the value of AI. There are innumerable articles, blog posts, and more. AI is being touted as the next great thing that every business needs. What is not shared is some of the challenges that come with adopting AI for use and the challenges being faced by the introduction of this new tool.
The Challenges
Using this article as a starting point: The Consumer Psychology of Adopting AI Harvard Business School professor Julian De Freitas shares “… try to narrow it down to five main barriers. At a high level, I think you can summarize them as, AI is often seen as human-like, but not human enough. Or conversely, it is seen as a little bit too human, too capable. And then there’s one last barrier that’s just about how it’s really difficult to understand. So, the five barriers that myself and my colleagues have identified through our research are that AI is opaque, emotionless, rigid, autonomous, and not human.
AI is Opaque
Too many people see AI as a black box. There are numerous stories on the web about Lare Learning Models, (LLM’s) and how they are digesting all the available data like a Godzilla-like creature with a voracious and insatiable appetite. As a result of this “hunger” staff, most likely, will feel threatened by the adoption of AI in the organization. Due to the unknown, the hype and the nature of what AI in business might or might not do is neither consistent nor understood by professionals much less staff.
AI is Emotionless
The concept that AI is emotionless is actually true as there is not really a physical form for AI tools and it is a program. As much as movies and books showcase AI with emotions that is still the stuff of fiction and future dreams. The fact that there are no emotions is the reason that governance is critically important when implementing AI. Governance. Yes, a word that strikes fear into many business people’s ears. Simply put governance is the active action of developing, implementing, and managing information inside your organization. Every business has some level of governance. Think about payroll and how many people know the numbers and personal information related to payroll. Now imagine an AI agent who does not know what to not share. Without proper governance, an employee could ask the AI agent for others’ payroll details and provide an answer. The bottom line is that embracing AI requires governance to be in place prior to launch.
AI is Rigid
Your customers rightfully, and currently perceive AI as being too rigid. Looking to Merriam Webster for the definition they use deficient in or devoid of flexibility, appearing stiff and unyielding, inflexibly set in opinion, precise and accurate in procedure, and firmly inflexible rather than lax or indulgent. These characteristics are common and somewhat expected for consistent results yet customers tend to be very put off by this. The current deployment of AI agents in many larger companies is yielding mixed results with many businesses having to “hide” the use of AI in support of or in their products due to this perception.
AI is Autonomous
While it might appear obvious the fact that AI is autonomous gives many people pause. Ceding control of any software is often plagued with challenges. History shows that many IT projects fail to achieve goals due to not controlling all the aspects of the project like current staff losing “control” over what they believed to be a critical process. Current AI models are already gaining an unpredictable reputation based on the reporting of hallucinations. AI hallucination is a term used to describe false, misleading, or nonsensical outputs generated by artificial intelligence. Unlike simple mistakes, these hallucinations can appear highly convincing, making them a serious concern for businesses, researchers, and users relying on AI-generated content. In our experience, this risk currently outweighs the potential benefits. Here is a strong business-based reason to wait.
A second challenge to introducing AI to address the concerns of staff and stakeholders. Staff, most likely, will feel threatened by the adoption of AI in the organization. Some of this will be fear of “replacement. ” Due to the unknown, the hype and the nature of what AI in business might do is neither consistent nor understood by staff. Stakeholder’s concerns also need to be understood as the perception of your brand can be impacted by AI. How dangerous could this be? Check out NYC’s AI chatbot that was caught telling businesses to break the law.
AI is not Human
The final barrier is that AI is not human. That drives the threat to staff and customers alike. Staff, thanks to history and the media, have accepted that AI is bad for their jobs, and their experiences with current experiments driving that impression into real fear and loathing. What this means for business owners is that a lead-in campaign and a slow introduction are required.
Not Customer-Facing, Yet
In summary, AI can be good for small businesses. However, at present it is not ready to be customer-facing. Internal use is another matter and will be the subject of a future post. Remember that Lead IT Consulting is here to help small businesses understand and navigate challenges in the IT landscape so your business can grow. To find out more about how Lead IT Consulting can help your company with this and more book a meeting with the author or send an email to happiness@leaditconsulting.net
