Should your dog be a robot?
And other questions from MWC Barcelona
Some questions that came up for me walking the endless halls of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last week:
Should your dog be a robot?
Should an AI-enabled plush toy read your kid her goodnight story?
Should the same AI-enabled plush toy help her with her homework?
Should your therapist be “empathetic AI”?
Should you prioritise book summaries, because it’s faster than reading the entire thing?
Should you prioritise process over people?
Should you trust AI to take all the notes, and create all the summaries?
Should you look at nature through a screen to label the plants?
Should you automate your chat conversations with your mom?
Should you let go of 40% of your workforce just because you can?
Because #AI can facilitate all of that.
Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
This is one of my favourite phrases to dig into whether something is a good use of your time and energy. Or, in the age of AI, it’s a reminder that sometimes friction and connection are the entire point, not the problem.
I’ve made a career out of removing friction, supporting individuals and organisations being more productive, more intentional, more streamlined. AI has had a massive impact on my work, in a very counterintuitive way.
I get asked a lot more about how to add friction and facilitate real connection. Those are conversations that didn’t come up three years ago. Or even three months ago.
Where before the question was: How do I get rid of all those status meetings?, now the question is: How do I show up in those meetings so people actually trust me?
And how does this translate across cultures?
The new currency is trust. Can you create trust in others? And what do you need to trust someone in a world where everything is being AI-ified through brute force?
If you’d like a sparring partner to think through these ideas, send me an email. I am considering opening up a couple of coaching slots after Easter - and people on this list will always get preferred treatment ;)