AI Waves - will you 🌊 or 👋 ?

There is a two-speed AI economy in Australia right now; surfers and watchers.

This week I received this email from a prospective client of Time Under Tension;

“I have had a discussion with other members of our Digital Transformation Team and unfortunately we are not in a position to move forward with AI at this moment in time.”

Earlier the same day, I had read this incredible article “An AI Thesis - The Creative Industries and AI - Wrap" by Charles Day, which included this wonderful quote describing generative AI as an unstoppable wave;

“I grew up in Rio, and when you're a kid in Rio, you learn something very quickly. When a wave comes, you either lean in and surf it, or you run for the sand. 

You don't stop a wave. Waves are not stoppable, they're bigger than you. You know what's going to happen. You need to decide if you're going to lean in and surf it or run for the mountains.” - PJ Pereira

I feel like there is a two-speed AI economy in Australia right now; surfers and watchers.

Some Australian businesses and Government departments are surfing the 🌊; setting up AI Working Groups, drafting AI Ethics guidance, investing in Learning & Development for their teams, encouraging use of tools like chatGPT, and even creating bespoke solutions using Large Language and diffusion models.

Others have decided to head for the beach for now, watch and 👋 to their adventurous surfer friends from the safety of the shore. Some have even shoved their head in the sand.

There can be good reasons for this hesitance; competing priorities, concerns over data security, delays in governance processes, budget pressures, fear of AI sharks. I make no judgement here.

But, their competitors are reaching for their surfboards and running towards the break. 

They are taking advantage of all that generative AI can offer, and reap the benefits sooner rather than later. They are on the learning journey, gaining skills that will (we believe) be imperative in the coming years. In the words of a client of ours, by starting now they are “building a competitive advantage”. We agree.

The AI waves are becoming bigger, and more frequent. They will not stop. Is your business leaning in, or sitting on the beach watching?

If you wish to learn to surf the AI waves, but are not sure where to start, Time Under Tension can help.