Generative AI can be overwhelming and complex to those who may not be familiar with it. I want to help others begin to think about this emerging technology and determine whether they should consider exploring it in more detail. I have been working hard over the past few months to familiarize myself with large language models and explore how I might leverage them in my professional life and personal life. My idea emerged as the topic: The 3 E’s of Generative AI. So, what is the first “E” as we begin to think about this technology and its potential?

Educate. Learn about generative AI. What is it? How does it work? What are the possibilities? There are many ways to do this. You might simply ask a large language model to familiarize you with its potential. Alternatively, you could take an online course, read a blog, and/or search the Internet. Information abounds on the subject. One of the best ways to educate yourself is to jump right in and have conversations with one or more of the large language models (LLMs). So, what are these LLMs that I speak of?

A large language model (e.g. Open AI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Bing, or Google’s Gemini (formerly Bard)) is specialized artificial intelligence that has been trained on vast amounts of text and data to understand the existing content and when prompted, to generate original content. The LLMs can respond in a matter of seconds with highly convincing and intelligent output, but the accuracy of that output is sometimes questionable. While LLMs can save tremendous amounts of time, those who use the large language models should perform due diligence to ensure the validity and originality of the generated output. If that output is not original, then it should be cited appropriately. 

The LLMs can’t actually “think” in the way that a human does. Nor do they have empathy. They look at patterns in the content in which they have been trained and predict what the next word should be. If you have used one or more of the LLMs that are available, you are probably aware that they can seem almost magical in the way that they respond to prompts very quickly, eloquently, and convincingly. Suffice it to say, the world of large language models is filled with great potential. Educate yourself to learn how great that potential is. After you educate yourself, what’s the next step?

Evaluate. Once you become aware of the potential and the risks of using large language models, evaluate how you might leverage them in your work life and your personal life. How might you use them ethically and in ways that will save you time and money while also improving your work?

Think about the implications of using generative AI. If you introduce generative AI to your company in an effort to increase employee efficiency, what is the potential impact on employee morale? Will the use of generative AI impede creativity and possibly unknowingly introduce bias? What if you choose not to leverage generative AI? Will your employees decide to use the technology regardless of your stance? And what about your competitors? If they choose to leverage generative AI and you do not, who has the competitive advantage? Once you have educated yourself on LLMs and evaluated the potential and risks both professionally and personally, then what?

Embrace. The genie is out of the bottle and regardless of how we feel about it, generative AI is here to stay. We can either embrace it or evade it. We must decide whether we will use it and also understand that choosing to do nothing is making a decision. 

Generative AI will become as integral to our daily lives as the light bulb did with the invention of electricity. Those who embrace it and adopt it will choose a different path than those who do not. The degree to which we harness its capabilities will determine what influence it will have on our lives.

Generative AI is not a panacea that will solve the world's problems, and in fact, it may create many unexpected ones. We can passively observe and let others determine how they and the world will use this technology; or we can educate ourselves, evaluate the possibilities, and determine to what extent, if any, we should embrace this evolving technology and shape the world to come.

“3 E’s” title created using Adobe Firefly

Images created using Bing and DALL-E