In the ever-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, the past year has been a journey of exploration and discovery for us all. Learning about AI has not only broadened our perspective on leveraging AI more effectively but has also sparked philosophical insights about the role AI plays (and will play) in shaping our future.
How Star Trek: The Next Generation Envisioned “Our Next Generation
Drawing parallels between AI and the storytelling of Star Trek: The Next Generation may seem obvious, but the metaphors rooted in the 1987 TV series resonate with our AI-driven present in many other indirect ways. In the show, Captain Jean Luc Picard's role in managing the Starship Enterprise mirrors the intricate dynamics we all continually navigate in our own brains.
I have always found Picard’s relationship with his crew as a metaphor reminiscent of Disney's ‘Inside Out’ because each of his core crew-mates represent a different function in our own brains and personalities. Characters like 'Riker, Data, Worf, Troi, Dr. Crusher, and La Forge' each represent different areas: logic, flight-or-fight, emotionally intelligence, health limitations and awareness, and interpersonal growth.
We are AI’s Collaborators, Not Adversaries
David Birss’s AI courses shed light on a unique perspective when using AI: treating AI as actors in a film that we are directing. By first setting the 'stage' with context and a specific perspective – and then asking AI to complete the task, we can prompt AI to offer more reliable, accurate, and helpful information.
Using the character "Data" as a focal point and an “AI ambassador,” there is a particular episode where he assumes the role of captain on a different ship. Faced with skepticism from a crew-mate who questions following orders from a robot, Data's decisions – driven by logic and ship operation guidelines – successfully leads his mission and saves many other lives in the process.
The analogy drawn here is powerful – treating AI as humanity's “sidekick” not only makes us more productive and effective, but encourages us to learn about ourselves more. Just as parents learn from their children or teachers from their students. And as we all know, sometimes it takes a child to ask “ridiculous” questions or do “ridiculous” things for us to reflect on our “Why.”
For this reason, having AI in the room where important business decisions are made may one day be an organizational best practice.
Our Strategic Embrace of AI
At Inspire we've adopted a meticulous, strategic, and balanced approach to incorporating AI into our platform. Recognizing that not all AI is created equal, we stress the constant development and refinement of our AI prompts to generate more useful answers. Leveraging intellectual property from our diverse partners and research, we've seamlessly integrated AI into our performance and employee development platform. The result? Smarter goals, more effective OKRs, improved (and much faster) performance reviews, and more productive communication between coworkers.
To witness the transformative power of our AI-driven platform, click here and let us show you how AI has made our already great platform better.
Overall, the journey into the realm of AI has been a fascinating one, with insights drawn from sources like Star Trek, Inside Out, and David Birss. As we continue to navigate this evolving landscape, let us embrace AI not as a threat but as a collaborator. AI is a tool that when approached thoughtfully has the potential to reshape ourselves and our world for the better. And who knows, maybe AI will get anxiety one day too. 😉
Schedule a demo now to implement AI into your organization.
Learn more about the Inspire approach at inspiresoftware.com.