OK, so you want to know how these top CTOs are using AI
to get a leg up on the competition?
Well, buckle up, because we're diving into this women tech
panel discussion with Fiona Tan from Wayfair,
Michelle Grover at Slalom, and Sheila Jordan over at Honeywell.
And get this, they all agree that it
starts with the customer.
Yeah, what's so interesting is how they each
approach customer experience.
Like take Fiona Tan, for example.
At Wayfair, she's tackling this unique challenge
of selling furniture online.
Which, let's be real, it's not as easy as ordering a book
from Amazon.
It's true.
It's tough trying to put what you want in a sofa into words.
It's like describing a dream.
Totally.
You just know it when you see it.
Exactly.
And Fiona nailed it when she said,
it's hard to describe what you want.
But here's the cool part.
Wayfair is using AI to solve that.
Imagine typing in blue sofa, right?
But instead of getting this generic list,
you get options that actually match your style.
What?
Really?
Yeah.
And maybe even your budget, like based on past purchases.
It's like having a personal AI design consultant.
OK, that's next level.
But how does it even work?
Is it reading our minds or something?
Not quite mind reading.
But AI is getting crazy good at understanding
what customers want, even if they don't
know the right words for it.
Fiona was saying how search optimization has gone way
beyond just basic keywords now.
Oh, interesting.
It's about intent.
So you're searching blue sofa.
AI might figure out you're actually looking
for something modern, minimalist.
For a small apartment.
And then it shows you exactly that,
even if you didn't type those words in.
It's like having a conversation with the search bar.
Totally.
And then there's AI powered recommendations on top of that.
Say you are looking at that blue sofa.
AI can look at your past purchases,
what you've clicked on, even how long you've
looked at certain things, and then recommend other furniture
that fits your style.
And it's not just about how businesses are using AI
to connect with us customers.
They're using it behind the scenes too.
Oh, absolutely.
To totally change the way they operate.
It's like giving every department a superpower.
Yeah.
Michelle Grover from Slalom had this great example.
She was talking about how they're
using AI for these internal processes, right?
And get this.
They actually try it out on their own teams first.
Oh, interesting.
Before even giving it to clients.
So it's like they're perfecting the recipe in-house
before they serve it up to their clients.
Exactly.
And she said one of the biggest areas
is just automating all those repetitive tasks.
That everybody hates.
Think about being a lawyer having
to go through pages and pages of contracts.
Summarizing everything.
Or a developer stuck analyzing lines of code.
Hours.
Yeah.
AI can just knock those tasks out super fast.
Huge time saver.
Right.
And what's interesting is how Michelle
was talking about the effect on employees.
When AI takes over those tasks, it frees them up
to do more strategic work.
More creative work.
So it's a win-win.
For everyone, it makes you wonder,
what could you do if AI took over some
of your more mundane tasks?
Right.
And this is just the beginning.
Another area where AI is making a difference
is in knowledge management.
Michelle and Sheila Jordan from Honeywell both
talked about this.
Just think about all the times that you're at work searching
for, like information.
Oh, constantly.
Right.
Company policies, project details, technical specs.
It never ends.
Yeah.
And it's always urgent when you need it.
Of course.
And AI can make it so easy to find what you need right
when you need it.
It's like having your own personal research assistant
available 24-7.
No more digging through endless files
or sending those emails, like, does anyone know where to find?
Right.
I love that.
It's a game changer.
And then there's this whole world
of predictive analytics.
That's where things get really cool.
No, tell me more.
So companies are using it to forecast their sales,
find new opportunities, even kind of predict
risks before they happen.
So it's not just about working faster.
It's about working smarter.
Exactly.
Sheila had this amazing example.
Honeywell is using AI to predict shipping delays.
Wow.
With like crazy accuracy.
They're looking at weather patterns, historical data,
even port congestion in real time.
So they can see into the future almost.
Yeah.
And before we move on to the whole ethics side of things,
maybe we can switch gears and talk about how companies are
actually putting these AI solutions into practice.
OK, so we've talked about all these amazing things
AI can do for customer experience
for internal operations.
But where do you even start with implementing it?
It seems like a huge undertaking.
Totally.
It can definitely feel overwhelming.
But one thing all three CTOs agreed on
was the importance of starting small.
Sheila Jordan from Honeywell had this great analogy.
She talked about finding those big bets in AI.
Oh, I like that.
Don't sweat the small stuff, those incremental improvements.
Find those areas where AI can make a real difference
for your business.
And then really go for it.
So it's about picking your battles,
finding those high impact areas where AI can really shine.
Exactly.
And speaking of battles, they were all
in agreement about one crucial thing for success.
Data quality.
Of course.
Yeah.
Fion Tan said it best.
Feeding AI bad data is like teaching a chef
with spoiled ingredients.
You can't expect a Michelin star meal.
It's true.
Garbage in, garbage out, right?
Exactly.
And you need that good data to train effective AI models,
obviously.
And Fion has actually talked about how AI itself
can help improve data quality.
Wow, interesting.
Yeah, it's like AI being a data detective,
uncovering those inconsistencies, errors
that you might not even know are there.
So it's like AI is auditing itself in a way.
Yeah.
Making sure it has the best information to work with.
To make those Michelin star meals.
Exactly.
Now, of course, there's the question of,
what about the humans in all of this?
That's sad for sure.
And all three CTOs were very clear.
AI is about augmenting human capabilities, not replacing us.
OK, good.
It's about working together, collaborating.
Michelle Grover, she really emphasized this.
Upskilling and reskilling your workforce
for this new AI-powered future.
And it's not just tech skills either, by the way.
Yeah, it makes sense.
It's about critical thinking, problem solving.
It's very typical.
All those human skills that are going
to be even more important as AI becomes more powerful.
Because we're the ones who have to guide it and stuff.
Right.
We have to know how to use it effectively, ethically.
So there's a lot of exciting opportunities on the horizon.
And we've only just scratched the surface of what AI can do.
But what really struck me was what
Michelle said at the very end.
She said, AI is going to amplify our capabilities,
both good and bad.
Oh, wow.
It's a tool, right?
And like any tool, it can be used to create or to destroy.
So the question for all of us is,
how are we going to use this powerful technology?
What will we choose to build with it?
It's a big question and a lot to think about.
So for anyone listening, if this all
sounds a little intimidating, don't worry.
You don't have to become an AI expert overnight.
But maybe start by asking yourself,
what are some of those big bets in your own work or industry
where AI could really make a difference?
Because one thing's for sure, AI is here to stay.
And it's only going to become more important in the years
to come.