Okay, so today we're diving into AI for business leaders.
And you know, everyone's talking about AI,
but we wanna cut through the hype
and get to the practical stuff.
What does it actually mean for you?
So to help us with that, we've got some great insights
from Linda Yao, COO of Lenovo's Solutions and Services Group.
Yeah, and what's really interesting about Linda
is she's actually seen like three different AI booms
during her career, so it's not her first rodeo.
Right.
And every time, it wasn't just hype,
there were actually real changes,
you know, practical applications that came out of it.
Yeah, it's not theoretical for her, right.
Exactly.
She's seeing it actually impact businesses,
and she actually connects it back
to something I thought was really interesting.
Remember the whole Flash Boys thing with high-speed trading?
She said that was AI too, you know,
quietly revolutionizing Wall Street.
Interesting, yeah.
But now she sees it like expanding even further.
Like every industry is gonna be touched by this
in ways we're just starting to figure out.
Yeah, and the important thing to remember here
is it's not just about the tech companies like Lenovo
that are building this stuff.
It's about how AI is actually changing the playing field
for everybody else.
Yeah, and speaking of Lenovo,
something I thought was really interesting
about her approach is she's all about, you know,
that saying eating your own cooking.
Right.
They're very much about testing these solutions
internally first before they even think
about bringing them to clients.
Exactly, they wanna make sure that it works.
And they have a great example,
using AI to make their own supply chain more efficient.
They actually cut shipping costs by like 10% just from that.
So, you know, they're not just talking the talk.
Yeah, it's reassuring.
It's not just a concept, right?
They're actually using this stuff themselves.
Yeah.
But okay, so with all this talk about practical AI,
where do you even begin?
Like as a business leader,
it's like how do you even wrap your head around all this?
Yeah, it can be overwhelming for sure.
That's where Linda's four pillars come in.
Okay.
So it has this framework and it starts
with a really powerful duo,
security first and people next.
Okay, so security first, people next.
So it sounds like it's not just about the tech itself,
it's about making sure that your systems
and your team are ready for this whole AI driven future.
Yeah, you have to have a really solid foundation.
So robust security is obviously critical
because you are gonna be dealing with a lot of data
and you wanna protect that.
And then the people aspect is huge too.
You need to make sure that your workforce is, you know,
comfortable and prepared for all these changes
that AI is gonna bring.
That resonates so much because you could have
the most cutting edge AI tool in the world.
But if your data is not secure
or if your employees are afraid to even use it,
you're kind of shooting yourself in the foot
before you even begin, right?
Exactly.
And to help navigate that whole people aspect,
Linda has this question that she says every business leader
should be asking about every single task.
And it's a good one.
Will AI automate it, augment it or replace it entirely?
Wow.
And the answer to that has huge implications for,
you know, your talent strategy, your training programs,
how you manage your people in this age of AI.
That's a big question, right?
Because it gets to the heart of this whole like
job security thing that everyone's worried about.
But it sounds like Linda's not saying
AI is coming for our jobs.
It's more like how can AI help us be better
at what we already do?
Right, exactly.
And it's interesting because once you've got
that foundation in place, like you said,
with the security, with the people,
she says the other two pillars kind of fall into place,
technology and process.
You've built that foundation.
And now you can actually start building with AI as a tool.
It makes sense when you think about it that way, right?
You've taken care of like the really important stuff,
the security, making sure your people are on board.
And now you can actually focus on,
okay, how do we implement this in a way
that actually makes our processes, our workflows better?
Yeah, and by putting security first and people next,
you're not just like mitigating risk.
You're actually putting yourself in a position
to actually really succeed with AI.
Setting yourself up for success.
Yeah, and not just from a tech standpoint,
but from that human element too.
But speaking of success,
you know, one of the things that Linda talks about
that I thought was really interesting is how AI
is changing the way we use data to make decisions.
Oh, absolutely.
Data is everything, right?
Right.
She really believes that to unlock the potential of AI,
you need good data.
And it's all about creating this positive feedback loop
where AI and data quality actually reinforce each other.
So it's not even just about using AI.
It's about AI kind of forcing us
to get better at data in general.
Like a lot of companies,
that might seem like a huge undertaking.
Yeah, it can be, but she sees it
as like this positive challenge.
I love this analogy she uses.
She says, it's like a rising tide lifts all boats.
Right.
Even if you're not building like the next chat GPT.
Right.
Just the fact that there's this focus now
on data quality.
Yeah.
Everyone's gonna benefit from that.
It's a good way to look at it.
Okay, but here's the question
I think is on everybody's mind, right?
Like does AI have the power to like totally disrupt
business models as we know it?
Her answer is basically, it has to.
Right.
If you think about the investment that's going into this,
both in terms of like resources and people,
for that investment to make sense,
it has to lead to these like fundamental changes
in how businesses work.
So it's not even just about adopting a new technology.
It's about changing how we work, how we think,
how we solve problems.
Exactly.
And she really emphasizes that skill development
is gonna be critical for people to,
navigate this successfully.
Yeah.
And it's not just about like coding
or understanding algorithms.
It's about being adaptable, being able to problem solve,
think critically, learn new things
as this whole AI landscape changes.
And she uses a good analogy to kind of illustrate this point.
She talks about how, think about electricity, right?
The internet, even mobile phones.
Like every time we've had one of these big technological
shifts, there's this fear that like,
oh, it's gonna be the end of jobs as we know it.
But what happens?
We adapt.
That's right.
History repeats itself, right?
Yeah.
And just like those things led to all sorts of new
opportunities and industries and ways of life,
AI is gonna do the same thing.
Right.
It's about finding the opportunity and the disruption,
but we gotta acknowledge the elephant in the room here,
which is, will AI take our jobs?
It's a fair question, right?
Like it's the one everyone's wondering about.
It is.
And Linda actually says, it's an opportunity, not a threat.
Instead of thinking about AI taking our jobs,
we should be thinking about how we can use AI to,
you know, learn new things, specialize.
So almost like it's pushing us up the value chain.
Exactly.
Think about it, like a few years ago,
nobody was talking about prompt engineers.
And now that's a real job, a high paying job.
So AI is creating these new opportunities,
even as it changes existing ones.
So true.
It's like, yeah, some things might become obsolete,
but there's gonna be this whole new landscape of jobs
that we can't even imagine yet.
And Linda actually makes the point that AI could even make
our work more enjoyable, which I thought was interesting.
It's like, what if it takes over all the boring stuff,
the repetitive stuff, and then we get to actually focus
on the things that are, you know,
more creative, more strategic.
Right.
Working smarter, not harder.
And I think that's a perfect segue into one of our other
big points, which is,
you gotta have realistic expectations.
Okay, so no magic bullets.
Right.
AI is not gonna solve all your problems overnight.
It's a tool, a powerful tool, but it's not a magic wand.
Yeah.
And to really get the most out of it,
you have to be smart about how you use it.
So it's about finding those specific use cases, right?
Like what problems can AI actually solve for my business,
not just jumping on the bandwagon
because it's the cool new thing.
Exactly.
Find the right tool for the job.
And that's where she says,
experimentation is really important.
Don't be afraid to kind of get your hands dirty.
Try things out and see what sticks, see what works for you.
So if you're listening to this, think about like,
what are your biggest pain points at work right now?
Could AI be part of that solution?
Maybe it's automating something.
Maybe it's helping you analyze data better.
Maybe it's, you know,
personalizing your customer interactions,
or even just freeing up your team's time
so that they can focus on more strategic stuff.
Right, the possibilities are really endless,
but you gotta start somewhere.
Exactly.
And you know, I love how Linda puts it.
She says, this AI journey is just beginning
and your involvement is crucial.
Don't be a bystander.
Jump in, ask questions,
and you know, really be a part of shaping
how this technology is gonna transform our world.
It's an exciting time to be in business.
It really is.
Well, on that note, this has been an awesome deep dive.
Thanks for joining us today,
and we'll catch you next time
for another look beyond the buzzwords.