Today, we had the opportunity to visit both Microsoft and Thinkhouse. The basis of our visits were centered around artificial intelligence. At Microsoft, we were able to hear from a Data and AI Specialist and other sales associates about their daily encounters working with AI. They gave us the inside scoop on the upcoming AI program, Copilot.
With the release of Copilot and other programs that make AI easily accessible to the general public, our lives as we know it will be transformed. The only question we can ask now is how will we use AI to positively benefit our lives? Specifically, businesses must make the decision as to how they will adapt to the changing tech settings. For Microsoft, they are investing heavily into the development of AI and have been incredibly welcoming of the changes and numerous uses that AI has to offer. As they are a leading tech company, this is relatively expected, but I think it is essential to recognize the purpose of the AI applications that Microsoft is releasing. They have a focus on improving society with the responsible AI focus. Copilot is going to significantly improve the ability of businesses to use the previously existing Microsoft software.
On the other end of the spectrum, companies in the marketing sector like ThinkHouse are more hesitant to utilize the tools that AI provides. With that being said, ThinkHouse is still attempting to figure out the role that AI can play in their business because they are aware that it is such a powerful tool that they would be dumb not to utilize it. They ran a sort of experiment where they tested the capabilities of AI compared to the skillset of their employees, and sort of surprisingly the team of employees delivered a more successful campaign than the AI was able to. This is representative of the overlying idea that AI is not able to do. Specifically, AI lacks the sense of humanity that is needed to make successful projects that are creative in nature.
Out of all the companies we visited, I found the culture of Google to be the most enjoyable. Its competitive company culture and emphasis on psychological safety within each staff member was impressive. The environment at Google felt youthful and friendly, which would make me feel more comfortable working and relying on the rest of the staff, particularly the younger employees.