Issue 7: Back to School - curiosity leads the way...

Like many of you, I've been caught up in the whirlwind of back-to-school preparations, new shoes and new pencil cases. My youngest has started at a new school, my middle child is entering his final year, and my daughter has finished school, with a summer of adventures behind her, she heads off to Uni today. The last couple of weeks was somewhat of a juggling act, but I've finally taken a breath to reflect. Indeed I think this September window is the best for resolutions, and it was this annual ritual that I've been doing since 2009 that got me thinking about learning. Has the pace of change since the pandemic, turned us all into perpetual students, requiring us to keep learning and adapting?

The Mindset for Upskilling

One of the things that has been universal in our work with clients is that the most crucial factor in successfully integrating AI isn't technical prowess, but mindset. Just like a child facing a new school year, we all need to approach AI with curiosity and openness. It's not about being an expert from day one, but about being willing to learn. Plus to learn how to use AI effectively, you have to be prepared to fail, probably several times before you crack your own style of working.

Remember when you first learned to drive or use a smartphone? We all bunny hop at some point, and I can remember asking how to send an SMS....AI literacy is next on the list, and it's accessible to everyone willing to try.

Firstly, and this is really important - DO NOT think about it as tech, I don't need to know how it work, just that is works (mostly, improving all the time). See it as a superbooster, a launch pad - using tools like Chat.gpt or Claude.ai can get to 70% of the way to completing a task and usually in a tenth of the time, leaving you to edit, check, wordsmith.

Think about it. That saves time, a lot of time.

Equally, our experience shows that age is no barrier - in fact, combining life experience with AI can be the most powerful combination, but that is a subject I'd like to return to in more detail another time.

Imagination is the key to AI integration

In our work with different teams, we've noticed a common hurdle: many people struggle to imagine how AI can benefit their specific roles. It's like being given a new tool without instructions - the potential is there, but it's not immediately obvious how to use it.

This is where imagination comes in. We've seen marketing teams use AI to craft personalised campaigns at scale, HR departments streamline recruitment processes, and finance teams automate complex reporting. The common thread? They all started with "Imagine if we could...?"

Leaders play a crucial role here. By encouraging brainstorming sessions and creating safe spaces for idea-sharing, they can really unlock their team's collective imagination. At Atheni, we often start our workshops with open-ended questions to spark this creative thinking. We then follow it with 'utopia' - which is the place you arrive at when you get to point B. Actually its quite mind-blowing when you stop thinking of AI as simply a task replacement aid and instead moving into 'the realm of the possible'....

One of the major roadblock is the experimentation hurdle. Many people we work with have a similar story: they tried an AI tool once, didn't get the results they wanted, and gave up. It's like learning to ride a bike - you wouldn't expect to master it on the first try, would you?

One client found success by creating an "AI Champions" programme, where team members would share their AI wins (and fails) weekly. This not only encouraged ongoing experimentation but also fostered a supportive learning environment.

Persistent experimentation is what it is all about. We encourage teams to set aside dedicated "AI playtime" - structured periods for exploring and testing AI tools without the pressure of immediate results. It's about building that muscle memory, just like practicing scales on a musical instrument. And don't put any pressure on yourself to succeed, just play for the first few months.

But whatever you do don't say, 'It can't help me', because that's probably because you haven't imagined or explored it enough yet.

Three Things I Used GenAI For This Week:

1. Planning: For a client in a training role, we used Claude.ai to brainstorm innovative ways to incorporate AI literacy into their existing programme - so it is sitting alongside and supporting other CPD modules, not a standalone project.
2. Meeting Summaries: I've been using Fireflies.ai for several months now to improve my meeting notes. This week, I finally cracked how to get it to categorise action items effectively. All my conversations sit in my AI - I never need to rely on badly written notes. It's like having a second memory.
3. We've also started experimenting with AI clones - imagine sending your clone, who knows everything about you, to meetings where it is good you are there but not critical? Your AI clone comes away with all the information, stored and ready in your GPT (aka your second memory).

FT Weekend Live - AI, geopolitics...and Life

Instead of my usual Saturday morning of mucking out, supermarket shopping or child ferrying, this weekend I hopped on a train to head to London to the FT Weekend Live event at Kenwood House.

What a feast for the mind - every session was fascinating, all moderated by FT journalists.

Obviously it was the theme of AI that had tempted me away from my weekend, and alongside geopolitics (and the surprise session from the heads of the CIA, William Burns and MI5, Richard Moore, AI was one of the topics that was getting a lot of attention.

The day started with a super session by Tim Harford on The Unintended Consequences of AI - finishing on the message of how important it is to keep an open mind, to stay curious, to to constantly explore whether we are asking the right questions. [Note - I'd written the above section of this newsletter well before I heard him say that, so pleased we are on the same page!)

The ex-CEO of Tinder, Renate Nyborg, talked about how AI can solve loneliness. How she talked about career through Google, Headspace, Tinder was incredibly personal and authentic. Her new app, Meeno, uses AI to help people have hard conversations, supporting relationships that are both platonic and romantic. It sounds counter-intuitive to use AI for such human challenges, but having listened to her, I think it will be a great success, and will help improve the communication skills that 'old' tech has lost.

AI popped up in many of the other sessions I went to, particularly around the workplace, and I was delighted to finally meet the FT's Working It podcast host, Isabel Berwick.

But I also loved seeing Michael Palin talk (from way outside the tent), Deborah Meaden on her career and investing in start-ups, Robin Lane Fox on the challenges of climate change in the garden (I'm no gardener, but love his columns) and there were sessions on wine, travel, house and home, a huge variety. I heard about social media and kids, dealing with burnout, gut and biomes, the drift between young men and women...indeed I had serious FOMO so moved between sessions at pace!

I also met lots of new people. There's something very friendly about an FT reader. It's been my paper of record for many many years, trustworthy, non political, analytical, thought provoking. Definitely in my calendar for next year. https://ukftweekendfestival.live.ft.com/

PS. My final thought was how strongly the sense of sustainability shone through, recyclable everything. Nice one FT, walking the talk.

Thanks for reading, I'll be back again more regularly.

best

Louise