How do we adopt generative AI?

Has generative AI changed your job yet? Consider this: for developers using GitHub Copilot—the OpenAI tool first introduced in June 2021—generative AI is now writing nearly half their code.??

The process of writing code has gotten a lot faster. Of course, it’s not just the engineers whose jobs are changing. Generative AI is rapidly expanding the scope of both what intelligent models can do and who gets to use them.?

That idea was at the heart of our recent discussion with Dr. Matt Crowson and Yun Wang of Deloitte, during the latest session of Teladoc Health’s Innovation via AI seminar series. In a dialogue with employees, Crowson and Wang provided insights on prompt engineering, advances in generative AI, the unique challenges and opportunities of applying these new tools in healthcare settings, and frameworks on how organizations can adopt and integrate generative AI into their products and operations.?

Reflecting on the presentation, several key takeaways stood out:?

• Prompt engineering is becoming an important skill across many job functions. That’s why it’s critically important to help build the skillsets needed for employees to take full advantage of these new tools.?
• Human supervision and reinforcement are critical. Generative AI is a powerful tool, but it also hallucinates. Building in the right level of expert oversight and review not only makes the tools better by “tuning” the AI— it’s a necessary safeguard to avoid harmful errors.????
• Responsible innovation requires that we start with the low-risk, high-value areas, and build from there. Our recent partnership expansion with Microsoft is a good example of this approach in action. We are initially automating the clinical documentation during virtual exams, improving the quality of medical data for providers to deliver better care more efficiently.? Over time we plan to integrate generative AI more tightly into the medical diagnostic and therapeutic processes.????

These topics were also top of mind at our recent global client conference, Forum, where we convened more than 300 leaders from across the country. During a panel discussion I hosted, Morgann Carlon, also from Deloitte, shed light on the important role that AI tools can play in addressing workforce shortages and burnout.? None of this is replacing clinicians – it's helping them deliver better care more efficiently. It’s the same broader concept as the engineers who are using GitHub Copilot to write code more efficiently.??

It’s encouraging to see the ways generative AI is already making innovation more accessible. We’re bringing more people into the conversation. I think that’s part of why we’ve seen such strong attendance and enthusiasm for our Innovation via AI seminar series across all corners of the company.???

At Teladoc Health, our approach to innovation isn’t just about big initiatives.? We’ve intentionally cultivated an environment where all employees are empowered to continuously improve lots of small things. I have no doubt generative AI will help accelerate these small “i" innovations at our company, influencing how we build and sell our products, reduce costs, eliminate silos, improve quality in profound ways.?

I’d love to hear from others about how generative AI is impacting those small “i” innovations across our industry.??