Kevin Benedict Ponders the Future

Every year or so I want to remind readers of the importance of media literacy, and to caution that both overt and covert influence campaigns are being run continuously through traditional and new media platforms with the intent of altering our perceptions, opinions and ways of thinking.  Our brains are the new battlefield, and it's up to each of us to protect them. ***** Emerging on the horizon of our digital landscape are burgeoning alternative realities. They manifest as immersive gaming experiences, virtual and mixed realities, progressive Web 3.0 technologies, and the impending Metaverse worlds. These digital realms offer limitless escapism and engrossing entertainment, often drawing us in willingly, with full awareness of their entrancing allure. Despite the known addictive qualities of these virtual environments, they are seen as acceptable indulgences. Yet, the focus of today's discussion lies not with these recognized digital realities, but rather with the unanticipated

ChatGPT has democratized knowledge in ways that few innovations outside of the Gutenberg printing press, the internet, and search engines have done.  It not only finds content, but answers our specific questions with formatted explanations and analysis, and remembers our conversations at a later date.   This month, the new AutoGPT is making headlines.  AutoGPT enables advanced reasoning capabilities and understands context and concepts effectively in a configurable and automated manner.  AutoGPT can provide valuable insights and recommendations, supporting data-driven decision-making and facilitating efficient business processes all automatically.     The automation component of AutoGPT can help reduce knowledge friction caused by the lack of time.  If you don't have the time to study and research important and impactful topics, the lack of time becomes a source of knowledge friction.  Automating the research, analysis, formatting and distribution of knowledge is a powerful feature

In an ever-changing world filled with uncertainty, business executives often grapple with the responsibility of anticipating and adapting to emerging trends and technologies. In this article I aim to provide guidance on how to focus on the most critical elements in the age of digital transformation, as well as how to cultivate a forward-thinking mindset. My first piece of advice is to prioritize what matters most. Amidst the noise and distractions, it's crucial to identify the most important factors for your organization. As Donald P. Coduto wisely said, "The most important thing is to keep the most important thing the most important thing." Embrace this principle to maintain focus and ensure success. Understand the game you are competing in.  Understand your competition.  Master the rules of digital transformation. To excel in today's competitive landscape, it's essential to understand the dynamics of the digital age. Key elements to consider include: Data as the

As a futurist, I am always reading with an eye on how the information I am consuming might have an impact on the future.  Last week, my colleague, Ashok Krish, the Global Head of Digital Workforce at TCS, wrote, "Generative AI tools have the potential to provide expert knowledge to employees who may not have specialized training in a specific area."  That got my attention.  Will GPT and other LLM (large language model AI systems) enable many more of us to have access to expert knowledge?  If generalists were soon to have the power of easy and constant access to expert knowledge, how might that change the world? With that question in mind, I took a deeper dive into understanding the concept of knowledge friction, its impact on businesses, and the steps organizations can take to ensure all their team members have access to expert knowledge via AI tools of all kinds. Knowledge friction in business refers to the barriers, inefficiencies, or difficulties in accessing, sharing, and

As a futurist, I often find myself discussing how emerging technologies might impact jobs.  We talk about automation, artificial intelligence, robotics and other technologies that are all obvious candidates for human displacement.  We don't, however, think enough about the physics-related notion of speed.  Speed refers to how much distance can be covered in a unit of time. If a car moves at 3 MPH, the driver can safely look around, take a drink of water, and eat a burger while driving.  However, if the car is moving at 120 MPH, the task of driving requires all of the driver's attention just to keep it under control.  The difference in speed completely changes the nature of the job. The following is a list of just a few ways people, things, concepts and processes can be changed when speed increases: Faster operational tempos require faster decision-making.  At a certain point humans reach their limit.  At that point processes must be automated and decisions made by algorithms to

I feel like a kid with a new bike.  GPT-4 is opening up so many new avenues for discoveries!  In fact, our Future of Business team here at TCS now has weekly trainings and discussions on how GPT-4 works, and how best to use it.  I am just beginning my learning journey, but already some things are clear. GPT-4 has an enormous amount of useful knowledge if you know how to find it.  It's mostly common sense, but here are some helpful things I am recognizing. Learn the right way to ask questions.  The better and more specific your questions are the better the answers.  That seems basic, but asking GPT-4 a list of similar questions will quickly show you which ones work better. Tell GPT-4 who it is before it answers a question, e.g., GPT-4, you are a data scientist, or you are a bioengineering scientist, or you are a fireman.  Giving GPT-4 a personna gives it a POV (point of view) to answer question from a specific perspective. Understand how to frame questions based on logical arguments

I recently read an article written by four professors from large universities.  The purpose of the article was to convince the reader that GPT-4, and other large language models are not significant or worth our interest.  Were we testing the same LLM system?  I am giddy with the potential! I am also a veteran futurist with over three decades in the technology industry, and I can confidently say that GPT-4 is the most impressive technology I have seen in my career.  In fact, Bill Gates, calls it the biggest technology leap since 1980. I am not saying LLMs are perfect, but they are certainly incredible.  I can ask for a list of emerging technologies and trends in a particular industry and it will produce a comprehensive list comparable to my own manually researched list.  I can ask GPT-4 to find trends most analysts have missed.  It will competently generate a list of little known developments, and then describe their potential impact on an industry.  I am amazed.   I asked GPT-4 to cons

In my work as a futurist, everything I read lately seems to suggest a need to become more "media literate". What is media literacy?  ChatGPT describes it as follows, "Media literacy refers to the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media. It involves a set of critical thinking skills that enable individuals to navigate the complex and rapidly evolving media landscape , identify credible sources of information, and make informed decisions about what to consume and how to interpret media messages." Just this week, media mogul Rupert Murdoch, acknowledged under oath, that his news commentators endorsed many falsehoods knowingly to keep their audiences happy and agitated.  Tens of millions of people were influenced by these false accusations - a siren call for media literacy.   AI generated version of me Our future will include tsunamis of falsehoods from not only our own internal sources, but from our enemies'.  All of us are going to be exposed to inf

Digital Mindset This article was created in collaboration with ChatGPT, Dall-e, and myself. As organizations continue to undergo digital transformation, leaders must adapt to new challenges and opportunities. Here are some essential mindset attributes that leaders need today: Agility: In the rapidly changing digital landscape, leaders must be agile and able to pivot quickly to keep up with market demands and emerging technologies. Customer-centricity: A customer-centric mindset is crucial in today's digital world. Leaders must understand their customers' needs and preferences and use digital tools to create a seamless customer experience. Growth mindset: Leaders must have a growth mindset and be willing to learn and experiment. They must be open to new ideas and technologies and willing to take risks to drive innovation. Collaboration: Digital transformation requires collaboration across teams and departments. Leaders must foster a culture of collaboration and encourage cross-f

I have been having all kinds of fun with OpenAI's Dall-e for art, and ChatGPT for answers, research, testing and jokes.  Let's talk about ChatGPT and jokes.  It is not very good at writing funny jokes.  It has an academic understanding of what jokes are, but it finds it difficult to deliver them.  Out of hundreds of attempts, here are a few of the best jokes ChatGPT could come up with: Why did the Luddite start using social media? So he could complain about it.  Why did the bioengineer create a new species of bacteria that can glow in the dark? To shed some light on the subject. When asked what he was working on the bioengineer answered, “I could tell you, but then I'd have to genetically modify you." How many Luddite farmers does it take to change a light bulb? None, they prefer candles. What do you get when you cross a Luddite with a Time Machine?  A trip to the past no one wanted.  Here's the thing with the above jokes - they almost worked.  I had to tweak them