"In July 2022, I made a career pivot from consulting to teaching. Beyond being intrinsically interesting and rewarding, I thought teaching would provide a respite after almost two decades of daily hand-to-hand combat with problems, clients, and, occasionally, colleagues. Then, in November 2022, OpenAI introduced the first version of ChatGPT. It quickly became clear that artificial intelligence (AI) could radically reshape my new industry, my old one, and many others."
"Over the last three years, I have been actively experimenting with AI through a course I created called "AI and Consultative Decision Making." In parallel, I wrote the book Epic Disruptions, which involved conducting deep historical research into case studies of world-changing innovations ranging from gunpowder to Pampers disposable diapers. One of the themes that emerged from my research is that disruptive change is predictably unpredictable."
"1. Disruption often starts in unexpected places In the 1940s, Walter Bradeen, John Brattain, and William Shockley from Bell Labs developed a new technology called the transistor. The intent of their research effort was to develop a technology to replace vacuum tubes that powered communications networks. The transistor had clear benefits. It was small, rugged, and didn't give off heat. However, early versions were also unreliable and required rearchitecting systems."
AI has the potential to radically reshape many industries, affecting both new and legacy fields. Disruptive change exhibits broad, repeated patterns but remains unpredictably shaped by human behavior and complex systems. Innovations often find initial success in unexpected markets where their advantages align with simpler requirements, as exemplified by the transistor's early adoption in hearing aids rather than communications networks. Early technologies can be unreliable and require system reengineering before broader deployment. Practical experimentation, teaching, and historical study can illuminate likely trajectories and prepare professionals to recognize and adapt to emergent AI-driven disruptions.
Read at Fortune
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]