Overview
First, please review the following resources from McKinsey (Global Management Consulting Firm): Middle managers hold the key to unlock generative AI (mckinsey.com) This article discusses the impact GenAI is having (or will have) on corporate America, specifically middle managers. "A recent OpenAI report suggests the impact will be widespread, as well: Four in five U.S. workers (80 percent) could have at least 10 percent of their tasks automated by generative AI, and one in five (19 percent) could see at least half of their responsibilities affected." This article (also from McKinsey) looked at data trends relating to GenAI and how those trends may impact the overall workforce in a variety of companies and industries. This is a bit longer, but contains good information and can be helpful to reference. The state of AI in 2023: Generative AI’s breakout year | McKinsey Next, view the OpenAI GPT App Store: Introducing the GPT Store (openai.com); Explore GPTs (openai.com)
SCENARIO: For this assignment/scenario, put yourself in the role of a middle manager at a medium-sized privately held software/IT services company. Your organization is contemplating reduction of staff due to budget cuts and the need for increased efficiency. Ownership has consulted with you, due to your technology and administrative/business background, on the viability of whether or not staff layoffs/downsizing is going to be necessary. The challenge, as is often the case with privately owned companies, is that ownership has not provided you with specific/exact metrics on targets that will need to be met to avoid layoffs. You realize that it's likely going to be difficult to squeeze additional productivity gains out of existing employees without some larger company changes (hiring new people) and significant capital improvements (upgrades) to tech infrastructure, equipment, etc. One possible solution that you and your team have been investigating is automating some existing manual processes (specifically customer management and communication) using AI. You recently discovered Generative AI as a productivity tool and are aware of some good applications on the consumer side.
TASK: Based upon the above information, write a 1-2 page (double-spaced) memo (Sample Memo - Purdue OWL® - Purdue University) to your company's ownership with your recommendation on what they should do. You can draw upon existing AI tools/apps and/or come up with a new idea/tool/solution that the company should implement. It's okay to take some liberties with the idea, as long as it's grounded in reality. Cite any sources on a separate page (APA formatted references page) following your memo.
MATERIALS: - The Coming Wave Chapter 7 - This video focuses more on the personal value/application that we will likely see from AI: On GPS: How will AI shape our world? | CNN Business - This video is aimed more toward understanding how businesses will unlock value and extract efficiencies from AI: We've hit 'peak hype' of the AI revolution, says DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman (cnbc.com) - For a practical application of some current AI tools (such as ChatGPT and Bard), please read this article on McGraw Hill's Business Pro Tips website discussing Prompt Engineering, a new and emergent field on interacting with AI. McGraw Hill Business Pro Tips Blog (mheducation.com)