Insights · May 13th, 2024
Thank you for attending Nikolas Badminton‘s futurist keynote at Kromann Reumert’s Corporate Counsel Retreat 2024 on Thursday 16th May. It was amazing to meet you and present the signals, trends and scenarios that are shaping our world. In addition to the ‘Igniting Futures Thinking – for Kromann Reumert’ post – where we talk about how to start exploring futures – we present this quick reference on Artificial Intelligence (AI).
This page has been prepared by Nikolas Badminton, as an ongoing reference on the subject of Artificial Intelligence (AI), for PMI Chapter Leaders and members of the Project Management Institute globally.
These references are not extensive, however they act as a great starting point and ongoing reference to expert opinion as the AI space accelerates.
Please note: These references will take you to 3rd party websites and expert contact / profile pages so please be aware that their opinions and references do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Nikolas Badminton and the Futurist Think Tank – although we find them interesting to consider. Also, this article is also not officially affiliated with Kromann Reumert so please refer to materials provided by them to guide your ongoing practise.
Artificial Intelligence – Mindset, Mode and Mantras
As project and program management leaders – and futurists – we have a duty to maintain a level head in a world over the hype that can influence narratives in the organizations that we work in. Nikolas Badminton talks about the 3 sets of (futures) mindset, (operational) mode, and (executive) mantras that are needed when framing projects that use or implement artificial intelligence platforms, tools and abilities.
For us to have a (futures) mindset we must:
- Ignite imagination – we must work hard to break out of the confines of the rigour and rules placed around us to shift our mindsets from what is to what if… and challenge the poverty of imagination that exists.
- Build anticipation – once we start exploring the signals of change, identify emerging trends, and see the dynamics that can play out in practical scenarios we can decode the unknown opportunities and risks ahead of us. These three streps are key in creating anticipatory capabilities.
- Nurture empathy – the ability to understand and share the feelings of another is core to the role of a project manager and this is shared with that of a futurist. Constant work is needed to connect and understand the stories of others, and our futures.
Then we must follow a (operational) mode to deliver excellence:
- Preparation and oversight – Machine learning algorithms won’t provide any results without organized and structured data, which must be led by a project manager.
- Consideration and approval – AI just provides valuable insights and makes suggestions which then should be considered and approved by a project manager.
- Co-operation – Only fruitful cooperation between AI and an experienced project manager can result in significant improvements in project management.
Note: these were informed by the great thinking by Paul Boudreau
And finally, we must follow some key (executive) mantras, or principles,
- Scan, experiment, learn & refine – we must constantly monitor what signals of change emerge in the field of AI as it relates to both delivery and the discipline of project management.
- Think holistically, redesign the process – we must carefully consider how any new AI tool fits into the organization – ‘NEW TECH + OLD PROCESS = EXPENSIVE OLD PROCESS’ rings true. A holistic view of people, process, technology, data and governance is required. This is considerate and careful.
- Reinforce the value of human creativity – we must value the work we do and the team members that undertakes that. We must develop policies and practices where new technologies within the realm of AI help our teams do more and allow for better balance during delivery.
Artificial Intelligence 101
- Who Invented A.I.? – The Pioneers of Our Future (ColdFusion)
- Artificial iIntelligence: Implications for Business Strategy (online short course) (MIT Executive Education)
- What is Generative AI? (NVIDIA)
Project Management Reference
3 Essential Talks – Buolamwini, O’Neil and Forrest
Dr. Joy Buolamwini is the founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, an AI bias expert, and an artist. She is the author of the National Bestseller Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What Is Human in a World of Machines and advises world leaders on preventing AI harms. Her MIT research on facial recognition technologies transformed the field of AI auditing.
Cathy O’Neil is a data scientist and author of the blog mathbabe.org. She earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from Harvard and taught at Barnard College before moving to the private sector and working for the hedge fund D. E. Shaw. O’Neil started the Lede Program in Data Journalism at Columbia and is the author of “Doing Data Science.”
Katherine B. Forrest is regarded as a leader in legal issues relating to technology, including the digital environment, big data, and artificial intelligence. She regularly speaks on these topics and has a forthcoming book on artificial intelligence and justice issues. Forrest is a regular technology columnist for the New York Law Journal (“NYLJ”), and recently authored a chapter on emerging issues in copyright law and artificial intelligence in The Law of Artificial Intelligence and Smart Machines.
Deeper debates on Artificial Intelligence application and ethics
As we see AI, and especially generative AI, come into the mix of creativity and deeply human pursuits there are some with strong opinions. Check them out.
Artificial Intelligence experts worth following
The Internet is buzzing with so much news and hype about all facets of AI. Here are some people we want to get on your radar. Take a look and jump into the conversations they are having.
- Yann LeCun – VP & Chief AI Scientist at Meta – LinkedIn
- Timnit Gebru – Founder & Executive Director at The Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR) – LinkedIn
- Andrew Ng – Founder of DeepLearning.AI; Managing General Partner of AI Fund; Founder and CEO of Landing AI – LinkedIn
- Rana el Kaliouby – Being human in the age of AI! Founder of Affectiva & Deputy CEO at Smart Eye – LinkedIn
- Fei-Fei Li – AI Researcher & Professor, Stanford University; Co-Director, Stanford Human-Centered AI Institute – LinkedIn
- Reuven Cohen (rUv) – Enterprise Ai Prompt Hacker / CTO – LinkedIn
- Nikita Gupta – Co-Founder @Careerflow.ai – LinkedIn
- Brian Solis – Head of Global Innovation, ServiceNow – LinkedIn
- Pedro Bizarro – Co-founder and Chief Science Officer at Feedzai – LinkedIn
- Cathy O’Neil – Author of ‘Weapons of Math Destruction’ and ‘The Shame Machine – Orca Risk and Wikipedia
- Dr. Joy Buolamwini – Best-Selling Author of ‘Unmasking AI’ – LinkedIn
- Daphne Koller – Founder and CEO, insitro, Co-founder, Coursera – LinkedIn
- Demis Hassabis – Founder & CEO, DeepMind – LinkedIn
- Geoffrey Hinton, ‘Godfather of AI’ – Wikipedia
- Ben Goertzel – Creating Benevolent Decentralized AGI @ SingularityNET – LinkedIn
About Nikolas Badminton
Nikolas Badminton is a world-renowned futurist speaker, consultant, author, media producer, and executive advisor that has spoken to, and worked with, over 300 of the world’s most impactful organizations and governments.
He helps shape the visions that shape impactful organizations, trillion-dollar companies, progressive governments, and 200+ billion dollar investment funds.
Nikolas Badminton’s book Facing Our Futures: How Foresight, Futures Design and Strategy Creates Prosperity and Growth has been selected for 2023 J.P. Morgan Summer Reading List, and featured as the ‘Next Gen Pick’ to inform the next generation of thinkers that lead us into our futures.
