A Direct Line Blog

By Donya Parrish, MCU VP Risk Management

Have you heard the rumors that artificial intelligence (AI) is going to take over our lives? When I was a kid, there was excitement about computers and what they could possibly do. We dreamed that “someday” they would do our homework for us, and we watched The Jetsons in awe of how easy their lives were with all the help their robot and digitized home provided. Fast forward, well, let’s just say several decades, and we still don’t have flying cars or an easy button for homework. What we do have — good or bad — is more time each day spent on computers and devices.

Over the last year, stories about ChatGPT and how amazingly fast and impressive the output it produces can be were prevalent. Surely that will lead to less need for human interaction as it gets smarter and more intuitive? Here is the truth: it is only as good as the information it is given and the output commensurate to the questions it is asked. Sound familiar?

As a communication tool, technology still relies on good, old-fashioned, well, communication. Author Chris Brogan explains it well in his article, I’m Having Trouble Training My Robot. Mark Meyer CEO with Filene Research Institute, also noted in a recent article, AI Disrupting Payments, Members, that we “need to recognize that AI contains data from human beings.” I really enjoyed this Jeff Rendel article that talks about some specific ways that credit unions can leverage AI to their advantage.

Enjoy the reading, and let me know what your technology goals are for 2024. Mine is to learn a new software for creating visual content. I might also work on being less stubborn about how poorly Siri and I communicate. Old habits die hard, and I have so much planned for all the time I’ll have when those computers finally take over!