Will A I Take Over The World? Perspectives from Industry Leaders

Ever wonder if A I is going to take over the world or steal your job? You’re not alone. The rise of artificial intelligence has sparked some wild debates. Will AI dominate, or will it just be a supercharged tool for us to use? We asked some of the smartest minds in different industries to give us their take.

Commerce Is About to Change Forever

Businesses don’t have years

John Dittig from MicroTouch Global doesn’t mince his words: "AI will forever change how businesses operate."

Imagine a world where AI understands you at a drive-thru or predicts what products will fly off the shelves. This isn’t sci-fi; it’s happening now. Dittig believes this points to commerce being on the brink of a paradigm shift, meaning Artificial Intelligence will forever change how retailers, restaurateurs, and other merchants do business.

He warns that businesses need to jump on the AI train fast - "businesses don’t have years to mull over ideas or sit on the sidelines to watch and leverage what early adopters learn. That strategy will only lead to lost competitiveness."

If you snooze on AI, you lose — big time.

AI is Taking Over Influencer Marketing—And That’s a Good Thing

Balance it with essential soft skills

Pavel Beinia, the guy behind Famesters, is all about AI in influencer marketing.

His take?

AI is like having a super-smart, always-available assistant that handles all the boring stuff, so you can focus on the creative fun. "AI is automating tasks that were once time-consuming and labor-intensive," he says. Want to stay ahead in the game? Beinia says it’s simple: "Integrate AI and balance it with essential soft skills like critical thinking and adaptability."

Marketing in the Age of AI: Back to Basics, But Better

I advise against getting overly fixated on short-term outcomes

Mark Emond of Demand Spring thinks a significant shift is coming in the marketing industry due to AI - which goes against what we've seen in the last two decades:

"Over the past 15 years, we've seen marketing organizations scale the number of people they have running marketing platforms like marketing automation."

Emond believes that, as AI automates more routine tasks, marketers can refocus on decision-making, strategy, and creativity. Emond sees this as a positive development, as it allows marketing professionals to get back to what they do best while AI takes care of the heavy lifting.

"As AI automates more of the running of these platforms, I think we will see a shift back to more of an emphasis from marketers on decision-making, strategy, and tactical planning and content and creative."

However, Christina Sims,  Founder & CEO of Precision Edge AI, warns that marketers should be thinking long-term:

"For business leaders, I advise against getting overly fixated on short-term outcomes when integrating generative AI. Instead, leverage it strategically for long-term innovation and growth. Consider AI as a consultant that enhances decision-making and drives sustainable success, not just a tool for immediate automation."

AI: The Secret Weapon in Recruitment

The right fit for the right roles

In the recruitment sector, Susanne Turner, owner of hospiTALLYme, highlights AI’s potential to match candidates with job openings more efficiently as a game-changer: "AI can match candidates with job openings based on their skills and experience, ensuring the right fit for the right roles. AI tools can also assess candidate skills and predict their suitability for specific positions, thus improving the quality of hires."

Turner sees that as not just a win for companies, but also benefitting job-seekers by pairing them with tailor-made opportunities.

Virtual Assistants + AI = A Power Combo

Make AI a priority now. Don't wait

Danielle Armstrong, Director at ExecQua® and Edge EA VA Agency, encourages virtual assistants to embrace AI. She believes that future clients will want VAs who are confident with new technology.

"The client of the future will rightly want a VA who is confident using new technology, whilst knowing when a task requires their expert human skills."

Armstrong advises VAs not to wait and to start integrating AI into their work now. This, she says, will help them stay competitive and keep their clients satisfied: "My advice to other virtual assistants is to make AI a priority now. Don't wait. Speak to others in your industry who you trust to see how they're making use of new tech, and start experimenting to find out what works for you."

AI & Regulatory Technology: A Creative Sidekick, Not a Takeover Artist

Every industry will benefit!

Jeff Wells, Chief Visionary Officer at Metrc has a reassuring perspective on AI. He asserts that AI will not "take over the world," but rather assist humans in enhancing creativity and critical thinking.

"Our ability to creatively discover new things will accelerate. Every industry will benefit! AI will allow humans to develop the skill of critical thinking by providing information and analysis in real-time."

Wells sees AI as a tool that will boost innovation across industries, helping people discover new ideas and improve processes. In his view, AI is "an innovation, not an invasion."

PR and Journalism: Why Human Touch Still Matters

Journalists and editors can spot AI-generated content a mile off

Laura Perkes, a PR specialist, emphasizes the importance of human involvement in content creation.

While AI can assist with research and idea generation, Perkes warns that relying too much on AI could lead to a "sea of sameness" in media.

"Journalists and editors can spot AI-generated content a mile off and refuse to publish content that doesn't align with their ethical practices. Media outlets rely on the rich source of information and expertise shared by humans with lived experience. It's what their audience needs and can rely on their chosen media outlets to deliver the information they need, in a style that works for them."

She argues that to stand out, brands and media outlets need to keep content creation rooted in human experience and authenticity.

AI in the Legal World: Efficiency Incoming

Patent firms will have the initial advantage

Craig Smith from Lando & Anastasi, LLP, thinks AI is going to have an increasingly important role in the legal industry - especially for handling tasks like reviewing large document productions and conducting legal research:

"On the litigation front, AI systems will quickly review and digest large document productions and summarize key themes and admissions in exhibits and depositions. Similarly, these systems will simplify the searching and analysis of prior art for challenging the validity of patents. Even legal research and brief writing will be routinely performed by generative AI platforms that are specifically trained for this purpose."

Smith predicts that AI will make law firms more efficient by saving time and money, with patent firms holding the initial advantage by "In this AI arms race, patent firms will have the initial advantage of being able to test and deploy more robust AI systems before the Patent Office has an opportunity to catch up.".

What do you think? Will A I take over the world your business is operating in?