Future-Proofing with AI: Insights from Chief AI Officer Simon Kriss | EP 134 | DevReady Podcast

In this episode of the DevReady Podcast, our host Andrew Romeo interviews Simon Kriss, the Chief AI Officer at simonkriss.ai. They delve into the transformative potential of AI in enhancing customer experience and overcoming organizational challenges. Simon shares his expertise on practical AI implementation, addressing data privacy concerns, and the cultural shifts needed to embrace AI technology fully.

 

Simon shares his insights on providing strategic advisory services to governments and companies, helping them initiate their AI journey amidst prevalent confusion and fear. He identifies "FOMF—Fear of Moving Forward" as a common issue, where companies are overwhelmed by the daunting scope of AI and unsure of the right use cases to pursue. This fear is often exacerbated by conflicting advice from vendors, leading to hesitation and inaction.

 

The conversation delves into the challenges companies face when integrating AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity into their operations. Simon explains that many organisations are unsure how to effectively use AI and often hide their usage due to unclear policies. He advocates for transparency and ethical use, emphasising the need for education on AI’s opportunities and risks. Simon suggests starting with simple, practical applications and involving leadership in hands-on workshops to foster a deeper understanding and acceptance of AI. This approach helps bring AI out of the shadows and promotes a culture of innovation and transparency.

 

Simon also addresses concerns around intellectual property (IP) and data privacy when using AI tools. He advises against disclosing sensitive information in public AI interfaces and recommends sanitising and anonymising data to prevent it from becoming part of the AI’s training data. For organizations using private AI instances, such as Microsoft's Copilot, the risks are lower. However, Simon notes that despite the hype, few companies are fully utilising generative AI, and many who do are not implementing it correctly or securely. He emphasises the importance of internal testing before deploying AI customer-facing to mitigate risks and avoid sensationalized failures.

 

Lastly, Simon discusses the strategic implementation of AI in customer experiences, sharing insights from his book, "The AI Empowered Customer Experience." He highlights the efficiency gains from AI in routine tasks, such as generating reports and summarizing call center interactions, which can significantly enhance workplace satisfaction and productivity. Simon envisions AI transforming business models and improving work-life balance by reducing mundane tasks. He believes that AI can help small and medium-sized businesses compete with larger corporations by automating repetitive tasks and improving client interactions. Encouraging a cultural shift towards transformative changes, Simon underscores the need for sharing knowledge about AI to foster broader understanding and adoption.