AI is everywhere, but beware of the FUD Hype Machine

Earlier this month, I attended Inbound23, the annual conference put on by CRM leader, HubSpot, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.  Notably, AI was highlighted heavily during the keynote addresses by both the HubSpot CEO and COO.  There seems to be no area within the HubSpot platform in which AI is not being integrated. 

In some cases, the AI demonstrated is amazing and will be revolutionary.  For example, when demonstrating the AI being integrated into their landing pages, web pages, and other content creation, a user could simply type in the need for an image, and one will appear.  For example, enter that you need a photographic image of a 12-year-old boy riding on a purple skateboard, and the AI would render such an image.  This technology could be quite disruptive to photographers and content platforms, such as Adobe Stock.  

In other cases, the AI demonstrated is just an extension of building in more natural workflow into the creative process. For example, if you start creating a new web page, the platform will ask “is this a landing page?”.  If yes, it will then say, “do you need a web form to go with it?”, and if yes again, it will lead you through the process of creating the form to capture the information required, such as name, company, email address, and so forth.  This “AI” isn’t revolutionary, it’s just automating a process that is currently done manually – a challenge software has been solving for since it’s invention. 

While the former example can prove to be revolutionary in its application, neither serves as a warning sign of AI becoming the digital overlords of our future human existence.  In many cases, such as in these HubSpot examples, AI is simply automating and accelerating the creation of repetitive and routine tasks. 

Beware stories about AI that breed Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD). Apply critical thinking and analysis to separate fact from fiction. We’ve all seen the TV shows and movies, but in my opinion, AI has more likelihood to resemble the Jetsons than Terminator. 

Dave DelVecchio is the Sourcepass VP of Marketing and Communications. Reach out to Dave at (877) 678-8080.