Chased by AI

We remember the internet bubble. If your company was not somehow related to the internet, you could only place marginal value on it. In contrast, all companies that were fully committed to the internet were sky-high in the stock markets. We also remember World Online, one of the debacles that cost many investors a fortune.

Such processes are cyclical. People forget the woes and make the same mistakes again. Every period of history has its own hypes. Surely it must evoke a lot of amazement from those who suddenly become billionaires because they walked down the right lane. And it is remarkable how short-lived it is. See Elon Musk, idolised by all the climate freaks and now their biggest enemy. Is AI such hype now too?

When did it actually start? ChatGPT says the following:

The origins of artificial intelligence (AI) date back to the mid-20th century. Here is an overview of the main milestones:

The early ideas (before 1950)
Although the term "artificial intelligence" did not exist then, the foundations of AI can already be found in mathematical and philosophical ideas from centuries ago.
For example:
- George Boole (19th century) developed logical algebra, a basis for computational logic.
- Alan Turing (1936) proposed the concept of a "universal machine" (the Turing machine), which could solve any computable problem.

The beginning of AI as a field (1950-1956)
- 1950 - Turing test: Alan Turing published "Computing Machinery and Intelligence", in which he asked the question, "Can machines think?" He also proposed a test (the Turing test) to measure intelligent behaviour of a machine.
- 1956 - Dartmouth conference: This conference, organised by John McCarthy, Marvin Minsky, Nathaniel Rochester and Claude Shannon, is widely regarded as the official beginning of AI as a scientific field. This is also where the term ‘Artificial Intelligence’ was first used.

I would therefore not call it hype. It has already come a long way, much longer than previously thought. I was still working at the National Audit Office when an Artificial Intelligence project was started and I was allowed to participate in it. We are talking about the mid-1980s. Providing a tool that is accessible to everyone is a breakthrough, though. The look and feel of ChatGPT has hardly been addressed, indicating that the tool was launched under time pressure. Of course, the big players know from each other that they are in a race and where they all stand.

Should you be concerned if you haven't done much with AI yet?

All I can tell you about that is what we are doing. We have developed a strong policy to embrace AI. We were the first in the Netherlands to have Lefebrve SDU's GenIA-L tool and since last week we are also the first user of the linked Document Analysis. That means our consultants can upload documents and have them tax or legal reviewed. This is not a ChatGPT using internet resources, but a validated tool that analyses our documents in a secure environment and provides tax and legal advice on them. If we decided to do away with the tool again today, there would be a major uproar. At our professional meetings, our consultants tell each other about the successes they have experienced with it. Our clients are winners, because we need less time. We ourselves are also winners, because we suddenly feel less staff shortage and especially the simple search work is now taken over by AI.

My advice to young professionals entering the job market now: Make sure you get a job fast and don't go backpacking. There will soon be no place for juniors. See also the front page of the Financieele Dagblad last week.

Happy summer holiday!