We have read the memo- generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) will transform the world, spur a revolution in productivity, become more pervasive than sliced bread, and go down in history as more important than electricity. Business leaders everywhere are trying to wrap their heads around the size of the coming boom. So here is a sign. Microsoft has placed its bets, clearly showing us what it thinks is the potential of gen AI.
The technology giant offers a subscription to Copilot—their term for gen AI tools—with its Microsoft 365 suite for business at USD 30/user/month. The subscription to the base product, Microsoft 365 Business Premium, costs only USD 22/user/month. In other words, the topping is more expensive than the ice cream. McKinsey estimates that gen AI features will add USD 4.4 trillion annually to the global economy. This is all very well, but how will gen AI change the most common things we ordinary folks do daily at work and play?
To answer that question, I looked at what gen AI has to offer across two everyday activities that most businesses engage in Video conferencing and travel.
Video Conferencing
Studies show that organisations invest about 15 per cent of their time in meetings, of which 71 per cent are considered unproductive. An estimated USD 37 billion is lost in unproductive meetings. On the other hand, video conferencing, according to studies, improves productivity by 50 per cent. This makes video conferencing at work a prime target for generative AI interventions.
One of the key drivers of a successful meeting is making meeting content available before, during, and after the meeting, tailored to meet the participant's needs. This is almost impossible in a conventional meeting where presenters use brochures, a slide deck, or a whiteboard or distribute printed documents that help participants stay aligned.
To overcome this, Zoom provides a gen AI companion that attendees can chat with during and after meetings to understand the presenter. But what I like most about this gen AI feature is its ability to help catch up with the meeting if you are late! I hate being late for meetings and do not condone it, but imagine a quick chat with the AI assistant, and a summary of everything you missed is available.
Other gen AI meeting tools help prepare an agenda, facilitate meetings, keep them on track, capture decision items, add notes, write minutes, distribute them via email or other tools, update project plans, and prepare for the next meeting. I am sure newer tools will soon scan meeting attendee profiles and adjust the content delivery for diverse audiences and learning styles. What I would like to see is a monitoring tool that identifies bias during meetings and flags it with HR for action.
The forecast for the global video conferencing market is that it will grow from US$33.04 billion in 2024 to $60.17 billion by 2032, at a CAGR of 7.8 per cent. If we add gen AI tools that help videoconferences become more productive, I am sure this figure will double.
Travel
When it comes to using technology, the travel industry is invariably ahead of the game. To begin with, online and mobile systems, along with chatbots, mothballed the ubiquitous travel agent into history. Now, gen AI is set to put an end to travel advisers, curators, and other assorted intermediaries. Today, gen AI can create itineraries based on your age, medical history (very important to travel insurance), season, food choices, budgets, aesthetic leanings, personal interests, and travel purposes. I could ask a gen AI agent to organize a travel plan around almost anything, and I did!
I asked ChatGPT to create a three-day vacation itinerary around Liu Cixin’s classic 3 Body Problem. Liu Cixin can easily be counted among the great modern sci-fi writers in the same league as Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, and Ray Bradbury (There are no prizes for guessing that the 3 Body Problem, currently the number one show on Netflix, is on my watch list). Even though the 3 three-body problem is fictional and futuristic, I got an excellent itinerary around Beijing that echoes the book’s thinking.
The itinerary included visiting the China Science and Technology Museum and the Temple of Heaven, an architectural masterpiece where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties performed rituals reflecting the themes of power, belief, and ritual central to the 3 Body Problem.
The itinerary went on to suggest acrobatic shows, dropping into Beijing’s night market, a traditional Beijing roast duck dinner, the 798 Art District that may inspire thoughts on the futuristic themes that Liu Cixin covers, a visit to the Bird’s Nest and Olympic Park, that capture the spirit of international competition (anyone familiar with 3 Body Problem will appreciate this unexpected inclusion).
The itinerary was a blend of science, culture, history, and modernity, faithfully capturing the diverse themes and settings of 3 Body Problem. In other words, gen AI will do things that my travel curator cannot because they may never have read or seen 3 Body Problem.
My most significant area of interest would be to see how Gen AI can help with airline and hotel upgrades—something most of us are not very good at because we are unaware of what our credit cards, travel history, bank accounts, loyalty programs, and frequent flyer programs enable.
The reason gen AI and travel are made for each other is that the technology combines the need for convenience, knowledge, and emotional fulfilment without the biases and compulsions of the travel agent taking over. I may have trusted Siri or Alexa to find me the nearest Starbucks, but I will not trust them with an itinerary around the 3 Body Problem. That is the difference between gen AI and the garden variety of chatbots. And that is why gen AI is quickly seeping into our everyday lives.
