Attending last week's 2024 Marketing Artificial Intelligence (AI) Conference (known as MAICON) in my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio was again inspiring, futuristic, though-provoking, filled with professional growth plus AI skill building, and sometimes disconcerting.

When businesspeople talk about AI, there is a sense "it is coming, but I'll deal with it when it gets here." However, when you attend an event like MAICON— which is on the cutting edge of business, tech, and the future—you realize AI is not just "coming", but it is already here and is racing forward at us.

There is no more time to wait starting to use AI... I'll try to convince you of this with a quick summary of some key notes derived from my copious notes from the event:

What Was Discussed At MAICON?

• AI is evolving rapidly. While AI models are still in their infancy; coming developments in agents, robots, and potentially Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) are on the horizon, promising (or threatening) to transform life and business by 2030. Yes, major changes in our lives in less than 10 years.
• Marketing is on the front lines. Experts predict AI will drastically change (and possibly automate) much of what marketers do, forcing a reevaluation of skills, roles, and business models. This emphasis applies to business in general as well, not just marketing.
• The legal landscape is remains uncertain, but... Copyright and data privacy issues surrounding AI are complex and evolving, with potential for significant legal battles in the coming years. But you can't wait to explore AI or you'll miss the boat. Use AI policies, disclaimers, and document to help mitigate.
• Digital trust is paramount. As AI becomes more prevalent, transparency, ethical considerations, and user trust (internal and external) will be critical for successful implementation.
• The "End of Apps" is near. AI-powered agents and assistants are poised to replace individual apps we have come to know, offering a more integrated and personalized user experience.
• Open vs. closed AI is a key decision point. Open source AI models offer greater customization and control but require more technical expertise and resources. Control of models, understanding of them, and related decisions will be important to your and societies' use of these tools.
• AI can drive efficiency. By codifying operational AI playbooks and automating tasks, companies can scale their work and offer new value to customers with AI.
• AI is a tool, not a strategy. Businesses need to define desired outcomes first and then leverage AI tools strategically to achieve those outcomes. Not just use AI tech for the sake of it.

What Should You Do About AI?

• Enhance Your AI Strategy & Literacy: Develop a comprehensive AI strategy and roadmap for your business. Invest in AI literacy for yourself and your team through training and experimentation.
• Design & Do Pilot Projects: Launch near-term AI pilot projects (now, don't wait) to test specific use cases. Implement a system for documenting AI processes, prompts, and outcomes.
• Review AI's Likely Impact On Your Work (Good/Bad): Conduct an impact and exposure assessment for your work roles and offerings. Identify areas where AI can augment or streamline existing processes.

I'll continue to write regarding AI and get into various themes of my MAICON notes in the coming weeks/months. In the meantime, if you have general questions, want help on your AI journey, or otherwise, please reply and let me know.

Your tech pal,

—Joshua

P.S. Need some help on how to use AI in your work? See my free AI Brainstorming Worksheet and/or consider my AI Opportunity Assessment to get direct help from me.

Disclaimer: I use AI to help write emails like these. I consider this work human created & AI-assisted, not solely AI-created. I review & edit all AI-assisted work I publish. AI allows me to produce more & better content, but it also helps me, as your Business Technologist, to ensure I know how AI tech really works.