Jessica Constantinidis, Field Innovation Officer, EMEA at ServiceNow, delving into the three contradictions facing Middle East organizations when it comes to implementing Generative AI, and how they can go about mitigating these.
Artificial intelligence was never much of a mainstream topic of discussion before generative AI (GenAI) came along. Understandably, it was difficult for things like advanced analytics, predictive maintenance, and other topics to make it into casual conversations outside the tech industry. But when AI started writing book reports and composing songs, our eyes widened and our jaws dropped. Business leaders switched from using words like “if” and “when” to talk about AI, to using words like “how” and “now”. For if competing enterprises figured out a way to incorporate GenAI into their operations and decision-making frameworks before you could, surely you would be sunk.
“Throwing technology at a problem rarely ends well if we forget the reason we were trying to fix it in the first place: people. Adoption roadmaps for any technology lead more commonly to success when the “problem-havers” (people) are placed front and center.”
Jessica Constantinidis, Field Innovation Officer, EMEA at ServiceNow
Such is the power of this new technology. And that potential is encapsulated in market predictions around the world. The GCC, ever home to early adopters and enthusiastic visionaries, is set for a momentous uptick in GenAI investment. The market is projected to be worth US$250 million this year in Saudi Arabia (KSA), US$59 million in Qatar, and US$206 million in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). All of these nations’ GenAI markets are expected to climb at CAGRs of just above 46% to reach US$2.5 billion (KSA), US$582 million (Qatar), and US$2 billion (UAE) by 2030.
Regional business heads should then be in little doubt that GenAI is going to be a significant part of all walks of life in the years ahead. To adopt it, however, caution is advised. This may seem like a contradiction, but GenAI is awash with contradictions. A shiny object to creative minds; and yet a potential replacement for them. A boon to B2C businesses looking to augment customer service; and yet a bane, in that it can also augment cyberthreat actors’ efforts to compromise those customers’ data. GenAI even offers up three specific contradictions to its enterprise implementers. Let’s explore them.
1. Charge forward… while taking a few steps back
As I said, regional business leaders see the potential for employee empowerment and other use cases for GenAI. And by now, they know how quickly a new thing becomes “the new thing”. Act fast or fade fast. But as it turns out, those that move first might be the ones to fade first if they ignore the fundamentals.
Despite our itchy feet, we must step back before we run forward. Remember governance. Remember that it has to evolve to absorb anything new, and operational models must adapt to new governance. GenAI may make you think you are living in a sci-fi movie, but the real world is outside, with real customers, real regulators, and real market forces. And the real AI in your hands can hurt your brand if you do not hold it to the same standards as you would any other procured technology.
As it happens, cautionary tales about GenAI are already out there. Powerful as it is, its performance is only as good as its data. That means that favorable outcomes are more likely, the cleaner and more reliable the data is, which helps explain why more regulated industries like finance are, against expectations, moving faster on GenAI adoption than almost all others.
2. Adopt AI with gusto… while empowering humans
In many cases, our intentions regarding AI are pure. We want to enhance shopping experiences, use resources more efficiently, cure diseases, prevent crime, and so on. But on the road taken to realize those commendable goals, we can take unintended detours. Throwing technology at a problem rarely ends well if we forget the reason we were trying to fix it in the first place: people. Adoption roadmaps for any technology lead more commonly to success when the “problem-havers” (people) are placed front and center.
It is remarkable how often successes in AI adoption can be traced back to a series of small wins rather than one grand, cross-functional change. If the wins are sprinkled across business functions, then we arrive at cross-functional acceptance before we embark on bigger projects. With the culture change coming in advance of more ambitious initiatives, there is more buy-in, more people watching the ball, and less chance of failure. In practice, this comes through more people talking about the business in a cross-functional setting and more people trying different projects autonomously in a setup where “breaking things” is made safe by robust governance standards.
3. Embrace the new… while preserving the old
GenAI is a great productivity booster. Its speed and creativity make it the ideal candidate to augment the daily output of almost any employee in any company in any industry. However, sometimes it can be wasteful to adopt the new thing to do something that an old thing already does… and does well. Before throwing the new tech at a problem (that phrase again), it is advisable to take a formal inventory of every digital asset. Are there software licenses and apps sitting idle that could either do the job independently or come together with other tools to do the job? Perhaps GenAI is better used as an accompanying layer to these tool suites. This is a more pragmatic approach than a blanket GenAI-first policy.
Human nurture
If the prevailing message of these three contradictions has not shone through, then let me be clear: our people are our brand. This has always been the case and it remains so. Customers agree, as regional studies show. In the UAE, for example, a recent survey revealed that 87% of consumers prefer human contact over AI, despite what we think we know about the desire for self-service. GenAI is AI’s offspring and like its parent, it is an enabler. A powerful one, yes. But a tool for people to use. When we seek to move with caution, minimize expenditure, and prioritize problem-havers, we are empowering our people. They, in turn, will use the advice and automation of GenAI to pull us ahead in our market races.
About the Author
Jess identifies challenges and delivers meaningful outcomes for customers by having in-depth knowledge of business drivers and the technical capabilities. She guides customers embarking on a complete turnaround of their business to create the desired results.
She has been involved in co-creation and co-innovation with some of the largest global customers at ServiceNow. She is a hands-on practitioner who is passionate about making the world of work, work better for people.
Jess brings 20+ years of IT/business consulting and implementation experience with leading technology solutions and platforms across different levels inside large customers organizations. Jess was the only female technical engineer in EMEA at a start-up for several years, now know as the multi- billion-dollar company, VMware.
Jess is passionate about business, IT, transformations and loves to share experiences and coaches younger mentees though the Leadership Forum. She is an inspiring public speaker, moderator and TV anchor who shares years of experience working with board members and C-level executives. Jessica holds a Leadership & Management degree from Harvard Business School.
