Jeff Felice Interview – AI effects on businesses
Artificial intelligence is already all around us. Most of us have many different questions about what the development of artificial intelligence will mean in the different spheres of our lives.
One of the most competent to answer some of these questions is Jeff Felice, president of CertNexus. With his 25 years of experience, Felice is responsible for advancing the company’s mission to close the emerging technology skills gap.
Jeff combines his passion for professional performance with technology to bring change to global organizations while enhancing opportunities for individuals with new technologies.
CertNexus is a provider of one of the first, globally accredited artificial intelligence trainings, specifically for training and certifying the first generation of Artificial Intelligence Practitioners.
How will generative AI contribute to business value?
– JF: Generative AI, while still in a very nascent phase, is rapidly being adopted across the globe with the idea that it will drive significant business value across organizations. It is intended to drive staff productivity, customer personalization, and product innovation while also helping to mitigate risks. It can assist in everything from developing foundational business strategies to creating content for a specific content initiative like a social post. There is currently no bounds to the possibilities for generative AI as model capabilities rapidly advance and ideas for use continue to expand.
What are some practical uses of generative AI today? Starting with daily tasks as creative content, or content improvement to some use cases with long-term impact?
– JF: Much of the initial focus on generative AI has been focused on generating content and other creative endeavors. McKinsey and Company conducted a survey that showed that although generative AI is being used across the organization, that it has been adopted most rapidly in marketing, sales, customer operations, and software engineering. Tasks being completed using generative AI includes everything from creating chatbots that can interact with customers, generate personalized marketing campaigns, analyze financial data, and translating content and messages into multiple languages.
In your opinion, how will AI change the labor market landscape? We often hear about a lot of job positions to be substituted with AI technology, but is this really the case? Will the people lose their jobs because of AI or will the future demand new employee skills and competences in the field of AI?
– JF: Many predict that like past transformational technologies (think steam engine, electricity, computers, internet, etc.) that led to industrial revolutions, AI will also have a significant impact on the transformation and creation of jobs. The World Economic Forum (WEF) states that organizations today estimate that 34% of all business-related tasks are performed by machines and that 42% of business tasks will be automated by 2027. This will lead to mixed results, whereas some professions will move towards obsolescence, many new jobs will be added in current professions such as Machine Learning Engineers and Data Scientists, and there will also be new jobs created such as Prompt Engineers and AI Ethicists. For most job roles, they will see a number of duties they perform be augmented by AI or potentially replaced allowing them to focus on higher level tasks. There is still much to be seen how AI will be utilized, but the hope is that it will have net positive impact on jobs and societies in general.
CertNexus is among the first companies worldwide that offers certified AI practitioner training – what does this mean?
– JF: A core mission of CertNexus is to provide pathways for individuals to prepare for rewarding emerging technology careers. Over five years ago we recognized that AI adoption was moving from the concept phase to practical application. We also anticipated the need that organizations would have demand for employees across the organization to possess foundational knowledge of AI while others would be required to develop the skills to implement AI and do so in a responsible manner. This launched our initiative to develop our AI, Data Science, and AI/Data Ethics offerings. We since have seen rapid global adoption of these programs as businesses and governments prepare to advance their AI initiatives. We are pleased to help these organizations bridge their skills gaps while providing employees with the opportunity to participate, lead, and implement AI solutions.
Bio: As President of CertNexus, Jeff Felice is responsible for advancing the company’s mission of closing the emerging technology skills gap. With 25 years of experience within the training and certification industry, serving in general management and practice leadership roles, Jeff combines his passion for professional performance with technology to bring change within global organizations while improving the opportunities for individuals in emerging tech. When not working towards improving the lives of others Jeff can be found doing the same for his own as an avid reader and cycling enthusiast.