Sometimes you start a blog with a hypothesis in mind, and then that intention changes as you research and realize that your original idea was wrong. Yep, this is one of those blogs. Learning can be fun if you let go of pre-existing dogma and learn along your life journey. I've always been curious (a good trait) about economics' role in developing an organization's business-driven AI and Data strategies. And that relationship comes to life when we compare economic value and the AI utility function.

"The development of full artificial intelligence (AI) could spell the end of the human race. It would take off on its own and re-design itself at an ever increasing rate. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn't compete and would be superseded." Now, I love Stephen Hawking and his way of thinking. Here is a person who seems able to look around corners to predict the future. And I just don't buy this statement.

What do we need to do to increase the data literacy of our organization? In a world where your personal data, and the preferences and biases buried in that data, are being used to influence your behaviors, beliefs, and decisions, data literacy becomes a fundamental skill. And it's not just corporations that need this training. Data Literacy should be taught in universities, in high schools, in middle schools and even in adult education and nursing homes. In the first blog of this two-part series on the Data Literacy Education Framework, I introduced the 4 stages of the Data Literacy Educational Framework, a framework which organizations, universities, high schools, and even adult education programs can use to create a more holistic data literacy training. Now, I want to complete the Data Literacy Education Framework by discussing the third (AI / ML Literacy) and fourth stages (Prediction and Statistical Literacy) of the Data Literacy Education Framework.

"In a world more and more driven by AI models, Data Scientists cannot effectively ascertain on their own the costs associated with the unintended consequences of False Positives and False Negatives. Mitigating unintended consequences requires the collaboration across a diverse set of stakeholders in order to identify the metrics against which the AI Utility Function will seek to optimize." I've been fortunate enough to have had some interesting conversations since publishing that blog, especially with an organization who is championing data ethics and "Responsible AI" (love that term). As was so well covered in Cathy O'Neil's book "Weapons of Math Destruction", the biases built into many of the AI models that are being used to approve loans and mortgages, hire job applicants, and accept university admissions are yielding unintended consequences that severely impact both individuals and society. AI models only optimize against the metrics against which it has been programmed to optimize.

"In a world more and more driven by AI models, Data Scientists cannot effectively ascertain on their own the costs associated with the unintended consequences of False Positives and False Negatives. Mitigating unintended consequences requires the collaboration across a diverse set of stakeholders in order to identify the metrics against which the AI Utility Function will seek to optimize." I've been fortunate enough to have had some interesting conversations since publishing that blog, especially with an organization who is championing data ethics and "Responsible AI" (love that term). As was so well covered in Cathy O'Neil's book "Weapons of Math Destruction", the biases built into many of the AI models that are being used to approve loans and mortgages, hire job applicants, and accept university admissions are yielding unintended consequences that severely impact both individuals and society. AI models only optimize against the metrics against which it has been programmed to optimize.

Will artificial intelligence (AI) create an environment where design thinking skills are more valuable than data science skills? Will AI alter how we define human intelligence? Creativity is the application of imagination plus exploration with a strong tolerance to learn through failure. Innovation and creativity are the human ability and willingness to ask provocative questions (like Tom Hanks in the movie Big); embrace diverse ideas and perspectives; blend these different ideas into a new perspective (frame); and explore, test, fail, and learn to apply the new blended perspective to real-world challenges. No, that definition doesn't exactly fit into our ACT, SAT, GMAT tests of intelligence, and that is exactly the point!

Will artificial intelligence (AI) create an environment where design thinking skills are more valuable than data science skills? Will AI alter how we define human intelligence? That sounds like questions one might expect from an episode of Rod Serling's TV series Twilight Zone. Instead of AI replacing humans, will AI actually make humans more human? Will characteristics such as empathy, compassion, and collaboration actually become the future high-value skills that are cherished by leading organizations?

Will Artificial Intelligence (AI) create an environment where design thinking skills are more valuable than data science skills? Will AI alter how we define human intelligence? Will AI actually force humans to become more human? Okay, sounds questions one might expect from an episode of Rod Serling's TV series "Twilight Zone" (which I preferred over the meaningless college football bowl games on New Year's Day). Instead of AI replacing humans, will AI actually make humans more human, and the very human characteristics such as empathy, compassion and collaboration actually become the future high-value skills that are cherished by leading organizations.

Will Artificial Intelligence (AI) create an environment where design thinking skills are more valuable than data science skills? Will AI alter how we define human intelligence? Will AI actually force humans to become more human? Okay, sounds questions one might expect from an episode of Rod Serling's TV series "Twilight Zone" (which I preferred over the meaningless college football bowl games on New Year's Day). Instead of AI replacing humans, will AI actually make humans more human, and the very human characteristics such as empathy, compassion and collaboration actually become the future high-value skills that are cherished by leading organizations.