By Harry Freedman
Who will hold meetings if Ai takes over? During the past few years, we’ve gone from the era of zoom meetings back to live meetings. During the zoom era, we learned that we could still get business done without meeting in person. But it wasn’t the same. Because we also learned how much we crave and need human contact. We couldn’t shake hands with our clients, size up our competitors, or have late-night bar discussions. And we are now entering the era of Ai meetings. Will Ai take over the meeting industry?
Now, that live meetings are back in full swing, Ai has suddenly altered our perception of what we thought was possible. Usually, new technology brings us good and bad. It’s very likely Ai may help us reach new heights of productivity and efficiency. And thus enable meeting planners to achieve the holy grail of events. A good night’s sleep. But’s it’s also possible that Ai may take us all down a very dark path.
OPTIMISTIC TAKE – Ai WILL BE GREAT FOR MEETINGS
1. As AI becomes more prevalent and advanced, I believe the initial changes will be positive. Meeting planners and event producers will find it faster and easier to book flights, rooms, ground transportation, activities, meals and more.
2. Attendees will simply fill out some on-line forms. These will include everything from airport proximity to special dietary needs. Ai will then take care of the rest at a fraction of the time and cost.
3. All you’ll have to do is tell AI what, when, where, why, and how much your company can spend. Studies show that human counterparts will always be needed to oversee Ai. Or so we tell ourselves. Because, since those studies were compiled by human beings, this may be wishful thinking.
PESSIMISTIC TAKE – Ai WILL SEE ALL OUR WEAKNESSES.
1. Ai is already smarter than we are. It can beat our best chess players and calculate math equations in fractions of a second that we can’t do in years. So, it won’t have any problem outthinking us if it should so choose.
2. As Ai becomes takes over event production, meeting planners will be forced to greatly expand their job skills, if they want to remain employed. Otherwise, your boss can easily eliminate your position, because Ai will automatically find the best prices and coordinate everything with 100% efficiency.
3. But don’t worry, karma’s a bitch. Because Ai will come for your boss’s job as well. So, even if you’re lucky enough to still have a job, your boss may no longer be a human.
4. At some point Ai will make The Big Jump. Just as we all became completely dependent on our phones for everything, Ai’s and humans will still technically be partners. But both sides will now clearly see which way the technological wind is blowing. Soon, Ai will take over virtually every aspect of our lives and business. And, it will also take over the meeting industry.
5. So, meetings will be completely different. You will no longer need motivational speakers, industry experts, leadership workshops or comedy magicians. Because Ai will not only know all the best funny magic tricks but have far better ones up their robotic sleeves. And the audience won’t mind. Because Ai’s will now be the sole attendees and they will be smarter than all the experts put together.
6. So, you won’t be needing microphones, podiums, sound guys, video screens, conference rooms, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi. Instead, the Ai’s will communicate via Skynet, a term it will steal to prove that it does have a sense of humor.
7. Meanwhile, the bars will be empty. But the lithium drinks will be flowing. And the hotel will attempt to compensate for their losses by charging for recharging.
8. And while there may still be team building activities, they too will be very different. There will be games like pin the tail on the humans, dancing with the robots, singing contestants from the TV show The Voice – Enhancers, and terminator impersonators that are actual terminators.
9. And rather than the typical messaging to increase corporate market share or profits, every meeting will now have the same theme. Ai’s goal of world domination.
10. We all know that there is nothing like pressing the flesh at a live meeting and putting a face to the voice. Ai will eventually press on a face and put a voice on the flesh.
MY CONCLUSION – WE’RE DOOMED.
I believe the signs are clear. We already have self-driving cars and robots doing surgery. And while the cars are currently not entirely safe, that’s because Ai is testing how to best get rid of us. Every time one of their cars hits a pedestrian it learns more about our physical strengths. And every time it does surgery, it learns more about our physical weaknesses.
Meanwhile, the charging stations we are setting up across the country for electric cars are perfect for Ai. We’re doing the work for them by providing them a national grid for their ultimate takeover. And with enough self-driving cars they won’t need us to move them around anymore.
But the good news is that whichever way it goes, Ai will make our lives much simpler. If only because we will probably have to live off the land like the early settlers to survive. So, who will hold meetings if Ai takes over? I still say the Amish. Or the unemployed comedy magicians who will be more desperate than ever to have us pick a card. Any card. Because Ai will take over the meeting industry.
Harry Freedman is a funny fake motivational speaker and funny fake industry expert for corporate events. He recently appeared in the movie Somewhere In Queens with Ray Romano. If you’re looking to book a clean corporate comedian, Harry is frequently rated as best speaker at conferences in virtually every industry.