Sam Ransbotham, a professor of business analytics at Boston College and host of the ‘Me, Myself and AI’ podcast, offers a pragmatic perspective on the evolving role of Artificial Intelligence. He observes a fascinating trend in his classroom: while some students are leveraging AI to achieve remarkable results, others fall into the trap of ‘phoning things into the machine,’ leading to a superficial engagement with the technology. Ransbotham emphasizes that the depth of understanding a user possesses directly correlates with the value derived from a tool. A cursory approach yields a rudimentary outcome, while deeper exploration unlocks greater potential.
Despite concerns about students prioritizing mediocrity—highlighting Boston College’s ‘Ever to Excel’ motto—Ransbotham maintains a positive outlook on AI’s potential. He argues that the technology’s true value often lies not in its output, but in the critical thinking it inspires. ‘The data gives better insights about what you’re doing, about the documents you have, and you can make a slightly better decision,’ he states, emphasizing the importance of questioning AI’s outputs, even when they seem ‘wrong’ or ‘ridiculous.’
Ransbotham draws parallels between the rise of Wikipedia and the current AI landscape. Just as Encyclopedia Britannica’s economic value diminished with the advent of Wikipedia, AI’s value extends beyond immediate, quantifiable results. He focuses on the ability of AI to provide new insights and encourage deeper analysis, framing the technology as a tool for ‘searching for the signal in the noise.’ Ultimately, Ransbotham advocates for a thoughtful and discerning approach to AI, recognizing its potential while guarding against the temptation of simply accepting superficial outcomes.