Why Pope Leo is right about AI and tech bros
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What are the current challenges companies face with AI implementations?
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Hey there, we are Indosport with me, John Malloy. We cover sport and we have things like this.
If you ask Arsenal's defenders, Gabriel and Saliba, to play in that PSG team or that Bayern team, they would be exposed as much as those centre-backs were last night. Because effectively, the attackers were on top. Then you ask the question, how many defenders were actually on the pitch last night? Because none of the full-backs have no interest in defending. They're like wingers. And I've seen Saliba and Gabriel in an open game in that League Cup semi-final doubleheader against Newcastle last season get torn apart by Izak. I won't have anyone convince me that they can defend in that space.
This is an Irish Independent Podcast. You are listening to The Big Tech Show with Adrian Weckler, sponsored by Deal. Deal lets you hire, manage, pay and equip anyone, anywhere. Visit deel.com slash bigtech. The Vatican makes, you know, and the encyclical made a very interesting point, and that was... there is a level of fever around AI that does almost resemble religious worship. And some of its proponents, when you start, when you're like the CEO of Standard Chartered and you've drunk the Kool-Aid so much that you're referring to staff you're letting go as lower value human capital. Well, you know, The Pope may come out and describe you as being like one of the guys who's trying to build the Tower of Babel.
Hello, and you're welcome to The Big Tech Show with me, Adrian Weckler. Now, we're all freaking out about companies ditching staff for AI. But as it turns out, the actual AI installations are often flops, wonky tech, unsustainable subscription costs and unprofitable returns. are now becoming common. Large household names are experiencing this. We've got the likes of Starbucks, Pizza Hut and Klarna, who have either scrapped or reduced major AI deployments, some to replace staff, because the AI made things worse or was more inefficient. And Uber's chief operating officer just suggested that AI tokens may be more expensive and less effective to use than human staff. It has run out of its quota for the year already.
In Ireland, one survey measured at least 720 million euro in bad or ineffective AI investments, while only 11% of big Irish organizations that have invested in AI here have seen any return at all. With over two thirds wondering whether there'll ever be a return. And that's according to William Fry's big annual technology report a few weeks ago. So for those who thought it was a given that AI will actually replace most or even many of us at work, the evidence is starting to suggest that. but it may not quite turn out that way, at least in the short term. JJ Clark is here with me to discuss this. There's been a real mood change, I think, JJ.
How have major companies like Starbucks and Pizza Hut scaled back their AI projects?
I'm listening to the founders of OpenAI, of Anthropic, in the last couple of weeks say that, no, in fact, contrary to what they were saying for the last two or three years, AI is not going to obliterate the workplace and that there is going to be a role for staff. Now, I'm conscious that they're also getting ready for big IPOs and they don't want to freak the market out, particularly the financial firms who they're hoping will back them and make them very, very rich. Even still, I think there is a vibe shift going on.
Yes, yes, I think so. And I think that the sort of the temperature last year was AI is going to replace everything. And then we had the tech layoffs there with Meta, I think it was about four weeks ago or five weeks ago. But that's changed. And even you gave, so the Uber example, there's the Starbucks example. I'm interested. I don't think it's going to come in and take everyone's jobs. I think, you know, it's like you're going to have knock on jobs that are created.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What are the current challenges companies face with AI implementations?
0:01–3:36
2
How have major companies like Starbucks and Pizza Hut scaled back their AI projects?
3:36–11:05
3
What warnings does Pope Leo provide about AI and human dignity?
11:05–19:27
4
What evidence suggests AI is not replacing jobs as expected?
19:27–28:30
5
How are companies measuring the effectiveness of AI investments?
28:30–35:43
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from The Big Tech Show
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