When I saw the gazillionth post on LinkedIn come by starting with RIP Word, it was time to write blog number 5. Gamma.app (or any other so-called replacement) is NOT the holy grail everyone is making it out to be. Trust me, I’ve tested it as I always check the most popular tools myself.
Sure, if you want a half baked design that looks like everybody else’s, based on an AI generated blog as well, go for it.
You can for sure write and publish whitepapers within 5 minutes this way if that is your thing.
If you are an expert at a specific topic, you will never do this.
Because you will discover really fast that AI is generating way too generic insights for your level of expertise.
But there is something more important that is very wrong with claims like these.
Yes, if you are a freelancer or a private person, you can experiment with tools like these.
But in any large organisation, there is no way that their IT architecture will let their employees just access any AI tool that is the new hype.
I mean, how long does it take an average organisation to even get a license to use tools like Miro?
Normally letting people work from home would have taken decades.
It was only due to a global pandemic that this transformation went super fast (even though now some organisations are looking to go back to full office again, but that’s maybe for another blog).
Procurement, compliance, IT architecture, there are many stakeholders to consider.
I’m not saying that this is a good thing or a bad thing.
Sure, it would sometimes be great if companies would be more agile in their software experimentation.
On the other hand, we also see enough hacks of sensitive data that you want to prevent as well.
So no, Word, Powerpoint or other long standing corporate tools will not RIP any time soon.
And this is also not the point.
Just like Word and PPT, AI is just a tool.
Like each tool, you want to see whether it fits your purpose.
Do I see terrible corporate powerpoint presentations come by on a daily basis?
Absolutely.
Is a new tool here the solution?
Absolutely not.
You use these tools to achieve something.
Inspire colleagues.
Get approval for a new experiment.
Share insights from research.
That means, for each type of goal you want to achieve, you want to choose the best tool to get there.
And yes, please think out of the box instead of only powerpoints sometimes.
Do a quiz.
Make a video.
Have some interaction.
But again, there is another, way more important defining factor in all of this.
YOU!
YOU make the difference.
Your energy, your inspiration, your understanding of what your audience is looking for, your ability to sense their needs, their energy, their preferred learning styles.
If you have a boring way of telling stories, a sexy powerpoint will not help you.
If you have an exciting way of telling stories, even a boring powerpoint will not be an issue.
Although in that case, your DNA will probably prevent you from selecting a boring powerpoint as your go to tool.
The HUMAN aspect is still the defining impact.
The humans you are sharing your insights or information with.
The human (YOU) who is the one sharing the insights or information.
If you feel like right now you have trouble inspiring others, don’t think that AI or gamma.app is going to be your saviour.
Dive a little deeper, reflect on what is missing.
Do I really understand the needs and wants of my audience?
Do I stay connected, present and in tune with them during my presentation?
Do I have a good balance of sharing (max 20 mins) and interaction?
Do I have the flexibility to go off topic if I feel that is what is needed for the best outcome?
Do I feel comfortable letting go of my own ego if the group needs something else?
If you can answer all these questions with a yes, then by all means, play around with AI and have some fun with additional, impactful graphics to support your story.
If you cannot answer all these questions with a yes, then don’t look at AI tools to solve those.
Take some time to reflect and either improve on your own skills or have the courage to bring in someone whose strength lies in these behaviors.
Cooperate and let them get the message across with more impact.
Just focus on the best possible outcome for the process, even if that might not feel as the best possible outcome for you personally.
And maybe as a surprise to you, these kind of reflections, that is where AI in my opinion has one of the best added values… (more in my next blog).
This blog is part of a new blog series by dr. Zanna van der Aa
AI and CX: Demystifying the Hype
