- by James T. Kirk, Captain of Starship Enterprise
Navigate the Universe of Copier Sales - Propel Your Sales Career to Stellar Heights
Stardate 9678.3.
Over a glass of Saurian brandy in the lounge of the starship Enterprise, I found myself engaged in lively discourse with a few dealers and sales personnel about the current trajectory of sales and trading across this vast quadrant of space.
"...they(your prospects) entrusted me with the responsibility to generate a scope document, examine vendor proposals, participate in sales conferences, provide feedback on candidates, and oversee the implementation of the chosen solution..."
It was like a temporal loop - similar conversations had taken place light years before.
For more than a decade, I have been heralding change, echoing through the cosmos to dealers and original equipment manufacturers about the course ahead. It isn't about creating patterns of light on a page, or the latest software from the Daystrom Institute. The route to successful selling lies in the wisdom of our ancestors:
AI: Because who doesn't love a side of existential dread with their efficiency?
Greg's Words
I'm sure you're not as immersed as I am in the whole AI/ChatGPT thing. I'm also confident my friends, family, and some colleagues are getting sick of me talking about AI, Nvidia, Microsoft, OpenAI, Musk, the commercial real estate bubble, dying cities, the fear of covid, digitized workflow, and artificial intelligence.
So be it.
I talk with business owners, end-users, and OEMs in many different industries - from manufacturing to CBE - and I've noticed a dichotomy in AI knowledge; either somebody knows a great deal or absolutely nothing about how AI helps companies reduce costs, grow sales and increase profits.
And that's okay.
Sure, with a bit of study, the current AI can help marketing, service, and sales digest and create proposals and correspondence, interface with customers, and produce expert-level, acumen-based content for your professional sales team. All of this impacts the cost side of the equation.
It is too early for an Office Technology provider to bring anything to market besides knowledge and advice gleaned from using AI. As far as a resellable service, or MRR SaaS model, there are no SKUs and very few experts. Yet, at the current pace of innovation, it won't be long.
Some of the "fog" around an AI-based product to Office Technology includes ethical questions we typically haven't had to face.
It would be normally prudent to suggest that bringing AI to your existing copier customers is five years away. From the historic view, you would be correct to think this, but this isn't normal, we aren't normal, we left Normalville about four years ago. I wouldn't be surprised to see a few AI systems in beta or ready to sell by year's end; say Q1, 2024.
The clock is running, and time is the fire we all burn in, for now, feast upon a conglomeration of articles about AI, languages, and the end of the world.
Enjoy.
Executive Summary:
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making tremendous strides in streamlining global communication and enhancing productivity in sectors like manufacturing, bringing forth unparalleled time-saving benefits.
As we embrace AI's advancements, we're also faced with significant ethical concerns, notably regarding AI datasets and accountability, as well as the chilling possibility of a 'runaway AI' scenario.
Recognizing and balancing these dual aspects of AI – its transformative potential and its ethical and existential risks – is important as we navigate the era of AI.
Balancing Innovation and Security in a Tech-Driven World
"...It will likely take an AI-related catastrophe before any international rulebook or organization begins regulating AI technologies..."
Greg's Words
I despise rules; not Natural rules. The man-made, legislative acts posed as 'protective' and oriented around 'safety' have devolved from logical to constrictive. Worse, the narratives behind laws, rules, regulations, and mandates have either become more transparent or simply more blatantly 'anti-fun' used to prop up old structures.
I bristle when I hear clamor about "how we need to slow down" AI development with guardrails and committees. For me, it is both too Early and too Late to control AI Evolution. The Genie is out of the bottle; the first of many more bottles to come.
But here's the fulcrum of my belief: If AI were going to make us extinct, it would have done so a long time ago.
The masses are mystified by today's ChatGPT. I stress the current version is a civilian edition. Would I be the only person who thinks what we are using today is a decade behind what DARPA and others have bubbled away in some underground lab somewhere?
I can't be.
All this panic talk about slowing things down is hogwash put forward by people who up until three months ago couldn't spell "AI" let alone put together a reasonable prompt.
No no, dear reader. The AI isn't going 'extinct' us. BUT - this isn't to say a bad actor isn't going to use AI to try. I'll let the military handle that one.
What is needed with AI is a body of folks who will craft reasonable rules of engagement and policies designed to accelerate innovation AND illuminate all the possibilities of AI.
As AI technologies become increasingly integral and potentially harmful, leading voices within the field argue that regulation of these technologies should be a global priority.
Despite industry support for AI regulation, tangible action has yet to be taken by policymakers, who remain more focused on other pressing issues such as limiting China's access to critical resources and establishing shared terminology around AI risks.
Significant challenges lie ahead in navigating global regulations, with current models unable to keep pace with the rapid evolution of AI. Advocates suggest that companies should preemptively adopt potential regulations and safety standards, ideally leading to broader global implementation.
