An Open Letter to My Friends and Colleagues in the Copier, Office Technology and Sales World: AI Is Destroying You Right Now

April 24, 2023

Dear copier dealer,  

IT services provider, original equipment manufacturer, software company, service technician, sales manager, service manager, marketing manager, CxO, owner, operator, principal, and selling professional:

If you are not using AI, if you're not talking about it, if your dealership/organization doesn't have "AI", "ChatGPT" or "What are we doing with AI?" written on a whiteboard somewhere, you are doomed. 

I know, I know, you've heard this all before:  

• "Print is dead", 1984, Egon
• "The paperless office", 1975 Business Week
• "Managed Print Services is the Future", 2010 DOTC
• "If you're not offering Managed IT, you will be out of business", 2014, DOTC

I get it, the office print realm has been mostly dead for decades. Yes, there's an enormous difference between mostly dead and all dead, but if your enterprise focuses on transferring information onto paper or providing IT support for companies, you are about to discover the true magnitude of this difference.

"This time it's different." 

Never in our history have we had so many gravitational forces exerted on a single point - recovery from The Fear of Covid, the Work from Anywhere movement, the New Way of Work, realignment of Political structures, the War in Ukraine, are enough - but the mass acceptance of ChatGPT is the biggest force multiplier in history.  

Seriously, folks smarter than you and I are calling GPT AI bigger than the discovery of Fire and the invention of the Wheel.  Even if these statements are 'off' by 50%, it's still the major transformation of the last 200 years.

"Ignore at Your Peril"

Fools 'wait to see' how this 'AI thing is going to shake out', others brag they've been 'doing AI for years' - yeah, right.  At least they are talking about it because the biggest fools in our industry cannot spell "AI" let alone discuss it.

I can't understand why more in our niche are NOT rewriting code and business plans.  I heard a leader in the niche explain how his company is looking for ways to leverage AI.  This isn't the movement from monochrome to color, analog to digital, managed print services, or a pivot into an adjacent industry.  This changes everything and if you don't see the event horizon, you will be out of a job, a business.  But if you jump on now, learning as you go, making it up, you'll be okay.

Do not be the fool who thinks he is in control of AI when he’s being controlled by it.

Owners/Executives/Principals - put down "Gap Selling" and dive into artificial intelligence.  Dare your team to find ways that AI helps your customers grow revenue, shrink costs, and increase profits with AI.  Then turn that dare on yourself, for your dealership.

People in the field and facing customers every day - turn off Netflix and dive into AI.  Use ChatGPT every single day.  Talk to your clients and prospects about the latest and greatest.  

Become the AI Evangelist.  Chose Anarchy.

Like never before, it's the End of the World as We Know It, and the Future Ain't What It Use to Be - Again. 

GET TO KNOW GPTs.

g

Will AI Clones Replace Us?

 

Can AI Joanna fool the world and take a day off for the real Joanna?

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Date: April 28, 2023

Greg's Words

I remember the time I sold a PC, WordPerfect, and an HP Laser Series II to a legal assistant in a one-man lawyer office, in Grand Blanc, Michigan.  On her desk was an IBM Selectric.  She was proud of her ability to type four to five custom letters in 45 minutes; she was VERY good at her job and ran the office with razor-sharp efficiency.

Cutting edge, she convinced her boss to purchase a new contraption(IBM PS/2, AT?) to help her do more.

Her eyes lit up as letter after letter crept out of the LaserJet - blazing eight pages per minute.  She was giddy.

Suddenly, like a cloud drifting over the blueberry fields of Imlay City, her smile dissolved into shadow and I swear the blood rushed out of her cheeks.  Her cheer was supplanted by Doom.  She suddenly saw the whole of the Moon; her job, lifestyle, and future were shockingly in question. Obsolete.

Reading the Wall Street Journal entry by Joanna Stern, brought me back to that rainy, Mid-Michigan day in 1989.   Technology is so cool, it's Cold.

"AI Joanna" is the HP Series II of the day, a creation utilizing readily available resources producing less-than-perfect results.  Time is compressing, from 'normal' to 'AI Time', years are months, days hours and although AI Joanna is not 'perfect', somewhere in the wild, today, there is a perfect Replicant giving a local newscast or weather report.

We've put together a quick summary of the article.

Enjoy!

Tucker Carlson leaves Fox. Lemon Blindsided by CNN, is Out

Anchors aweigh? More like anchors away!

Winds of change do blow,

Media's shifting tides sway,

Anchors lost, new paths.

Greg's Words

Not much to say here.  Reasons aside, change is in the air like never before in every area of interest; from news media to manufacturing to Office Technology.  The Fear of Covid, remote and the return to the office movements, and AI will contribute to and accelerate the rate of transformation on a Universal plane.

Wild ride for the foreseeable future.

Executive Summary:

1. High-profile departures at Fox News and CNN
2. Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon both ousted
3. Implications of a changing media landscape

Fusion, AI, and Voluntelling: A Tale of Unlikely Connections

When Artificial Intelligence Meets the Art of Voluntelling

Fusion, AI rise,

Voluntelling binds them tight,

Threads of progress weave.

In a world where groundbreaking technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and fusion energy are taking center stage, it's easy to overlook the most potent force of all: the mysterious art of voluntelling. Yes, you read that right - voluntelling, the age-old workplace tradition where managers magically transform voluntary tasks into obligations. One moment you're sipping coffee at your desk, and the next, you find yourself organizing the annual office party without a say in the matter. It's like being teleported into a parallel universe where choice is but an illusion, and your fate is sealed with a calendar invite.

But how does this relate to the lofty ambitions of AI and fusion energy, you ask? Well, dear reader, the connections between these seemingly unrelated topics are as intricate and surprising as an office potluck where everyone unexpectedly brings quinoa salads. 

In the following article, we'll explore the subtle threads that weave together the worlds of advanced technology and workplace voluntelling, revealing the unexpected ties that bind them. So, buckle up and grab a spoonful of quinoa, as we embark on a thrilling journey through the hidden connections between fusion, AI, and the delicate dance of voluntelling.

_________

The Jousting of AI Titans: Google and OpenAI

In a world of smart machines, who will outsmart whom?

At the heart of this thrilling battle lies a fundamental question: What is the true purpose of artificial intelligence?

Greg's Words

Inevitable.  I've heard this era of AI/ChatGPT as an "iPhone moment" meaning that AI is being mass-accepted like the iPhone was in the very beginning.

But there's more - AI has been referred to as "the most significant technological advancement in human history".  This is huge, not like analog to digital copiers.  More along the lines of discovering fire or inventing the wheel.  We are at a fork in the road, "this is the most important fork humanity has reached in over 100,000 years on our planet...We're building, effectively a new species..."(Max Tegmark, Lex Freidman podcast, Ep #371)

It doesn't get much 'headier' than that, does it?

So today, Google is squaring off against Microsoft in the battle of the AIs.

We submitted four separate articles to the AI in the Sky and requested a 1,110-word reflection on the AI battle as it stands today.

Enjoy.

Executive Summary:

1. Google merges Brain and DeepMind to intensify AI research.
2. Company races to build AI-powered search engine in response to ChatGPT.
3. Google Bard AI and Jasper AI compete in the realm of language models.

________

The AI Sales Revolution: How Artificial Intelligence is Shaping the Sales Landscape

When AI and Salespeople Join Forces: Unstoppable Sales Machines

Greg's Words

To all my copier, IT, managed print services, and IT services brothers and sisters - The way your prospects purchase is changing right now. 

Your world is going to change; for better or worse, it is going to RADICALLY alter everything you do.  You have a choice, today, that will determine if it is better or worse.

I've seen transformation before - from typewriters to PCs, from receptionists to voice mail to email to IM to the internet.  I can see patterns only because I've lived through them.  I remember a time before 911, the Great Recession, the Fear of Covid, and the mass acceptance of AI. 

This is the big one. But there is a significant difference.  

This time, instead of change occurring over a decade, like the PC boom; rather than the half-decade-long journey from 'interwebs' to the internet, unlike the four-year turn from no social to everything social, and contrary to a 24-month move from cubicle to the second bedroom, this transformation is measured in hours and days.

Since the introduction of ChatGPT in November of 2022, hundreds of new apps have been developed to work with OpenAI.  Venture capital is pouring into new, AI firms in Silicon Valley, Microsoft threw in 11 billion dollars of its own, and Alphabet issued a "Red Alert" drawing battle lines in the metaphoric sand.

I implore you to use AI in your everyday functions.  Today, you can generate a customized thank you email, a 2-page proposal, a needs assessment survey, and a findings document in less time than it takes to get the copier warmed up.

And they won't be templates.  The documents will contain whatever numbers, findings, and recommendations you discover and generate. From your notes to finished, personalized and specific documents in minutes.

There's so much more, but you've got to get in and wrestle with AI on your terms.  The technology is malleable, like clay, waiting for you to create.

Executive Summary:

• AI is transforming sales by automating repetitive tasks, streamlining processes, and increasing efficiency.
• Sales professionals are adapting to the new AI-driven landscape, focusing on relationship-building and strategic thinking.
• Despite concerns about job loss, many experts believe AI will complement human skills rather than replace them.

________

The Turbulent Truth: Climate Change and Airborne Chaos

Climate change may be bad, but don't blame it for your bumpy flights just yet.

Greg's Words

"Climate Change" is a crock. It always has been; different names, same narrative.  

It started with the best intentions - stop littering, "Give a Hoot.  Don't Pollute", 1970.  But as the world moved away from the Evil Empire, AKA The Communist Threat of the USSR, the search for the next 'great threat' went into full gear.  

The Ice Age of the 70s, Acid Rain in 1980, Hole in the Ozone in 1987, "The Oceans will be dead in 10yrs", 1988, The Oceans will rise and flood New York City, 1988, the arctic will be ice-free by 2015, on and on.

Don't get me wrong, mankind impacts the environment yet just like the death of Lake Erie in the 1960s, the death of mankind has (always) been exaggerated.

A few weeks back, climate experts were pitching the notion that climate was responsible for the increase in the number of home runs in the MLB.  So it was with piqued interest I engaged with the WSJ article, "Heavy Turbulence on Flights Is Likely to Get Worse" (PW).  Two articles in as many weeks connecting dots with climate change - I detect a whiteboard adorned with a narrative timeline.

Recently, climate experts posited that climate change played a role in the surge of home runs in MLB games. Intrigued by this claim, I delved into the WSJ article, "Heavy Turbulence on Flights Is Likely to Get Worse" (PW). Encountering two articles in quick succession linking seemingly unrelated phenomena to climate change - I sensed a whiteboard adorned with a narrative timeline.

I know, I know, Climate Change is real.  And UFOs are fake.  It's hard to deny. But these reach-around articles, from the Wall Street Journal no less, are getting hard to ignore.

So we threw four articles at the AI in the Sky, custom-built a prompt, and let it go.

Enjoy.

Executive Summary:

• Media sources commonly attribute increased turbulence to climate change.
• Scientific data and research reveal a more complex relationship.
• Other factors, such as jet streams and natural weather variations, contribute significantly to turbulence.
• Misleading conclusions may detract from focusing on the real issues at hand.

 ________