Innovation is the ultimate goal
How can you take the reins of AI initiatives when 85,000 employees with varied skills are involved? Proceed carefully to see what works, then step on the accelerator if an AI application looks promising.
This is the word of Dr. John Halamkapresident of the Mayo Clinic Platform, who recently shared his advice with current and potential AI leaders in two interviews published in MIT Sloan Management Review on address evolving risks and opportunities linked to artificial intelligence, and how get a head start.
“We say start small, think big and act fast,” Halamka explained. “At Mayo, our approach has been to ask our 85,000 employees: ‘What problem do you want to solve?’ » then look at all the suggestions. This is where we implement, measure and monitor to see what works and what doesn’t. And then we will go very quickly.
Halamka advised AI proponents to exercise caution when selecting initial use cases. “Go for lower risk, try the technology, see where it works and where it doesn’t,” he said. “At the moment, genAI is not really ready to manage a client without someone nearby monitoring the results. Because of how genAI works, you can’t really know if the output will be high quality, consistent, or reliable.
Look beyond traditional metrics or thinking when it comes to researching AI use cases. Values must be aligned, he insisted. “I ask clinicians, ‘Do you want more AI?’ They say, “well no, what I want is to go home for dinner.” I want a proactive quality of life, to be able to practice in addition to my license.
Halamka’s response is: “I can bring you an AI that can do ambient listening, write your charts for you, fill out your forms, and get you home sooner.” And by the way, help us determine which patients are likely to see benefit from you.
For business or team leaders, the biggest challenge has been separating hype from reality, he added. “We are at the top of the hype curve for many aspects of genAI, but people realize it won’t solve all the problems. It may not provide the security, equality and reliability we want. So being able to manage that tension: I want to embrace innovation, I want to be a market leader, but I also want to be a little bit careful not to rely too much on overrated technology.
