Should They Deploy the AI Chatbot now?
No. It is reasonable to want to push the company ahead to minimize competition. However, given the following considerations (as well as the fact that the company is currently stable), Jeannie should not move forward with rushed deployment.
Ethics Over Strategy
Throughout this discussion, strategies such as the “first-mover, fast follower theory” were discussed. I personally believe that there should never be a debate between ethics and strategy, though this is often the case. These debates contribute to dehumanization and social destructiveness of many tech products. While these conversations are worthwhile to be had, framing them with the lens of putting the safety and security of humanity first is important to unharmful innovation. I think that should be the first step amongst this team: reorienting the conversation to be grounded in company values and ethical reasoning. This takes into consideration the valid concerns of PulsePoint’s client, Orion, who expressed wanting exemption from the AI integration due to values in personal client relationships and data privacy (Avery and Steenburgh 2024).
Innovation Isn’t Permanent
One argument that I found very interesting and convincing when Linda explained that even successful AI bots will result in other factors that need to be addressed: handling new clients, decreased problem-solving due to reliance on AI, etc. John continues to reiterate that AI is generative, and continues to learn over time (Avery and Steenburgh 2024). Novel and profound additions to tech spaces are always being bumped by more novel and more profound innovations. This inherently requires constant adaptation, invalidating John’s enthusiasm that gen AI will always have the answer.
