Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a major topic of discussion in recent years, especially with the introduction of tools like ChatGPT that have accelerated its public adoption. However, according to Kim Trajer, COO at McCullough Robertson, AI is not a new concept. While AI has been around in various forms for years, it’s the rapid rise of Generative AI and tools like ChatGPT that has captured the public’s imagination.
In our recent interview, Trajer shared her thoughts on the rapid growth of AI, its potential impact on businesses, and its limitations. “The hype around AI, particularly ChatGPT, is something we’ve never seen before,” she noted, highlighting the speed at which the technology gained traction. “It took ChatGPT just two months to reach 100 million users, whereas the World Wide Web, when it was first introduced, took seven years to reach that milestone.”
Trajer pointed out that many industries, including agriculture and mining, have been using AI for years. However, the buzz around AI now stems from how accessible it has become, with free versions available to the public. This accessibility, combined with the constant release of new features, has brought AI to the forefront of business conversations. “It’s readily accessible to everyone, and new versions keep coming out,” she said.
AI as a Tool for Efficiency, Not a Replacement
Trajer emphasized that while AI is a powerful tool, it is not a magic solution to every business problem. For McCullough Robertson and many other businesses, AI has proven to be particularly useful for efficiency—especially in creating first drafts of content for documents, generating ideas, and automating repetitive tasks. But it’s important to remember, she said, that the technology is still far from perfect. “It hallucinates, it makes mistakes, and it depends on how you ask the question as to what sort of result you’re going to get,” Trajer noted.
One of her favourite examples of using AI to boost efficiency came from a personal anecdote about writing a poem for a colleague’s 25-year work anniversary. “I’ve been working with this IT developer for 25 years, and I thought it would be fitting to use ChatGPT to help me write a poem for his anniversary speech. I fed it personal details, refined it four times, and after about 10 minutes, I had a poem that I read out at his lunch,” she shared. “When I wrote his 20-year speech, it probably took me a couple of hours, so you can see how much time it saved.”
Despite this, Trajer stressed that AI should be used as a tool to augment, rather than replace, human effort. “It’s great for a first draft, but it still requires human refinement. You can instruct it to make something shorter or avoid flowery language, but it can’t assess risk or provide nuanced legal advice.”
The Hype Cycle of AI in Business
In the interview, Trajer discussed the concept of the AI “hype cycle” using Gartner’s technology adoption model. This model charts the typical lifecycle of new technologies: first, there’s the excitement and promises, followed by disillusionment as people realize that the technology can’t meet all of their expectations. “We’re starting to go down that slope of disillusionment now, where the reality is setting in,” she explained. “A lot of law firms are realizing that while AI can be a useful tool, it also makes mistakes and can’t fully replace human expertise.”
She also referred to the “innovation by press release” phenomenon, where organizations rush to announce their use of AI without fully understanding its capabilities or limitations. “The Australian Financial Review was full of articles every day about law firms experimenting with AI,” Trajer said. “But now the reality is setting in, and firms are realizing AI can’t do everything we hoped.”
AI’s Impact on Jobs and Business Roles
One of the biggest concerns surrounding AI is its potential to replace human jobs. Trajer addressed this, particularly in relation to law firms, where there were initial fears that AI would replace junior lawyers or administrative staff. However, she doesn’t believe AI will lead to mass job losses anytime soon. “AI can make roles more efficient, but I don’t think it will eliminate many jobs entirely, except maybe in specific cases like call centers,” she said.
She gave the example of Telstra, which uses AI to handle routine customer queries. “With AI, call centers can handle more calls per shift, which may reduce the need for as many staff. But for most industries, including law, AI will assist rather than replace.”
What Trajer finds most promising is the potential for AI to remove the more monotonous aspects of jobs, allowing people to focus on more meaningful, creative work. “I hope it takes away the boring, monotonous tasks and adds value to people’s roles,” she said. This could create opportunities for workers to engage in more strategic and fulfilling tasks, particularly involving human interaction and connection.
The Importance of Strategy and Caution
Despite the excitement surrounding AI, Trajer advises caution when adopting new technologies. “At McCullough Robertson, we’re not about jumping into every shiny new tool just because it’s trendy,” she said. “We need to think about what problem we’re trying to solve and whether AI is the right solution for that.”
Her approach to AI is pragmatic and strategic. The firm has experimented with bots and apps using AI technology, but Trajer insists that AI should only be adopted if it aligns with a company’s broader business strategy. “We built some bots and other apps, but it’s all about understanding how these tools can support our existing goals, rather than letting the hype drive us.”
A Balanced Future
As AI continues to develop, Trajer is cautiously optimistic about its potential. She believes AI will continue to play an important role in business, but it’s essential to manage expectations. “AI is moving fast, and it’s definitely going to have an impact, but there are risks we need to be aware of and we need to manage.” she concluded. “And we need to be careful about its use, especially when it comes to regulation and the impact it might have on people’s well-being.”
In the end, for Trajer, the key to successful AI implementation lies in balancing technology with human expertise. “The key to innovation is people, not technology,” she said. It’s a sentiment that underscores the importance of strategy, caution, and human judgment in the age of AI.
For more insights, you can follow or connect with Kim on LinkedIn
