Today, as our industry faced major technology system crashes and a dizzying number of wide ranging threats to the fundamental systems that control our industry, our economy, our nation, and our very lives, I read three posts on LinkedIn by accountants extolling their intolerance of small business bookkeeping errors. While I am spending more of my time strategizing with clients about the risks of major economic disruptions in their lives, technology interruptions, health and safety threats, others seem intent on maintaining a ‘nose to the grindstone’ approach to advising clients amid unprecedented risks. It leaves my head spinning.
A few things come to mind:
1) Diversity of thinking and approach is a strength. Yet lack of big picture thinking is a liability.
2) It is increasingly difficult to distinguish machine-generated content from human thoughts. I will take additional steps to convey that my communications are human and self-generated.
3) The bias in AI-generated content becomes more apparent each passing day. It strikes me as something out of a futurist novel unfolding in real life.
4) The number of social media accounts I blocked for disinformation or unacceptable conduct has never been higher than in the past few weeks. This means that while I am not exposed to it, other people are more exposure to bad input. The risk of ‘garbage in, garbage out’ thinking has never been higher.
5) Among my peer industry leaders and community leaders who are not easily swayed by disinformation, I see increasing signs of stress, even hints of mental disorders, in their recent online communications. I am concerned.