AI Means We Need Sensemakers More Than Ever
I recently attended the annual Information Architecture Conference (IAC) in Philadelphia, the best conference (in my humble opinion) that still exists for user experience/information architecture/taxonomy/digital design professionals.
This year’s conference was themed "Navigating Complexity." It dealt with all manner of complexity we encounter in our professional lives: complex systems and information spaces, organizational complexity, the challenges of "doing more with less" when your team and/or funding is cut, and using new and often marginally understood tools (hello, AI) to enable important processes and decision making.
I was left with a renewed belief that user experience professionals and information architects, sometimes called “sensemakers,” are uniquely qualified to help organizations navigate complexity.
We all cut our teeth on, “This is a mess! How can we make it better?”
We all have tales from the trenches in which we took some seemingly ungovernable, unholy process, website, or application and made it user-friendly and successful.
We are aces at strategy grounded in business goals and user needs.
AI, Because We Have To
Which brings me to the matter of AI, and how it’s being force-fed implemented in every company, regardless of whether they have clear goals, rationales, or governance for AI, and can show valuable outcomes.
User experience professionals and information architects (UX/IAs) are uniquely positioned to help address many of the decisions and challenges organizations contend with as they adopt AI. Among these issues are—
How to . . .
gain efficiencies in your processes without sacrificing quality and brand reputation
optimize gen-AI output with human oversight
alternately leverage and protect intellectual property
guard user data privacy
ensure equity in the user experience.
Also, how much we should rely on AI given its untrustworthiness and unsustainable consumption of energy, water, and land, not to mention its heat and air pollution output?
Like good sherpas, we UX/IA professionals know the terrain of avoiding unintended consequences and protecting the user and the organization from harm. That makes us well suited to help organizations implement AI, and other technologies.
Sadly, there have been significant layoffs off UX/IA folks at the precise time AI is being implemented in many companies, because AI is believed to be a replacement for human workers. Much of this is happening without regard for the institutional knowledge and capacity lost with the “headcount.” This creates huge blind spots at a critical juncture.
UX/IA professionals should be involved in planning and implementing technology adoption, and should be engaged to ensure the tools deliver the intended results, adapt to user needs and strategic shifts, and are governed responsibly. They bring valuable ethical, strategic, and user-adoption perspectives that differ from those of business lines, product managers, and engineers.
Where Do We Stand in AI Adoption & Acceptance
I believe there will be a backlash against irresponsible use of AI at some point soon. We are already seeing anti-AI sentiment among Gen Z. They seem to have built-in b.s. detectors, and they face an entry-level job market upended by AI hiring screeners and companies replacing human workers with AI.
I think human creativity, insights, and judgment may be valued again over mechanized output in the not-too-distant future. Soon, AI will be “creating” content out of training data that was written not by humans, but by AI. And many of us will live with the physical realities of energy and water shortages and the relentless hum of data center generators.
In the meantime, there will be lots more reckless AI use before any responsible governance or guidance on a large scale arrives (if any ever comes). Each organization must make informed decisions about implementing technologies to improve operations and outcomes, without doing harm. Do this and you can build trust, engage your current members and customers in more meaningful ways, hire the best humans, increase revenue, lead your market, and be an example to other organizations. Do it poorly, and. . . you might end up in one of those “AI fails” articles.
What Complexity Are Your Navigating?
Feeling a little lost when it comes to navigating complexity in your organization or department? Look to the user experience and information architecture professionals. We excel at making sense of messy things, getting alignment among internal stakeholders, and balancing user advocacy with business outcomes.
Want to talk? Get in touch.
