Once Again A.I. Is Probably Not “The Answer”
And the reasons remain the same… why artificial intelligence mirrors basketball…
In 1996, Expert Systems and Neural Networks were all the buzz, but that year a very different form of AI was being hailed as The Answer. The young sophomore from Georgetown was a defensive and offensive phenom. He was drafted first overall by the Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers and went on to break records, win awards, and become a human highlight reel.
AI came on to the scene with a tremendous amount of hope and optimism. His skills on the court were beyond the capacity of most humans. His cross-over was ankle breaking. Three pointers, steals, layups, he brought a complete game. He was lauded as The Answer to Philly’s championship draught and many declared he would create a new basketball dynasty in Philadelphia. It never happened…
Language, Culture, Transformation
It began with confusion. Today, tattoos are common among most people, especially basketball players. Not so much in the late 1990’s. While gold chains had been common for a while, Iverson’s addition of corn rows and a disregard for “proper” behavior made him very intimidating to many. Rather than the immaturity of a 20 year old, many saw the disrespect and arrogance of a “thug”. We fear what we don’t understand. Only two decades later, this all seems silly and almost commonplace.
Like Iverson, practitioners and proponents of Artificial Intelligence are playing to an image, one that is both a bit immature and perceived widely as quite intimidating. Most people just don’t understand AI. It was true then. It is true now.
This didn’t prevent the business world from embracing this new upstart. If you are not sure which AI I am referring to, that is very much the point. For a while, AI was The Answer — at least in terms of popularity. AI was a headline generating, buzz crushing, sensation. He captured imaginations and his statistics were very impressive. So while, issues of chemistry and acceptance were exacerbated by intimidation and style — AI was not to be deterred. He came to play.
The Next Issue
Immature players (and technologies) work better with strong supervision. While AI’s stats were amazing from year one. he did not begin amassing wins until he found a little supervision. Larry Brown provided that supervision. And while ever defiant, today Iverson credits Larry for much of his success. Iverson also speaks highly of John Thompson his coach at Georgetown. Each man provided Iverson with the structure, supervision, and guidance he needed to meet the next layer of his career.
If these terms feel a off for the sport of basketball, that is fair enough. They do describe the process however and are the new language of Deep Learning. While Iverson only waited a single season for Larry Brown, Artificial Intelligence took a while longer for its Deep Learning equivalent. It still remains to be seen if any of the new human coaches will have the qualities of Thompson or Brown.
Their Is No AI in Team
Carmelo Anthony was not the only observer to label Allen Iverson a ball hog. Iverson may have been third overall in career assists for the Sixers, but there was no doubt that the ball always came through him. Unlike recent NBA top teams, Iverson’s teams rarely featured other known talents. When he finally played with other top talent, like Carmelo, well the quote speaks for itself. Iverson was a ball hog and a resource hog. His game was predicated on having the ball and his salary limited the number of other players that could play along side him. Right or wrong, it was an issue the Sixers never overcame.
Artificial Intelligence is a budget breaker of its own and while corporations don’t have salary caps… well, actually the NBA style salary cap isn’t that far off of how most companies operate. Artificial Intelligence also requires your company to adopt a certain style and priority of “play”. It can feel a lot like a ball hog…
AI Never Got The Ring But He Did Change The Game
Iverson never got the ring. He did come close. His legacy, while impressive, remains somewhat controversial. Many continue to ponder what-if.
While Iverson may never have won the championship and likely wasn’t The Answer, he changed the game. He inspired a new generation. Image or style, defense or cross-over, practice (uggh!) or heart — Allen Iverson changed the game of basketball.
Artificial Intelligence will change the game as well. There is little doubt. But is it truly The Answer? Can an Artificial Intelligence program be enough to propel a company to victory? Not if it is the only answer…
Business, like basketball, is a team sport. Looking to an intimidating, if impressive young phenom to deliver on fantastic hype and promises is unlikely to end any better than it did for Iverson. To win, the business is going to need to find supervision. It will need to be creative in it’s structure, organization, and budgeting. It will need to find a way to play well with others.
If you have embraced AI as The Answer for your business, consider these lessons well. AI will change the business world, but no matter how much hope and optimism you have — it is unlikely to be The Answer. Thanks for reading!
For help tackling the challenges of AI for your business consider:
