ICCA
Exploring ICCA ’ s return on AI experiment
IN HIS ARTICLE ON AI IN THE MEETINGS INDUSTRY , ICCA CEO SENTHIL GOPINATH SAYS , FOR ALL ITS EFFICIENCIES , THE HUMAN TOUCH APPEARS TO BE LACKING
M uch of the ongoing conversation around our industry , in fact , filling the zeitgeist around us in general , is about AI . It is a fascinating subject stimulating passionate debate around the potential – and the pitfalls – of what this technology can bring , and do , to the world . From students submitting a last-minute essay , to governments exploring big existential questions about our very existence . One thing is certain : AI is happening right now , and it cannot be ignored .
I decided to ask a well-known AI provider the following question : ‘ Discuss the potential impact of AI on the international associations meetings industry from the perspective of industry advocates ICCA ?’
The return was largely what I expected . Very well resourced , respectful and measured , encouraging too for the industry but with a stern reminder of how much care we must all take regarding the ‘ ethical considerations ’ around ‘ responsible implication ’ of AI . But something else stood out . It soon became clear the main focus of the thought-piece I was reading was streamlining . My AI generated article about AI in the international meetings industry hinted much about how and where efficiencies can and might be
Above : Senthil Gopinath
made . In other words , people .
I have written – and spoken – much in recent times about the importance of the international meetings and events industry as a ‘ people ’ industry . How the long and seemingly endless days of the pandemic denied us of that basic human-to-human connection . How last year the joy many felt at being reunited heightened the sense of the isolation we ’ d all experienced . It is people who make what we do matter more . Of course , AI can lobby for efficiencies and streamlining but where will these efficiencies be made ? The venue host who locates a missing printer or a phone charger and literally saves the day ? The copywriter whose own idiosyncratic life experience adds colour and freshness to a keynote speech ? An events exec who bring essential on-the-ground practical thought and application when everything else is spiralling out of control ? It is people and all their weird and wonderful individuality that makes this global industry what it is : impossible to predict . And that makes what we do so exciting .
AI is here and it is changing everything , but let us never lose sight of what really makes the world go round ; a smile , a wise word , a helping hand , an anecdote shared over a drink , a celebration of the undeniable need to connect with each other .
Of course , parameters for an AI generated article can be set so the human involvement in framing the question is still a central tenet of the effectiveness of what is produced . But , and perhaps I am being naïve here , I like the possibility and imperfection of what people think and say and pitch and present . And more importantly , how they do it . I like the spontaneity , the wow factor . So thank you AI for my article and the many recommendations it offers . But I ’ m still keen to know what it is people think , what it is people write , and what it is people do .
ISSUE 125 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 9