Who here has seen the 1983 movie “WarGames”? In it, a high school teenager seeking the newest, hottest prerelease videogame hacks into a NORAD computer by mistake, and the simulation he triggers nearly causes WWIII because the soldierly decision-making was intentionally left to the machine, not the military.
Watching with the family the other day, I was struck by how timely the story still is, as it hit on many of the same issues we’re wrestling with today:
- The risks and opportunities associated with self-learning computers
- The autonomy such machines should be given to make decisions and act on them
- The need to carefully consider all relevant perspectives and not rush to implement new technologies, regardless of the internal organizational or political divisions that exist
- The centrality of sound information governance – accuracy, security, quality assurance, and the rest – to any successful operation
I tell you this because I see so many organizations use “it’s too early” as their excuse to do little or nothing about their information processes. Well, to them I say, here’s a bit of pop culture from 40+ years ago that says otherwise.
Sure, AI and machine learning may be new enough to lead some to proceed slowly in those arenas. But the principles that underpin and even enable their potential effectiveness are decades old, and apply to information systems of all kinds (even paper!). So the excuse wears pretty thin.
I’ll leave you with this: maybe show the movie in the cafeteria one day at lunch and see if you can sneak your message in alongside the on-screen nostalgia of dialup connections and acoustic couplers. It may not be missile science, but I’ll bet it can work.
If you liked this post, please “Like” it, leave a comment, and tell all your friends!
Steve Weissman, The Info Gov Guy™ • steve@hollygroup.com • 617-383-4655 • Principal Consultant, Holly Group • Member, AIIM Company of Fellows • Recipient, AIIM Award of Merit