AI expert Sara Gibson made her second appearance at Williamson Inc.’s quarterly Women in Business luncheon, a gathering of Williamson County’s women professionals, to discuss all things artificial intelligence in business.
The event was held on Tuesday, February 3rd at Brentwood Baptist Church, where attendees enjoyed a catered lunch by Menu Makers Catering and Events.
At the fall luncheon last October, Gibson gave a well-received presentation on being human with AI. We returned to the Winter Luncheon to continue the conversation, highlighting how to trust AI, how it is integrated into daily work programs, and the risks of AI in the business realm.
Gibson is an AI strategist and professor at Lipscomb University with more than 17 years of experience specializing in generative AI.
She shared how since her presentation in October, AI has been quietly changing, becoming integrated into software systems like Google, Excel, and becoming the “default in our infrastructure.”
“We’re going to continue to be enrolled in the existing system, so we need to start thinking about its purpose, and how do we move it backwards where it needs to be and lean it forward where it needs to be?” she said.
Gibson highlighted the risks of AI and the insecurities it creates around employment, as there are rumors that AI could take away jobs and cause layoffs.
“Anyone who actually had a position cut because of AI, we’re rehiring,” she says. “They realized that while AI can do some things, it can’t do everything. There are other things humans can do within organizations to strengthen the organization.”
Becoming a smart user of AI in business is important for all aspects of business, Gibson said.
“If you think back to the early days of social media, there was a lot of uncertainty. We’re in the same space as AI,” she said, which led her presentation to be about trust.
He said most people are reading “another page” about how employers consider AI appropriate, but details on how to use AI in a trustworthy way. Gibson recommends using AI to rely on accuracy, fairness, and behavior. Note that trust is a “social gap, not a technical one” and relies on perceptions of trustworthiness and professional judgment. And as an AI user, trust your own judgment.
If users are in doubt about whether they are relying too much on AI, Gibson recommends using the “fingerprint test.”
For example, Gibson compared writing with AI to a potter shaping a clay jar.
“They’re molding a clay jar, and at a minimum, my fingerprints need to be all over that jar. So my AI output at least needs to look like me and have my fingerprints all over that jar,” she said.
As for the author’s authenticity, Gibson cautioned that viewers have historically felt betrayed when they learned they were relying on AI.
“When expectations are violated, trust collapses,” her presentation warned.
Ms Gibson encouraged women in business to continue to have open conversations about AI in the workplace and embrace vulnerability when using AI.
Marie Fellhauer of Holly Hawks Curations, who attended Women in Business for the first time, said she enjoyed the presentations on AI and being surrounded by female experts.
“Women need to come together,” Fellhauer said. “So we’re definitely still a minority in the workforce, and I think it’s important to build partnerships and friendships with other women. Life is all about relationships, and it’s important to have a place to meet regularly.”
“I love interacting with the women here in Williamson County. The connections and networking are great,” said Tamika Vaughn with Federal Credit Union.
Next time, women in business will gather at Onyx and Alabaster on Thursday, March 26 from 4 to 6 p.m. To register, visit www.WilliamsonChamber.com/events.
