Considering how quickly we seem to be inviting AI into our daily lives and work, are we doomed to repeat the same mistakes we made with social media?
When social media came on, I think the promise of connecting so many people in such a unique way was really compelling to people, and we didn’t pause long enough to think about the implications. The regulatory environment didn’t grasp the oversight needed for this. I know that a lot of people, and parents especially, are taking matters into their own hands, and schools are taking matters into their own hands, but I personally would like to see more regulation around it. It looks like we’re at a similar inflection point with AI. We’ve seen what happens when innovation runs ahead of intention. It’s very important that there’s a level of transparency so that people understand where the content was developed because we, as a society, are demanding that. But what social media taught us is that this is about training ourselves not just the machines and aligning it to what we value.
How much responsibility should private companies versus the government own to ensure AI is implemented fairly or ethically?
In my opinion, the role of government is to set the rules, and the role of business is to set the tone. It was a miss for our government to not have more of a hand in social media. They’re not involved in any of it. They should be setting the rules for this, but it’s really up to the private sector where a lot of the power lies, and they set the tone.
We hear a lot of people talking about Columbus as a burgeoning tech hub. What do you think we need to actually be a tech hub?
Well, I’ve been hearing this for like 30 years, and I think it’s ridiculous. Quite honestly, I think that we’re Columbus. Let’s talk about what we are versus comparing and competing. Let’s own what we are. We are this Midwestern-rooted, strong-work-ethic, family-oriented, values-driven kind of culture. I believe Columbus is a great place as a first mover for the application of emerging technology. That’s very different than being the next Silicon Valley. And we can own it.
At the dawn of the internet, how did Resource/Ammirati convince Victoria’s Secret to be among the first retailers to have its own website?
The first non-technology company that we ever worked with was at the time the parent company to Victoria’s Secret, L Brands. We were tapped to do their first-ever corporate website in ‘96 or ’97. We started talking to them about the opportunity for Victoria’s Secret to sell their product online, and they weren’t convinced at all. They thought that it was going to be a fad. And in their defense, this was at a time when different catalogers were deploying their own channel on cable, like the Home Shopping Network, and that was a failed attempt, and there was a lot of money that was wasted with that effort. And so they were right to be skeptical, but they basically said, “When you can show us somebody who’s kicking our ass, we’ll think about it.” So, we went back and documented 20 different online retailers that gave us benchmarking for what the online experience was. We did a lot of research around how it was impacting their brand and what it was doing for customer experience, and we were able to go back and show them. But then they still made us go through a process where we competed with national agencies for that work. I was like, “Wait, we just showed you this.” We ended up winning the work though because I think they knew that we knew what we were doing and we had their best interest at heart.
What was the best piece of advice you received when you were running your own business?
Harry Truman was my dad’s favorite president, and there’s this quote that goes something like, “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.” And that was something that I would share with the team. Sometimes in the service businesses, you put your heart and soul into the work, and sometimes the clients are the ones that get the recognition and you’re in the background or you feel like, “You didn’t see all the work that I put in.” But it applies to so many things in life.
What do you consider to be your superpower when it comes to your own leadership?
I consider my superpower to see other people’s potential that they often don’t see in themselves. Whether it’s an individual or an idea, or even a company, I’ve always been drawn to that. I think it’s about potential and possibility.
Which song in your playlist is currently on repeat?
Well, I would say it’s my perennial playlist, not a current playlist. The song that I play the most on my playlist is Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing.” My dirty little secret is I don’t love flying, despite the fact that I’m on an airplane like pretty much every week. And before I fly, I say a series of Hail Marys, and I have my headphones in, and I play that song as we’re taking off.