BuildAidaho helps Idaho businesses leverage AI advancements

As artificial intelligence increasingly becomes embedded into the global business world, fears of job losses and the prospects of adapting to the rapidly advancing technology are also on the rise.

In an effort to adapt to the AI era, Microsoft, among other tech giants, recently eliminated 4,800 employees, most from its Xbox division. In a memo to staff, Amy Coleman, the corporation’s chief people officer, characterized the reasoning behind the drastic reductions.

“Our business is changing because the world around is changing,” she wrote. “The way technology is built, deployed and used is transforming faster than at any point in my time here.”

True for countless businesses, big and small, even in Idaho. That is where buildAidaho comes into play.

The Boise-based company works to establish long-term, high-value relationships by helping companies build their futures strategically focused on using data and AI proficiently.

“It’s an effort to bring everyone along and make sure all are getting on the train,” said Paige Giese, who has owned and operated the firm locally for the past two years.

“In terms of the groups we work with, I have seen zero displacement because of AI. I think people are realizing the amplification and wanting to do more.”

Having previously worked in the field of corporate data science, Giese discovered motivation working remotely and now aims to help local companies navigate what has evolved into a booming AI era.

“I believe in the state, and I was motivated to help bring this technology on a more local basis and to see companies here succeed with it as I have seen in so many other places,” she said.

She, too, is getting some assistance, in the form of Jet Hansen, a principal solutions architect for Intuit, who also serves as an executive board member with the Idaho Technology Council (ITC) and chair of the group’s education committee.

“With my role and her business, nurturing what Paige is doing for the Treasure Valley and Idaho at-large just makes sense,” said Hansen, who is also leading Intuit’s development of the firm’s work hub using AI models to better serve customers.

Mentorship, Giese said, is key part of their collaborative relationship. “When I am trying to help navigate the brave new world of helping folks with more AI sophisticated strategies in their companies, I look to Jet for assistance with leadership and technological-type situations.”

These days AI sophistication can be found in just about any company, in any industry and in any geographical area.

“At the Technology Council, our mission in part is to help build a thriving ecosystem, and not only for technology companies,” Hansen said. “Because the reality is all businesses are essentially becoming technology companies.”

Collectively they want to help companies develop road maps to evolve, and to do so by keeping both people and jobs in the development loop.

“When you talk about AI specifically, one of the things we really emphasize is the importance of understanding the role of a human,” he said. “AI can help us get things done faster, but without judgement it’s just a faster path to a mistake.

“What we’re trying to do is help businesses think about how they can thrive in a changing landscape of technology that is not only good for their business, but also good for their people.”

Despite the advancements of AI, people still must come first. In fact, Ford Motor Company recently went public by acknowledging the rehiring of 300 engineers after the auto manufacturer concluded AI was “failing to provide the same quality” needed in its production process.

Ford’s vice president of vehicle hardware engineering, Charles Poon, called AI a “fantastic tool,” but only “as good as the information used to train it.”

“We recognize that for us to enhance some of our automation and machine learning and artificial intelligence tools, we needed to ensure that they were trained by the most experienced individuals,” he said during a recent press call reported by Bloomberg.

Through his multiple roles, including providing assistance to buildAidaho, Hansen believes it comes down to letting the technology handle the things “not differentiated by the human touch.”

“I think most people recognize there is a big jump going on today,” he said. “From a business leader standpoint, it becomes a question of guiding a business in such a way that the right things are being done from a technology standpoint.”

Plus, beyond leadership, it also entails helping local companies to position themselves properly within the business ecosystem.

“At Intuit, we don’t think of AI as the job terminator, but more as the Ironman suit,” Hansen said. “It’s not going to kill jobs. Rather, it empowers humans to do more.”

With Micron, Meta and other big players contributing to a slew of large-scale Treasure Valley area business projects, the need to combine human and artificial intelligence remains paramount.

“For those, particularly in Boise, who are seriously looking at all these projects going on, they’re actually ahead,” Giese said. “And to sustain that competitive advantage they are leaning into AI to get out of it as much as possible.”

A concept readily and easily applied to smaller companies and startups.

“From the technology council viewpoint, we’re not seeing a decline or reduction in membership,” Hansen said. “What we are seeing is startups starting to appear.

“The optimist in me likes to think people are taking advantage and leveraging the tools that AI affords a smaller business while still in the growth phase.”

For Giese, investing in a solid data foundation, as she has learned through her work experiences, is a key approach for businesses integrating and transitioning through this quickly advancing AI world.

“Investing in a solid data foundation is the biggest thing because it allows you to do more sophisticated things with AI,” she said. “Making things available, sharing information, making it up to date. All these factors contribute to more successful outcomes using AI.”

And she has found that for those who have built up what she calls some “analytical muscles,” the approach to using AI becomes more productive, stronger and more favorable.

“Every business is different, so every AI solution tends to have its own flavor to match that business,” Giese said. “But you have to put in the work to make it valuable, be open to new experience and be willing to experiment.”

With AI technology dominating virtually every aspect of society, Hansen’s message to leadership is simple: Think people first.

“Don’t always start with technology. Focus on what needs to get done and what can be possible,” he said. “It’s not just a question of build the AI and everything will follow. The human element is so important to all of this.”

From her perspective, Giese highly recommends company leaders take the time to properly identify problems before advancing unknowingly into a potential AI solution.

“A lot of things may look sexy and demo well, but when the rubber hits the road, such things may be hard to integrate and can require a huge workload change,” she said. “So, picking the right problem is highly important.”

Direct sentiment expressed in “The AI Project Manager,” a new book authored by Rick Catalano, who spent three decades embedded in the daily grind of the Fortune 500 arena.

“AI amplifies capability — but it amplifies whatever capability exists, good or bad,” Catalano said. “Organizations with weak fundamentals will find that AI accelerates their dysfunction. Enterprise transformation failure is not a technology problem, but a leadership and framework problem.”

For Hansen, “creative thinking” is essential for solid leadership, and those that can rethink leadership roles will ultimately provide better customer experiences and gain a competitive advantage.

“If you look at what your business needs are, you can see that workflow and understand where the pain points are along the journey,” he said. “Focusing on one key thing helps people get the wheels turning and communication aligning behind it.”

And through his posts with both Intuit and the ITC, he is providing buildAidaho a “proactive approach” in which he believes education, business, government and policy can all mesh to lend a hand in helping Idaho-based companies to leverage AI for their betterment, and for those they serve.

“I’m an evangelist for Boise, the Treasure Valley and Idaho at large,” Hansen said. “And how we find our place in the larger ecosystem that is developing here is something I find fascinating. And I think it is a story that has yet to be discussed.”