How Generative AI is Likely to Impact the Field Service Business
Ever since ChatGPT launched towards the end of 2022, there has been a lot of buzz regarding the impact generative AI technology is going to have on global industry – for both good and ill.
Whilst many industries are excited about the automation prospects of generative AI, many are concerned regarding its potential to be a job killer and to spread misinformation. The technology may already be considerably more advanced than it was predicted to be at this point, it is still miles away from being able to demonstrate the kind of general intelligence it would need to truly reflect human decision making and problem solving.
However, generative AI is already finding a home in many industries, including field service, and we can only expect to see it become more firmly embedded as time goes on.
How Does It Work?
This could be an article all by itself but, in short, generative AI uses neural networks to identify patterns and structures within data sets and then leverages that information to create original content.
One of the factors which lead to the recent leap forwards in generative AI is the ability to use multiple learning approaches to train itself. This includes unsupervised and semi-supervised training which has given organizations in the space increased agility to leverage large volumes of data to create more advanced foundation models, which can subsequently be used as a base for AI systems to perform multiple tasks simultaneously.
Some popular examples of foundation models include GPT-3/GPT-4 and Stable Diffusion, with the former being what ChatGPT draws on to generate essays from a brief textual request, and the latter what allows detailed images to be created from a similar text input.
Generative AI and Field Service
One of the biggest issues facing the field service business in recent years can be found in its inability to replace members of an aging workforce with fresh talent and to facilitate the transfer of essential skills between the two.
Up until now, the need for high levels of flexibility and adaptability in the manual tasks of field service has made the industry significantly more resistant to automation and computerization than some others. However, the talent crisis brough about by the aging workforce is getting to be so severe as to trump this need among field service organizations.
Generative AI technology has the potential to help field service providers capture the knowledge and experience of their outgoing employees and make it accessible for the next generation of technicians. This could then make it far easier for a much smaller workforce of new recruits to learn on the job and easily access advice and schematics which will help them complete their daily tasks.
So, while we are a long way from seeing robot engineers visiting field service clients and carrying out essential service and maintenance with metal hands, generative AI does have the potential to make the industry more efficient and effective and able to achieve more with less – something which is going to be essential in a future where fewer and fewer members of GenZ – soon to be followed by Gen Alpha – are considering field service work as a serious career prospect.
"Generative AI is a powerful tool for streamlining the workflow of creatives, engineers, researchers, scientists, and more,” says Nvidia. "The use cases and possibilities span all industries and individuals. Generative AI models can take inputs such as text, image, audio, video, and code and generate new content into any of the modalities mentioned. For example, it can turn text inputs into an image, turn an image into a song, or turn video into text.”
Managing Hype
Before you get too carried away and become seduced by another technological hype cycle, it’s worth taking a moment to slam on the brakes and be realistic regarding where generative AI currently sits and how long it will take to reach its full potential.
Due to having tangible and practical applications, AI is likely to have a serious impact on almost every industry on the planet over the next decade or so. Other flash in the pan technology trends such as cryptocurrency, NFTs, metaverses, etc. failed to find a foothold (all of which this author accurately predicted) because they fail to achieve the number one goal of successful innovation – to solve a problem and make a process more efficient.
This is not the case for AI which clearly has the ability to increase efficiency and solve problems.
However, the technology is simply not ready to be free from human oversight right now. This is mainly due to its inability to demonstrate general intelligence. ChatGPT can write you a two-thousand-word essay about pineapples, but it doesn’t know what a pineapple is. You can ask it the same question four times and get four different responses. It makes up references from thin air and poses a significant threat when it comes to spreading mis- and disinformation.
Therefore, all industries should exercise caution when it comes to employing generative AI at this early stage. Use it for certain tasks, but do not be fooled into thinking you can replace humans with it right now, or it will be your business which suffers in the long run.
Field Service Connect
Generative AI and its potential to impact the world of field service provision is certain to be part of the conversation at Field Service Connect 2023, being held in November at the Hyatt Regency Denver Tech Center, CO.
Download the agenda today for more information and insights.