Allergic to AI Arrogance

Many data scientists are arrogant. Arrogant data scientists are primarily concerned about showing how smart they are. They belittle basic questions. They aim to impress with complex math. They don’t illuminate, they obfuscate. Arrogance destroys teams, so I’m allergic to it.

We need more data science leaders like Jeff McMillan, head of data and analytics for Morgan Stanley’s Wealth Management group. In this talk for Dataiku, Jeff jokes that the power of AI is greatly exaggerated. He reminds us that the most powerful driver of good outcomes is human empathy.

Jeff explains, “We take our AI and give it to human beings who have relationships, who have empathy, and who understand our clients. The single most powerful driver of client satisfaction is a phone call. It's communicating with other people.”

Today, everyone can get data. Human contact drives the best outcomes.

Seek data scientists that understand that the power of AI is greatly exaggerated. Favor great listeners.

Be allergic to arrogance.

Previous
Previous

The Silicon Valley Meteor Shower

Next
Next

Model Ops 101