Workday’s Chris Bledsoe and PwC’s Chris Cameron discuss the transformative potential of generative AI at Workday DevCon, highlighting its impact on gaming, application development, and ethical considerations. In this Workday DevTalk episode, they explore how AI-driven innovations are reshaping business processes and enhancing user experiences.
Audio also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Generative AI is revolutionizing the way businesses operate, offering game-changing opportunities to streamline processes, enhance user experiences, and ignite innovation across industries. As this technology rapidly evolves, understanding its potential and ethical implications becomes crucial for leaders looking to harness its power in application development.
In this episode of Workday DevTalk recorded live from Workday DevCon in Las Vegas earlier this year, Chris Bledsoe, head of developer relations at Workday, and Chris Cameron, managing director of Workday transformations at PwC, explore the impact of generative AI on various industries. The conversation covers the integration of generative AI into business processes, its role in enhancing user experiences, and ethical considerations in AI development.
Following are a few highlights from Cameron, edited for clarity. Be sure to follow us wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts, and remember you can find the entire Workday Podcast catalog here.
“By integrating Workday Extend, Workday Orchestrate, and Workday Prism Analytics with generative AI, we can unlock some exciting possibilities. For instance, when tailoring user experiences or achieving specific outcomes for clients, one compelling application is the use of generative AI within a skills-based framework. This framework aids in acquiring, developing, and managing talent across various industries, whether it’s gaming, hospitality, or others. Since people are the core drivers of business success, focusing on how we leverage generative AI to enhance skills management, career development, and learning plans is crucial and offers numerous opportunities.”
“Generative AI presents an exciting frontier, and Workday’s recently expanded partnership with Google is a prime example of its potential. With Copilot integrated into Workday Extend, developers can now build code snippets or entire components directly within the code environment. This functionality allows them to ask questions and get real-time feedback on our coding practices. Additionally, Copilot introduces important considerations around code governance and trust. As developers integrate external code snippets into their applications, it’s crucial to manage and understand the lineage of this code to ensure reliability and compliance. The ability to track and verify where code snippets originate helps address these governance challenges and helps ensure responsible use of generative AI in development.”
“Generative AI at its core relies on algorithms that behave according to their programming and can adapt over time. However, several critical considerations must be kept in mind. First, the quality and nature of the data used by generative AI significantly influence its outcomes, and managing bias within these algorithms is a complex but essential challenge. For instance, using generative AI for candidate screening can seem like an efficient approach, yet it raises ethical questions about data privacy and the consequences of algorithmic decisions. The same principles apply in fields like healthcare, where the acceptance of AI-driven diagnostics versus human diagnoses highlights intriguing aspects of human psychology. Ultimately, as we explore these technologies, it’s crucial not to overlook the human factors and ethical implications involved.”
Chris Bledsoe: We're back at Workday DevCon in Las Vegas. My name's Chris Bledsoe, and I'm the head of Developer Relations here at Workday. Joining me today is Chris Cameron from PwC, the Managing Director of Workday Transformations. Chris, welcome to the show. We're happy to have you with us today.
Chris Cameron: Chris, I'm excited to be here. This is a lot of fun. Great to be here at DevCon, great to be here with you, and great to be on the show.
Bledsoe: Fantastic. Before we dive into our conversation, I wanted to talk a bit about generative AI. It has gained significant attention over the past couple of years. Before we get into that, can you tell us a bit about your role at PwC?
Cameron: Sure, I'd be happy to. At PwC, I'm involved in several areas, particularly innovation, which is a personal passion of mine. Before I entered the world of Workday transformations, I was a lifelong entrepreneur, starting up many companies. Innovation is a key focus for me. Generative AI is now a major part of what we're doing. Additionally, I lead our resort, hospitality, and gaming industry focus and help bring Workday to clients, working with various companies to implement Workday and derive value from it.
Bledsoe: That's amazing, especially working with gaming companies. I'm curious about how they're leveraging generative AI and how it affects their operations.
Cameron: That's an interesting question, Chris. Gaming companies use generative AI in various ways. They operate multiple lines of business, including casinos, hotels, and events. One of my clients even owns an NBA team. They interact with customers across many touchpoints. Generative AI helps them improve insights from their data and better plan and forecast to optimize operations.
Bledsoe: That's fascinating. I'm interested in how individuals within these companies use AI technologies in their daily work. Do you have examples of how AI capabilities are enhancing user experiences?
Cameron: Yes, the landscape is quite exciting. Generative AI, combined with Workday Extend, Orchestrate, and Prism, allows us to create some innovative solutions. For example, we can use generative AI to enhance skills-based frameworks for acquiring, developing, and retaining talent. This technology helps tailor user experiences and outcomes for clients. It’s a crucial area for us, focusing on skills, career development, and learning plans.
Bledsoe: Skills development is crucial for everyone in an organization. Can you share some key use cases of generative AI that have transformed application development?
Cameron: Generative AI is transforming application development in exciting ways. For instance, Workday's enhanced partnership with Google has brought Copilot into Workday Extend. Copilot allows us to build code snippets or entire components, run Q&A within the code environment, and manage code governance. It provides insight into the lineage of code snippets, ensuring we understand their origins and how they impact our applications.
Bledsoe: That raises an important point about IP. If multiple applications use the same piece of code, how do you handle IP ownership and recognize its use?
Cameron: IP ownership is a significant challenge in generative AI. Concerns include how code might be used or incorporated into other tools. Generative AI relies on large datasets and language models, which could potentially include someone else's code. Major companies like Google and Microsoft offer indemnification to support users and ensure comfort with these tools.
Bledsoe: It’s interesting to consider how corporate data can also play a role. How are you seeing initiatives that leverage corporate data for business decisions and generating value?
Cameron: Absolutely. Data quality and credibility are crucial for generative AI applications. Good quality, curated corporate data enhances the value of AI outputs. Using specific corporate data can provide more relevant and actionable insights, improving decision-making and generating value for the business.
Bledsoe: We’re on the brink of exciting developments in both business and society. Are there any other ethical considerations or best practices developers should keep in mind when working with generative AI?
Cameron: Generative AI is algorithmic and behaves based on its programming. Developers must be mindful of the data used, as it influences results and can introduce bias. For example, using AI to screen candidates raises ethical questions about data use and decision-making. Similarly, in healthcare, AI-driven diagnostics pose unique challenges compared to human diagnoses. It’s essential to always consider the human element and the ethical implications of these technologies.
Bledsoe: For developers interested in leveraging generative AI, what advice would you give to drive innovation in their projects?
Cameron: Developers should start by clearly defining the business case. Understand what problem you’re solving and how generative AI contributes to that solution. Generative AI excels at automating tasks and analyzing data. Use it to streamline processes and free up people to focus on more productive activities. The goal is to use AI to enhance human capabilities and improve efficiency.
Bledsoe: I love how you emphasize integrating humanity into the process. AI models need feedback to improve and stay relevant, much like how we use Copilot to refine responses.
Cameron: Exactly. Building feedback loops is crucial for evolving AI models and making them fit for purpose. The more detailed the feedback, the better the model becomes. We’ve seen this with our innovation platform, where ideas like using AI for large translations show how generative AI can handle nuances in business language effectively.
Bledsoe: That sounds like a great approach, similar to a hackathon spirit.
Cameron: Yes, it’s akin to a hackathon. It's about generating ideas and using technologies like generative AI to bring those ideas to life, unlocking new possibilities.
Bledsoe: Thank you for joining me today, Chris. It’s been a pleasure having you.
Cameron: I'm thrilled to be here. This has been a lot of fun. When do we do this again? The C-squared show sounds great.
Bledsoe: Absolutely.
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