Mark Prices - AI Is a Change Management Project, Not a Technology Project

This is why you're perfect for this podcast here, because we're called Applied AI, and one of the things we like to do is talk about applications of it.

And you're right at the forefront of all of that.

And I think what's interesting is you were doing marketing analytics and business analytics in the early days.

Marketing analytics I don't think was even a term much back in 15, 20 years ago.

Do you feel like you were in this revolution here with AI as well? I mean, maybe that's a simple question, but do you feel it's still the early days as you think back?

For marketing analytics, it's clearly relatively sophisticated.

But for AI, I don't know whether to call it the early days or not because the days are changing so fast that it feels like dog years.

Every time we turn around, a whole new capability comes online and things we never thought were possible are things that are not possible.

And then you find out within three months, they're easy.

And so I have a strong growth mindset.

So for me, constantly learning new things is the most fun I could have in the entire world.

And then sharing it with people who can use it.

Did you ever think you'd be a college professor, I guess, if you kind of rewind the clock back a number of years?

I always thought that eventually I would retire and teach one course a semester and do a little consulting was my plan.

And then I went from an adjunct professor to finish that story to now I'm a distinguished service professor, which is like clinical faculty.

So I'm teaching five classes with all the speaking.

And my wife thought that we were going to slow down at some point.

And she's like, what's with this? And I'm like, well, this is the most exciting thing I've ever done in my life.

And I'm having so much fun with it, I can't tell you.

We're negotiating at home, let's put it that way.

No, I know.

I think you and I are cut from the same cloth in some ways, too.

Yeah, that is probably where I will end up.

I've told people, end off my career in this education space.

I'm just so busy in industry, but obviously I've been teaching at St. Thomas as well as an adjunct part-time since 2015, focusing more on the data science and the engineering side.

This is why you're perfect for this podcast here, because we're called Applied AI, and one of the things we like to do is talk about applications of it.

And you're right at the forefront of all of that.

And I think what's interesting is you were doing marketing analytics and business analytics in the early days.

Marketing analytics I don't think was even a term much back in 15, 20 years ago.

Do you feel like you were in this revolution here with AI as well? I mean, maybe that's a simple question, but do you feel it's still the early days as you think back?

For marketing analytics, it's clearly relatively sophisticated.

But for AI, I don't know whether to call it the early days or not because the days are changing so fast that it feels like dog years.

Every time we turn around, a whole new capability comes online and things we never thought were possible are things that are not possible.

And then you find out within three months, they're easy.

And so I have a strong growth mindset.

So for me, constantly learning new things is the most fun I could have in the entire world.

And then sharing it with people who can use it.

Did you ever think you'd be a college professor, I guess, if you kind of rewind the clock back a number of years?

I always thought that eventually I would retire and teach one course a semester and do a little consulting was my plan.

And then I went from an adjunct professor to finish that story to now I'm a distinguished service professor, which is like clinical faculty.

So I'm teaching five classes with all the speaking.

And my wife thought that we were going to slow down at some point.

And she's like, what's with this? And I'm like, well, this is the most exciting thing I've ever done in my life.

And I'm having so much fun with it, I can't tell you.

We're negotiating at home, let's put it that way.

No, I know.

I think you and I are cut from the same cloth in some ways, too.

Yeah, that is probably where I will end up.

I've told people, end off my career in this education space.

I'm just so busy in industry, but obviously I've been teaching at St. Thomas as well as an adjunct part-time since 2015, focusing more on the data science and the engineering side.