Artificial Intelligence (AI) works by recognizing patterns. Generative AI recognizes those patterns through large language models to create (generate). People who want to compete in the age of AI, should use their own pattern recognition skills in order to keep pace, average wont do. A way to look at it in simple terms is do not keep recreating the wheel, or worse, put blocks on either side. Let’s “keep on turning” as Tina Turner sang so well in Proud Mary, and did she ever do that astronomically well after her split from the now infamous Ike.
Some of the best innovators are also the best historians, that is, they study the historical patterns of humans or whatever is relevant, to then best envision what could be a favourable future outcome for their efforts applied to the present. Throwing out the baby with the bathwater may mean chaos and probably does not bode well, as there is no pattern to that. But, as we know, doing the same thing over and over expecting to get a different result is sheer madness. In these days of disruptive innovation, like it or not, we have to be a little more disruptive in our own progress, both as a person and as a community.
Double digit municipal tax increases to perhaps maintain what we Red Deerians value for services suggests something broken somewhere or something not keeping up somewhere, or a bit of both. The City representatives were at the Red Deer Market at least once this past summer getting feedback from us, the citizens, regarding our priorities on spending our tax dollars. It appeared that almost every respondent wanted more spent in their favourite areas. Once you put that government body in the middle, people forget they are spending their own money, tax dollars don’t grow on trees. Credit cards seem to do the same for our own expenditures. We need to spend less (I think most of us agree), but we also need to examine our assets to determine where we can be more successful to increase revenue to our community. That takes looking at where we have had success (and there is a lot of it).
I recently made my first trip to Sedona, Arizona, a desert mecca two hours from Phoenix. It is growing like crazy and probably almost all of its industry, according to a tour guide, is tourism. Not even a convenient location but they are using their natural assets to their fullest. We are in a convenient (and beautiful) location given our Highway 2 and major populations nearby, maybe event tourism is one thing we should focus on.
The UCP’s annual general meeting and convention at Western Park being the largest known political convention ever across Canada could be seen as a result of a number of factors, location being one of interest specifically to central Albertans regardless of political stripes.
This correlation between the central Alberta location, being branded by me as the “heart of the entrepreneurial spirit” of Alberta and attendance at provincial corporate and other events has interested me since being chair of the tourism board back in the day. I have not really seen progress. Let’s see how next year’s UCP attendance in Edmonton goes to see if this at all supports my advocacy for central Alberta on this event front, a potential revenue generator. I have already raved about the success of Agritrade and its continuing growth, surely we are not a one trick pony.
Being within two hours of most of the population of Alberta and being that highway commute is the most popular way to attend many events in this province where many live outside the two major centres of Edmonton and Calgary, and Edmonton and Calgary are far from each other, there would seem to be a logistical advantage beyond what Las Vegas had when it was started literally in the middle of a desert. Somebody had a little vision there. Where is ours?
Donna Purcell, KC, (aka Lady Justice) is an Alberta lawyer and Chief Innovation Officer with Donna Purcell QC Law. If you have legal questions, contact dpurcell@dpqclaw.com.
