Season 7, Post 12: “AI gives you super-powers”

So said Heptagon Capital’s Chief Technology Officer when your author sat down with him last week to discuss all things tech related. Over hot drinks at trendy Mayfair venue Lalï, it became apparent that AI is making all our lives easier, assuming we know how to use the technology most effectively. It still isn’t perfect and will create new business risks, but have no doubt, AI is here to stay.

“We’re all prompt engineers now” was one of the most memorable lines from our conversation. Relative to when we spoke on the topic of technology a year ago, there has been “a step change” in AI usage. “Almost everyone” is now using the outputs of large language models (LLMs) to expedite the mundane and free up time for more purposeful tasks. The reason why? Partly necessity – if everyone else is doing it, so do we – but more practically, the technology has improved. There is a “stark contrast” between how little LLMs hallucinate now, relative to a year prior. This matters. As users become “more trusting”, their time spent getting the most out of AI should only increase proportionately. And if you don’t know how to ask the right questions (or write the correct prompts), then you “may get left behind.”

Should we be worried about the pace of technological change? Our CTO’s response was a balanced one. From one perspective, it’s hard not to be a techno-optimist. Human beings have always proven themselves to be “massively adaptable.” Similar to the views enunciated in our 2025 outlook, younger cohorts entering the workforce need not worry about machines taking their jobs; rather, new tools have the potential to create new roles that never previously existed. We should “embrace” AI as it advances. Forget doomsday scenarios and instead contemplate the potential for medical advancements.   

The caveat to this thesis is that AI has “moved the game forward” for all actors, both good and bad. Every organisation needs to be increasingly mindful of the growing sophistication of cyber threats (a topic we have discussed in detail previously). Manipulative AI tools can spur improved phishing campaigns, password scams, deepfakes and more. It is therefore necessary to “reinforce a culture of paranoia.” Any firm is only “as strong as its weakest link.” If (proprietary) data is “our advantage”, then it is the responsibility of “not just the IT department” to secure it. Wise words indeed.

3 April 2025

The above does not constitute investment advice and is the sole opinion of the author at the time of publication. Past performance is no guide to future performance and the value of investments and income from them can fall as well as rise.

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Alex Gunz, Fund Manager