How do mixed martial arts and artificial intelligence correlate? Apparently, a lot more than one may think.
Marketing classes had the unique opportunity to hear special speaker former MMA fighter and current President of the RT Specialty Detroit office and Chief Executive Officer of the RT ProExec practice group. David Derigiotis, featured on TEDx Talks and CBS News Detroit, spoke on the increasing presence of AI in the workforce on Jan. 13 in the ECC. This newfound information was aimed to help inform students regarding how AI could affect the advertising world and what students can do to stand out among others to keep their future jobs.
Derigiotis wasn’t always the a CEO of an important insurance company. Before being offered the job of a lifetime by a family member, he was a high school football player and later became a student at Central Michigan University studying psychology. Needing a creative outlet during college, Derigiotis started exploring the world of martial arts. Learning various fighting styles like Boxing, Muay Thai, and Jujutsu, Derigiotis was ready for his first fight.
“On the night of the fight, I was in the back warming up thinking, ‘Why did I sign up for this?’ I was so nervous, and there was a nervousness I always had for football when I walked out to size up the other team, but this was different,” Derigiotis said. “My opponent walked out, and the place was going crazy, and I wanted to quit. I wanted to leave. I didn’t want to do this.”
The announcer called his name, and he walked out to the crowd booing. His heart was pounding through his chest as he approached the cage.
“The last thing I heard was the click of the door closing, and my opponent was waiting for me. I went into tunnel vision, everything faded away, and I knocked this guy out within a couple of minutes and the place just went crazy,” Derigiotis said. “I certainly could have lost, but that still required me to step into the cage, or I leave and I lose, but I didn’t.”
He had four total fights in his MMA career. One professional and three amateur.
“The one professional fight I lost the decision, but it’s not losing if you learn. Some of my greatest achievements and pushing forward have come from losses in football, losing a promotion, and losing a fight,” Derigiotis said. “You have to take something from your losses because you will be pushing yourself to the limits, and it will prepare yourself for the workforce when it comes to having those difficult conversations in life.”
This mentality has guided Derigiotis throughout his insurance career and caused him to see things a little differently when it comes to the idea that AI will take over our thinking processes, our jobs, and even our planet. During the presentation, a student asked, “What field of marketing should students interested in marketing peruse to have jobs in the future?” and Derigiotis’ response was specific.
“Every company needs marketing. They need to have some type of online presence for their clients, and users that they need to reach, so I would say it’s not ‘What type of marketing?’ but ‘What is your understanding of the tools?’ How can you use them for your benefit?” Derigiotis said. “There is a saying, ‘AI won’t replace people, but people using AI will replace other people.’ What AI does is it brings efficiency and its getting more complex than just handling remedial tasks, and if you understand how to use those tools, you’re going to be so much more valuable than somebody who has not taken the time to understand how those tools can work for you.”
According to Derigiotis, even if one understands these tools, they need an even more powerful tool than AI itself to outlast other employees for a spot in a company: effective communication.
“I think it is very important to have communication skills and being able to sell yourself, being persuasive, and being able to overcome objections. If you learn those things, you are going to be so valuable anywhere you work,” Derigiotis said. “Focus on those human aspects and being able to communicate effectively, having empathy, being able to resolve conflicts, and bring people together. When combined, it will make you an important and useful tool in any company, whether AI is involved or not, because there is always going to be a need for people to develop and maintain relationships.”
In the end, it’s not AI that is conquering the world, but ordinary people with effective communication and understanding of the tools provided to society that are conquering the system.
