The recent case of Deloitte in Australia serves as a stark reminder of the perils of unchecked AI. Commissioned to produce a $290,000 report for the Australian government on its welfare system, Deloitte used Generative AI (Gen AI).
The result?
A report riddled with “hallucinations” – fabricated references, non-existent legal cases, and entirely made-up quotes. It took a university researcher to flag these inaccuracies, leading to a partial refund and significant reputational damage for Deloitte.
This incident is not an isolated one.
We are seeing a growing number of “AI failures” in the business world. From chatbots inventing company policies to legal professionals citing fake cases in court filings. The “AI accountability gap” is becoming increasingly apparent. The problem isn’t the AI itself, it’s the misguided belief that AI can replace the essential human element of critical thinking, verification, and quality assurance.
The Allure of Automation and the Danger of Detachment
The appeal of using AI to generate reports, proposals, and other business-critical documents is understandable. It promises speed and cost savings.
But without a robust framework for grounding AI-generated content in factual data and subjecting it to rigorous human review, organizations expose themselves to significant risks:
- Reputational Damage: As the Deloitte case shows, a single, high-profile failure can erode trust and call into question an organization’s expertise and integrity.
- Legal and Financial Penalties: Inaccurate or non-compliant documents can lead to costly legal battles, fines, and contract disputes.
- Poor Decision-Making: If business decisions are based on flawed, AI-generated information, the consequences can be disastrous.
The core of the issue is that Gen AI models are not designed for accuracy, they are designed for plausibility. They are brilliant at mimicking human language and generating text that looks convincing, but they lack the ability to verify facts or understand context in the way a human expert can.
Bridging the Gap: The VisibleThread Approach
So, how do you harness the power of AI without risking the downsides?
The answer lies in using the right technology for the right task and empowering, not replacing, human expertise.
At VisibleThread, we believe that technology should be a tool to enhance human intelligence, not a substitute for it. Our VisibleThread Platform is designed to do just that, providing a safety net that ensures the quality, clarity, and compliance of your most important documents.
The VisibleThread RFP Intelligence Platform is an end-to-end solution designed to enhance accuracy and efficiency across the full opportunity lifecycle, from Business Development and Capture through to Proposal creation and Contract Management.
Key capabilities of the platform include:
- BD & Capture: It provides a comprehensive ‘Best Fit Analysis’ for new opportunities by scoring them against critical criteria, including business and technical alignment, past performance, competitive analysis, and risk assessment, enabling teams to make informed bid decisions. All based on traceable results.
- Proposals: The platform uses the accuracy of deterministic software to automatically generate compliance matrices and create a structured proposal outline directly from the RFP. It then assists in producing a draft response that is both compelling and fully compliant with all stated requirements.
- Contract Management: For post-award activities, it simplifies amendment handling and provides precise document comparison capabilities to ensure all changes and versions are accurately tracked.
Underpinning these features is a robust security posture. The platform offers flexible deployment options, including customer-hosted, GovCloud, or standard cloud environments, and is secure enough to be used within Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIFs).
Unlike pure play Gen AI vendors, VisibleThread’s technology is a mix of Gen AI and deterministic software. It is built on a foundation of rules-based analysis and algorithms that deliver accurate, repeatable, and verifiable results every time, even when using Gen AI.
The Future is Human-in-the-Loop
The age of AI is here, and there’s no turning back. But the future of successful AI implementation is not one of blind automation. It is a future where humans are firmly in the loop, using technology to augment their skills and ensure the highest standards of quality and accountability.
The Deloitte case is a wake-up call for all of us. Before you entrust your next critical report, proposal, or contract to the whims of a Gen AI model, ask yourself – is the potential for a catastrophic failure worth the perceived shortcut?
By grounding your data in accuracy, empowering your team with the right tools, and never underestimating the value of human oversight, you can harness the true power of technology to drive your business forward. Without sacrificing the trust and integrity that you have worked so hard to build.
