AI = “Augmented” Intelligence
We are at one of the most exciting moments in our history. The era ahead of us is characterized by the fusion of many technologies from very different fields that will blur the boundaries between humans and technology, between the real and the virtual.
Many people are calling this the “Artificial Intelligence Revolution.” As is the case with any revolution, everyone wants to know what the future holds – for our careers, our personal lives, and even for life itself!
Ask any scientist or futurist, and you’ll get a different perspective. Stephen Hawking, for example, warned that AI could destroy the human race as we know it. On the flip side, Peter Diamandis believes AI offers humans massive opportunity.
I share Peter’s enthusiasm for AI’s benefits. I also believe that those who don’t embrace its transformative power will be making some of the same mistakes as those who attempted to “go digital.”
The Digital Dilemma
What I mean is, just a few years ago, companies had to make a choice in how they embraced digital technology. The companies that "Made the Jump" coming out of the digital revolution were those that reimagined themselves from the inside out. Not only did they embrace digital, they recreated their businesses, overhauling their entire tech infrastructure, embracing a new organizational structure and empowering their employees to develop next-level skills.
When my team and I faced the “digital dilemma” within our division, we looked way down the road. We knew that digital was here to stay, but it couldn’t live in a silo. It had to complement and enhance our strategy. We needed to marry the digital with the physical and become “digical,” as I like to call it. We leveraged digital to enhance the physical world and build a seamless customer experience across all channels. And this strategy has worked massively in our favor.
Similarly, I believe Artificial Intelligence should not be bolted on, but rather a partnership between humans and machines working together to create new products, services and ways of doing things. In fact, I think we should view Artificial Intelligence as Augmented Intelligence (or Ai).
With Augmented Intelligence, we allow computers to do what they do best – prediction and automation. That frees up humans to spend more time on big-picture thinking that involves creativity, heart, intuition, problem solving and understanding. When you put all this together you’ll create magic for your customers!
How do you think AI (or Ai) will impact the human race? How are you getting ready for this new frontier within your own business?
Very well said Sanjiv. I think that those who caution against AI are concerned on 2 dimensions: 1. Jobs: Here I am an optimist. I believe that AI enabled augmentation will also create opportunities and jobs in areas which do not exist today. The key however would be learnability. And learning need not be about being an expert in AI, but to be willing to work in an ever changing environment.? 2. Wrong usage of Technology: Here again any technology can be put to bad use and AI is no exception. In fact AI will be required to save us from AI. It certainly does bring some responsibilities on the leaders in the field to be able to put in place the right controls and safeguards as they develop AI enabled solutions As you say this is an era of unprecedented opportunity for Mankind where no one probably knows what opportunities lay ahead. Only that things will just keep evolving and changing , Fast! I think that in the current context there are 3 things organizations need to invest on: 1. Learnability: The ability to learn and adapt to changes 2. Problem Finding: The ability to find and define the right problems to solve for 3. Culture: The ability of an organization to rally its teams. This probably is the hardest one. Now technology is no longer a constraint - it is only people. With the right culture, there is no limit.