AI and Humans: A Coexistence in Need of Rethinking

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become much more than just a technological innovation. Today, it acts as a structural force that is deeply redefining the contours of society. Whether in economic sectors, social interactions, or cultural domains, AI is disrupting established paradigms and prompting an urgent question: what is the place of humans in this new technological era?

While the short-term benefits of AI are undeniable, its rapid spread raises fundamental questions about humans' ability to adapt, and more importantly, about the long-term implications of this transformation. This article explores the tensions between humans and technology, focusing on business dynamics and the very nature of work.

AI: Rapid Spread and Structural Disruption

AI doesn’t just improve certain processes; it is restructuring entire sectors. Whether in industry, services, education, or our daily interactions, it is profoundly transforming economic, cognitive, and social dynamics.

Automated systems often surpass human capabilities, relegating humans to secondary roles by redefining the very notion of work. This redefinition forces us to reconsider our place in a world where machines are taking on increasingly prominent roles in decision-making and production processes.

Human Challenges: Cognitive Limits and the Trap of Comfort

Faced with this rapid transformation, humans are confronting their own cognitive and behavioral limits. Our brains, designed to seek cognitive efficiency, tend to favor quick, low-effort solutions, often neglecting long-term consequences.

This cognitive bias becomes especially acute in the context of AI, where the complexity and rapid evolution of technology surpass our capacity to adapt. Take ChatGPT, for example: its meteoric adoption shows how humans prioritize immediate comfort and tangible results without always considering the medium- and long-term impacts. The challenge is no longer simply about regulating AI, but about rethinking education to adapt to these profound changes in human practices.

Unchecked Innovation: The Short-Term Productivity Race

The rapid adoption of AI in companies is often driven by a short-term quest for productivity and competitiveness. Under pressure to innovate, companies have implemented AI solutions without thoroughly examining their social, economic, or ethical implications. While automating certain tasks brings clear benefits, long-term strategic thinking is often neglected. For example, the algorithms used in recruitment processes or human resource management can amplify biases at scale. When AI is deployed without proper ethical oversight, it becomes a latent threat. This phenomenon of unchecked innovation reflects a lack of foresight and strategic reflection.

In this relentless race for productivity, it is essential to remember that AI is not just a tool, but also a competitor for humans. For decades, companies have sought to maximize efficiency by simplifying and fragmenting tasks, leading to the widespread automation of repetitive roles. This trend, which began in industry, has now extended to the service sector.

By focusing exclusively on optimization and speed, many companies have lost sight of what truly makes humans unique: creativity, empathy, moral judgment, and the ability to create authentic social connections. Reducing human roles to repetitive tasks not only makes us vulnerable to replacement by more powerful machines, but also leads to a simplified and distorted view of the world.

The real challenge today is to reposition humans as indispensable complements to automated systems, reaffirming our unique capabilities. Machines must remain at the service of humans, not the other way around.

Higher Education: A Crucial Lever for Rethinking Human Roles

In higher education, particularly in business and engineering schools, the approach to AI has evolved rapidly. Not long ago, the focus was on regulating the use of AI in education. Today, the challenge is no longer about limiting its use, but about adapting pedagogy to effectively integrate AI into learning.

It remains essential to continue teaching the history and functioning of AI. This foundational knowledge is crucial for understanding its evolution and its influence across various sectors.

While it is fundamental to maintain the core curriculum in disciplines like marketing, law, and finance, it is equally crucial to integrate the practical use of AI into these fields. Students must not only understand the fundamentals but also learn how AI is transforming their fields and operational practices within companies. They need to be prepared to face the reality of AI’s impact on how their disciplines are applied in the business world.

Moreover, schools must reconnect with essential human skills such as critical thinking, creativity, and ethics. Subjects like philosophy, sociology, anthropology, and psychology should be central to curricula, helping students understand not only the technologies they use but also their ethical and social impacts. The goal is to produce graduates who can master AI while rethinking the role of humans in an increasingly automated world.

The Importance of Professors Connected to the Business World

Given the global scale and rapid development of AI, it is essential for professors to stay current not only in their academic fields but also in how AI is transforming the practical application of these disciplines in the business world. The speed at which AI is redefining industries requires educators to stay aligned with real-world practices to avoid a disconnect between theory and reality.

In higher education, professors must have a practical understanding of how AI is integrated into the disciplines they teach. This ensures that students are prepared for the realities of the workplace, where AI is transforming operations and processes at an unprecedented rate. Without this close connection to the business world, the risk is that students will be disconnected from the practical realities they will face upon entering the job market.

In Summary: Restoring Humans' True Place in a Technological World

Artificial intelligence forces us to rethink humans' role in an increasingly automated world. While AI excels in many areas, it will never replace the essence of what makes us human: creativity, empathy, moral judgment, and the ability to create social connections.

The challenge is not to reinvent human roles but to restore humans to their rightful place in this technological environment. By repositioning humans as indispensable complements to automated systems, we can correct the drift toward prioritizing efficiency at the expense of our human skills.

Education, especially in higher institutions, must play a central role by integrating AI across disciplines while reinforcing human-centered skills. It is equally important to have professors closely connected to the business world, preparing students for the real-world impacts of AI on their professional fields, and to provide an expanded vision of what it means to be a person, as opposed to merely a “full-time equivalent” (FTE). Through this collective effort, we can not only adapt humans' roles to AI but also reclaim our rightful place in a society where technology must remain at the service of humans.