Raising The Innovation Game. How AI Can Augment Human Ideation

I love technology and eagerly try out new gadgets, often before most people do. I am aware, too, that a lot of people worry that new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) will replace their jobs. But just as calculators didn’t replace mathematicians, AI won't replace human ingenuity and creativity. Rather, one of AI's most significant advantages is its capacity to replace mundane, low-level jobs, increasing productivity right away and freeing up employees to concentrate on higher-level duties.

In a hyper-competitive world, using our "collective genius" is more critical to effective performance than ever before. Artificial intelligence has the potential to expedite the innovation process, gathering group knowledge and propelling team learning in real time. By harnessing the exponential power of AI, we innovation leaders can elevate our organization's innovation game.

Take the climate crisis. We need solutions to this problem, and we need them fast—very fast. AI can significantly aid in helping humans find innovative, tangible solutions to the climate crisis faster.

Sure, some jobs may disappear; I am sure the calculator took away some jobs from slide-rule-biased accountants, but consider the bigger picture: biodiversity is disappearing, and drinkable water is becoming scarce. The stakes are high, and the advantages that an AI-human partnership can provide are crucial. We simply can't use a calculator to come up with solutions when we have machine learning, artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

While the AI-powered innovation process holds promise, it is important to understand what AI can and cannot do and see how it impacts our innovation programs.

What AI Is Good At: As an Innovation Facilitation Tool:

Data Analysis and Pattern Recognition: In the divergent stage of innovation, when we are generating a lot of ideas, AI can be a game-changer. It can help facilitators segment and quickly sort these disparate ideas into key themes during the convergent phase. Imagine sifting through a sea of sticky notes and finding the golden threads that connect them—AI makes this process faster and more efficient. The humans can then work on their 1+1=3 skills.?

Automation of Repetitive Tasks: AI is a lifesaver here, taking over chores so your ideation teams can focus on more strategic and creative work. During breakout sessions, where a facilitator can't be in all groups simultaneously, we could train a chatbot to observe and nudge. For instance, if a group is quiet, the bot could kickstart the conversation with a few thoughts to prime the flow or notify the human facilitator of a group that might benefit from a coaching drop-in. This ensures that every group gets the support it needs to thrive.

Creating Facilitation Artifacts: AI can assist in creating various facilitation artifacts crucial for a successful session. This includes drafting session agendas, suggesting icebreaker ideas, and creating workshop canvases. Additionally, AI can generate end-of-session report first drafts, summarizing key points, decisions, and action items, allowing facilitators to focus on engaging with participants and driving the session forward.

Natural Language Processing (NLP): Innovation sessions often involve open discussions, plenary sessions, and inter-breakout room dialogues where each team presents to the larger group. AI, with its NLP capabilities, can summarize all ideas quickly and identify repeated or novel concepts. This means facilitators can provide instant feedback and keep the momentum going without missing crucial insights.

“Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.” —Theodore Levitt

What AI is Not Good At: As an Innovation Facilitation Tool:

Emotional Intelligence: AI stumbles when it comes to understanding the depth and nuance of human feelings. While it can recognize basic emotions, it can’t truly grasp the complexities of human emotional experiences. Imagine trying to explain a heartbreak to a robot; it just doesn’t get it. Emotional intelligence is essential in facilitation, where understanding and responding to participants' feelings can significantly impact the outcome.

Creative Thinking: Don’t expect AI to replace the human spark of creativity. AI excels at 1+1=2, but innovation is about 1+1=3. While AI can generate content and mimic human creations, it often lacks the originality and depth that come from genuine human creativity. AI-generated art or writing might look or sound good (full disclosure: this post was first drafted by AI), but it’s like comparing a photocopy to an original masterpiece.

Handling Incomplete or Ambiguous Information: When humans face incomplete information, they draw parallels from other contexts and fill in data gaps using their personal experiences. AI, however, struggles with ambiguity and relies heavily on data to make decisions. This makes it challenging for AI to bridge the unknown and provide innovative solutions when the information is not fully available.

Ethical and Moral Judgments: AI doesn’t have a moral compass. It can make decisions based on data, but without human oversight, it might reinforce existing biases or make unfair choices. Human intervention is crucial to ensuring ethical considerations are upheld, particularly in innovation, where the quality of ideas and their implications need careful evaluation.?AI might look at an idea and think it's a winner without understanding all the implications. As a client once said to me about an ad campaign for a large CPG company, "It's a great idea, but just not a good idea (ethically)."

Conclusion

The evolution from paper and pencil to calculators and then to spreadsheets did not replace mathematicians—it only made them more valuable. Artificial intelligence has the potential to transform innovation and facilitation by automating mundane tasks, providing sharp insights, and personalizing experiences. I have been looking into Miro's AI function to better understand its benefits for innovation facilitation, and it is impressive.

By clearly understanding AI's strengths and weaknesses and leveraging the unique capabilities of the human brain and collective genius, we can create a synergistic approach that accelerates innovation.

To raise the innovation game, we must embrace technology while retaining our human advantages. AI and human creativity can work together to drive unprecedented levels of innovation, allowing us to solve urgent problems quickly and effectively. This harmonious combination of AI and human thought is the key to navigating and thriving in our rapidly changing world.