Analysis predicting major societal problems caused by artificial intelligence (AI) surfaces every other day: how AI could be used to manipulate elections and launch drone attacks. The major fear seems to be that AI is set to make humans a redundant force in the workplace.
Yes, AI, like any evolving technology, is set to change our jobs, but could it also be the key to unlocking creativity and productivity in the business sector?
It’s clear that nothing is holding AI back. Apart from, perhaps, clear business cases[1] and speed of adoption. Replacing an existing business process requires a clear investment case. The strongest cases[2] are currently around big data management (e.g. fraud and risk management, security, financial trading) – essentially cases where someone is trying to make decisions with a large number of data points.
AI will change jobs. However, there are new jobs being produced by this change – for people that design, implement, and manage new disruptive technologies. These are highly skilled jobs that are better compensated than the ones being lost.
It’s also important to remember that any successful AI implementation requires a mix of technology, people, and processes. AI won’t replace the human workforce; it will just make humans more efficient. Some may choose to focus on AI as a threat – whether a robot can do the humans’ job better, faster, and cheaper – but the other approach is to figure out how artificial intelligence can give one’s business and clients an edge.
The place for machine intelligence
It’s widely accepted that repetitive decision-making is best handled by machines, partly because of the efficiency gains; but also, because the human brain
