When Max Verstappen cruised to his latest Formula One championship title, nobody was saying the car could have done it without him. Likewise, when Manchester City clinched the Champions League title, there weren’t journalists lined up claiming the players could have done it without the coaches. And when Frankie Dettori won his 11th British Classic, we weren’t saying he didn’t play his part. Strange, then, there is an expectation that the tools can do all the work when it comes to artificial intelligence. 

The evolution of human-machine interaction highlights the enduring value of human expertise in technology. From the manual programming of early computers to the intuitive interfaces of modern systems, this journey mirrors the development of AI: from simple algorithms to complex neural networks. Human ingenuity has remained essential, evolving alongside technology from shaping basic machines to training advanced AI, underscoring the consistent need for human skill and understanding in driving technological progress. Since ChatGPT launched in November last year, generative AI has forced itself into the public consciousness. But many are still trying to get their heads around the technology and its potential. At the end of August, we saw the emergence of ChatGPT Enterprise and Microsoft CoPilot being rolled out. As the commoditisation of this technology gathers pace, it’s likely that AI is only set to play a larger and more significant role in our lives. 

It’s easy to overlook that intelligent tools designed to assist in everyday tasks are nothing new – we’ve all used spelling and grammar checks on word processors – but this latest generation is taking things to another level. This escalation is leading to concerns around skilled professionals being marginalised in favour of tools that anybody can use at a lower overall cost. 

Even the most technically impressive AI tools are only as effective as the people using them. Like a word processor’s spell-check function, generative AI can be instrumental support and can even, in certain circumstances, complete tasks with relatively little human input. But this certainly shouldn’t be the signal to abandon spending or focus on supporting staff. 

There’s a strong argument that the emergence of this new tech means having the right staff in post is more important than ever, with the backing they need to thrive. 

Let’s address one elephant in the room right away – despite what you may have read, the capacity for generative AI to effectively replace jobs is inherently limited. Like Verstappen’s F1 car or Dettori’s thoroughbred, AI is a fantastic and powerful tool. However, the tool is not very useful on its own; it needs users who are trained to use it and able to spot when it makes mistakes. 

Large language models are trained on, and can only produce content based upon, what’s already available on the internet. AI’s limitations become evident in its struggle with nuanced human concepts like cultural context and emotional intelligence, where it often fails to grasp the subtleties of human communication, highlighting the irreplaceable value of human judgment and interpretation in areas where AI falls short.  

While the internet has never exactly been a bastion of truth, the situation is further complicated by the amount of AI-produced content that now appears online. If this content is based on false information and is therefore inaccurate, it becomes a self-polluting cycle, with the source content becoming less and less reliable. This is a problem that AI experts are having to come to terms with. Still, it also speaks to how important it is to retain an element of human judgement in every decision-making process – no matter how sophisticated AI products may claim to be. 

Experience and expertise are two of the most important assets any business can hold, and AI isn’t going to change that any time soon. Enhancing the workflow of those with this experience and expertise is one of the ways AI tools can drive the most value. The true benefit of AI lies in its ability to complement and amplify the capabilities of experienced professionals rather than to reduce staff costs. 

So, if we accept that the immediate future isn’t some Muskian vision of a robot workforce powered by powerful frontier AI, what does it look like, and how should organisations plan to split their budget between people and products? 

Picking the right investment is all about making the decision that will generate the greatest amount of value for the organisation. When it comes to AI, this means investing to ensure staff have the awareness and expertise to make the most of the new AI-driven tools and products coming onto the market every week. This could be as basic as understanding how AI might reinforce intrinsic bias and effective fact-checking, through to more complex areas such as AI ethics and copyright law. 

While AI has sparked concerns about job displacement, it more often transforms roles rather than replaces them. This necessitates a shift in skills as employees adapt to collaborating with AI, thereby enriching their professions rather than rendering them obsolete.  The future of AI in organisations lies in its personalisation, adapting to individual user preferences and work styles, thereby enhancing productivity and fostering a more intuitive human-AI partnership.