Extrapolate thoughtfully
… and how it’s actually playing out?
As I recently shared with NZBusiness magazine when asked this question, one of the biggest gaps is between the common narrative that modern AI is like digital workers… versus the reality that it’s more like a redesign of our own information workflows.
When some business leaders see a video of a humanoid robot loading a dishwasher, they falsely extrapolate that this means it’ll soon be able to do all the other tasks required. Without thinking about all the human capabilities required to safely pick up, carry and then empty a coffee cup. Let alone make a coffee, or greet a customer warmly to ensure repeat business.
Likewise just because your AI can instantly produce a list of priorities, doesn’t mean it can then also motivate the team needed to make the priorities happen.
The flip side is that there’s a dangerous gap we could fall into, by not taking the reinvention of workflows seriously enough. We’ve already seen the shift from in-person orders to online orders. So when AI agents start ordering on behalf of their users – as is already the case in some situations – it’s important to ask how this might change your workflows, market competitiveness and business strategies.
Sounds to me like a good question for AI, crucially combined with your own critical thinking and judgement.
And a well-made coffee.