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Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is a buzzword today but the concept is not new. The idea of AI and intelligent machines was introduced in the late 1960s. The challenge before the computer scientists was how to prove the intelligence of machines. Chess was chosen as the perfect game to test the capabilities of AI.
In 1997, IBM’s AI machine Deep Blue defeated world chess champion, Garry Kasparov, becoming the first computer to beat a reigning world chess champion under normal chess tournament conditions. Gary did not resign to his defeat. Realising the potential of machines, he introduced a new form of chess in which humans and computers co-operate, instead of contending with each other.
This new game, called Freestyle Chess, is an example of how humans and machines can work together to produce better results than either could on their own.
The synergy between the authentic intelligence of humans and the artificial intelligence of machines is termed augmented intelligence. Augmented intelligence means the enhancement of the cognitive abilities of human beings with the help of machines. The spellcheck feature of any word processor is the simplest example of augmentation of the language skills of humans with the help of machines. The use of Google Maps by vehicle drivers is another example of augmentation of the navigational capabilities of human drivers using machines.
Unprecedented challenges
Recently, ChatGPT emerged as a very powerful tool in the hands of humans beings. In December 2022, a philosophy professor at Northern Michigan University acknowledged a student’s essay on the morality of bans on the burqa as the best paper in the class. The student later admitted to using ChatGPT, a generative AI tool that can create information, write articles, explain concepts, and develop ideas in simple language.
Tools such as ChatGPT poses unprecedented challenges and opportunities for leaders of the digital era. In the industrial era, the competition was between the muscle power of humans and machines in which machines prevailed. In the digital era, the brain power of humans is being challenged by machines.
Humans are able to rule the animal world because of their cognitive abilities, but this unique selling proposition is losing its relevance to new-age machines.
The most daunting challenge before the leader of the digital era is to sustain the relevance of man by leveraging capabilities that can possibly not be emulated by smart machines. The synergy between humans and machine is the winning formula to brave this new world. Leaders need to figure out how to augment the capabilities of their human resources to make them more efficient and productive.
Applications such as employee self-service, project management tools, e-Office, time management tools, asset tracking tools, internal communication tools, and employee chatbots are some examples that can augment the capabilities of employees. ChatGPT can be used for writing a variety of contents — emails, letters, reports, and summarising long text. The time saved by employees is the time saved by the organisation.
However, the emergence of tools like ChatGPT raises questions about the morality of using AI to write academic papers or even news articles and the authenticity of the information generated. Can we trust the information generated by AI tools to be accurate and unbiased? The answer is that it depends on the quality of the dataset used to train the AI model. In May, a lawyer in the US had to apologise before the court for citing fake cases to support his claim based on information generated by ChatGPT.
The mantra to success for leaders in the digital era is to augment the authentic intelligence of humans with the help of the artificial intelligence of machines. The reply to the most frequently asked question, ‘Will AI replace humans?’, is: ‘Augmented intelligence is most likely to replace humans intelligence’. If a leader is not able to leverage AI, the competitor would do it sooner rather than later.
Jain works with DMRC. Views are personal
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