Beyond the “hype” of artificial intelligence
This is a crucial moment to define how we use these technologies: not just to evolve businesses, but to promote wider social advancement
NOTE: This post is a faithful translation from the Portuguese original article written by me and published on this date by The Next Big Idea ❤ Check out the original !
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the way we perform personal and professional tasks, acting as an amplifier of the human element. Very pragmatically, AI is, first and foremost, a tool for individual empowerment and performance multiplication.
And the best part? This evolution is supported by the technologies that preceded it. We can apply it through the same devices we have always used to interact with our surroundings, such as our mobile phones, computers, and in some cases, other everyday devices. This performance multiplication can take different forms, some of which are familiar, as the underlying technology used in them has only changed in form:
Our management of time, calendar, and tasks;
Support in the creation and management of content, emails, and messages, saving hours of work and scheduling tasks autonomously;
Transforming the way we search for information through online search engines to make customized queries in different Generative AI interfaces;
How we aggregate this information into consolidated knowledge, or for study/archive and later use of it.
In the future, all professions will have a semi-technical component, connecting to these systems. In this sense, much has been said about concepts like "up-skilling" and "re-skilling," which are essentially the acquisition and development of skills more adapted to the current digital transformation landscape. New professions will also emerge as a result of new ways of dealing with information: if various processes that previously took days can now be completed in hours, the resulting free time can be dedicated to transforming these contents to another level, whether they are productive, creative, or merely transactional. The strategic, imaginative, and administrative capacity of the Human Being thus becomes one of the main "soft skills" that will dictate future success.
But the rapid evolution of these tools has been so vertiginous that even experts have difficulty keeping up. This pace has caused instability not just technically, but also humanly and legally. Companies and leaders face challenges in keeping up with the implications and responsibilities that accompany such progress. At the macro level, global regulatory institutions, notably in Europe, America, and China, seek rules that indeed mitigate risks without harming innovation compared to their peers. At the corporate level, recent events show that even market giants do not have their positions consolidated. Faced with internal instabilities, an entire emerging market can be shaken, with significant financial impact in a very short time. The entire area is still in a maturation phase.
In this scenario, it is crucial not to get lost in the noise and speculation. We should, therefore, reflect on the practical value these tools can represent for each of us, individual or company. Not just in technological terms, but in their effective and ethical application, shifting the focus from fascination with technology to understanding how it can enhance our value creation.
It is important to underline that the human element is not removed from the equation by the addition of AI tools. On the contrary, AI provides valuable contributions. However, it is up to us to interpret them, integrate them into personal, professional, ethical, and cultural contexts. Its effectiveness and specific uses depend on our ability to direct it, as everything it can produce depends on the content we previously used to train it, which means it will always give us results based on what has been seen in the past.
AI is democratizing access to advanced outcomes. The creation of custom software, data acquisition and processing, the Internet of Things (IoT), are elements that are increasingly accessible, unlocking capabilities previously limited to a few. Industrial IoT is increasingly democratized, with platforms available and ready to fulfill the promises of Industry 4.0. This is a crucial moment to define how we use these technologies: not just to evolve businesses, but to promote a broad social advancement. The real revolution is not in the technology itself, but in the creativity of how we use it to create better systems around us. With different solutions emerging as intermediaries of this potential, their exploration becomes a competitive skill.
As AI continues to evolve, it challenges us to rethink our approach to work, learning, and creativity. Not only are we adopting new tools, we are developing new ways of thinking and collaborating. Digital transformation is now within anyone's reach, dependent on the vision and creativity that can be instilled in its base. On a personal and organizational level, how will you multiply your performance, to create a positive impact in your environment? The answer to this question becomes central in our daily lives, because change, that is happening as you read this article.