To business leaders, the prospect of artificial intelligence is thrilling. Robots can be faster and more efficient than workers, and though they might require some upkeep, AI tools tend to be much more affordable than human employees. Considering that AI solutions are becoming proficient at several “human” jobs, some futurist executives look forward to a time when most of their workforce consists of intelligent computers.

Yet, most AI experts claim that this future vision will never come. Instead of replacing human intelligence with artificial intelligence, workplaces will rely on a new way of processing information and making decisions — collaborative intelligence.

The Downside of Displacement

We automate less than 5% of occupations entirely, but around 60% of occupations could have at least 30% of their tasks automated, and that number is likely to grow over the next 15 years. Thus, a significant portion of the workforce could face displacement as artificial intelligence gains complexity and popularity.

Most organizations see significant benefits in replacing human workers with machines, but these benefits hide serious downsides. Though machines might be more efficient and cost less than human employees, existing AI solutions have narrow applications and are nearly impossible to adapt to new tasks or inputs. Thus, more significant changes in business strategy might require an AI overhaul, which could be more time consuming and expensive than assigning new responsibilities to a human workforce.

What’s more, not every job can be replaced by human workers. Businesses in fields like healthcare, which require manual dexterity, emotional range and creativity (traits that all extant AIs lack), will be unable to displace much of their workforce without seriously compromising the services they can provide. It is unlikely that businesses will gain access to general or super intelligence within our lifetime. Therefore, many industries that require care and imagination must find an alternative way to utilize AI.

Many experts believe that replacing employees with AI machines will result in only short-term productivity gains. To harness AI’s advantages without succumbing to the disadvantages of non-human staff, businesses need to avoid displacement as much as possible and instead utilize collaborative intelligence.

What Is Collaborative Intelligence?

Collaborative intelligence is merging a human workforce’s strengths with AI’s. Collaborative intelligence aims to design human positions best to augment the capabilities of AI tools and systems — and vice versa. In a collaborative intelligence model, human employees have three crucial roles: train intelligent machines, explain the outcomes of AI efforts and sustain the responsible use of artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, AI has three functions: to amplify cognition, extend physical capabilities, and free humans for higher-level tasks. Humans and machines come to rely on one another, and the business sees only benefits from adopting AI.

How to Integrate Collaborative Intelligence

Utilizing collaborative intelligence may not be easy, but the benefits demonstrate that the effort can be worthwhile. Business leaders need to redesign operations to create a structure where humans and machines can work together.

To begin, business leaders should identify an operational area that can be improved with AI, which might require enrolling in artificial intelligence courses to understand AI tools’ current applications better. Leaders must invite stakeholders, mainly employees, to assist in developing collaboration-focused systems and processes. Often, workers have more insight into existing challenges and obstacles; they’re in a better position to identify how AI can support their work.

Finally, organizations should cultivate a workforce with the skills to integrate with AI machines seamlessly. Learning to delegate tasks to AI can take time, as can learning to navigate AI interfaces and decipher the results of AI efforts. Business leaders should train their current workforce and onboard new employees who have experience collaborating with AI.

Artificial intelligence is undeniably a promising technological development for business productivity; it should not be expected to do all the work of human employees. By envisioning a future based on collaborative intelligence, businesses can radically improve productivity and quality without compromising on any aspect of their operations.

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Moughees is an enthusiastic essayist who loves to share his ideas. His extensive involvement with the field of content curation combined with his background in computer sciences make him a worthwhile read on all subjects related to tech and innovation