Human-AI collaboration for a better tomorrow

Artificial Intelligence has come a long way since its early beginnings as a Business Intelligence tool to becoming a key enabler of the move from data, information and descriptive analytics to predictive and prescriptive analytics and now the role of an almost independent agent that limits the role of the “human in the loop.” On the technology front, it is really in the last couple of years that a huge revolution seems to be in the making with the launch Open AI, Large Learning Models and the emergence of Generative AI, the subsequent distillation and quick solution approach of Deep Seek and application oriented small or narrow learning models to the present excitement over Agentic AI. Suddenly there is a uniform realisation that AI is too important and pervasive to be ignored in any function or industry and a very real fear that the next wave, which could be AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) and Super Intelligence will take the control of information, knowledge and decision making entirely out of human hands.

What could cause super intelligence to truly take over? When there is a reckless deployment of more and more powerful AI and the entire system of data capture, storage, dissemination and use is delegated and, in some cases, surrendered to intelligent machines and software. This is where the role of dual intelligence is essential in any system of organisation and execution, to ensure that human touch points and supervision are retained as control elements at significant stages in the process. Human intelligence can always stay in control, if that is what designs new systems that can be deployed in business and manufacturing processes and generate knowledge from the shop floor to the top floor. It is necessary to plan for this today, when business is increasingly enamoured with artificial intelligence and we are embedding AI models and algorithms into every process that can be made more efficient and effective through AI deployment.

How does one integrate the best of AI capabilities with wise interventions by humans in a true “dual intelligence” design and deployment that produces the best results for organisations and society? While it is true and a comforting assurance that people who understand AI will not lose their jobs, the people at risk are those who ignore AI, the real winners will those who drive deployment of new AI models, demonstrate an understanding of the game changing possibilities of AI and build a new structure of work, with AI embedded in restructured workflows and business processes. Business will succeed only if we reimagine the roles of humans and technology and invest in newly reconfigured systems of work! To do this, it is essential to build a new enterprise transformation roadmap that will encompass the following five stages.

1. Set the foundation and alignment of business and technology leaders with a clear baseline of the current status and setting new objectives for business and applications and a strategy for achievement.

2. Redesign the operating model and choose technologies to be deployed with adequate human supervision and control at every stage of the re-engineered business process.

3. Establish governance structures that minimise and mitigate potential risks and provide human oversight.

4. Deploy AI across workflows and design and test for technology-human collaboration at every stage of the deployment. Train and prepare role owners at every level in the organisation to be prepared for their new collaborative actions.

5. Measure the realised ROI and impact and create processes for ongoing calibration and improvement.

Taking the fear out of humans and also enabling them to exploit the best that AI can offer is a critical success factor. Once the confidence is created that collaboration is a possible approach to all future processes, practitioners will start fine tuning their Gen AI usage and also deploy more and more agents to handle tasks independently. These agents will report back with validated data to supervisor AIs which work in parallel with human supervisors. The future will involve occasionally swimming in unchartered waters, but if the fear has been eliminated and an enthusiasm for experimentation generated across the organisation, collaborative success is assured!

Ganesh Natarajan is one of the path-breakers of India’s IT revolution, with names like APTECH and Zensar on his CV. He is chairman of Honeywell Automation India & GTT Data Solutions

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