TLDR:
AI has the capabilities to enhance our lives. It doesn’t however, have the capacity to replace the role of humans. Both need to play off of each others’ strengths in order to work in harmony. This way, any shortfall is compensated for. AI helps to scale and assists with general tasks, while human sign off is still required for big decisions.
As AI becomes increasingly popular in our lives, both as consumers and marketing professionals, it’s important to take a step back to realize that it’s not the end of the world. As wonderful as AI may be in gathering weather updates for us or entering data at meetings, it does come with a set of limitations.
Take the calendar app, for instance. It can collect data to create smart reminders, sure, but what’s missing is context. AI creates reminders for important events. It doesn’t know, say, the difference between scheduling a birthday party for a marketer’s own son and for a coworker. There are different levels of emotion involved in each event, and AI doesn’t have the capabilities to process that.
There is a disconnect in how AI registers events; it can’t handle assigning emotional value to one. But that’s a good thing.
It shows that a human touch is required every now and then—to intervene when an AI malfunctions, short-circuits, or has reached its limits. Take an airplane’s autopilot function as another example. The computerized program does a great job at maintaining a plane’s flight path, but a human pilot is still needed for takeoff and landing.
No matter which practical application we have for AI, it will never replace the executive function of our brain. The executive function is the part of the brain responsible for making quick decisions, such as when an emergency arises or when a crisis unfolds. AI won’t know what to do in those situations; it hasn’t been told.
Finding the right mix between human touch and AI really depends on the extent to which human intuition (helped along by the executive function) and AI can complement each other. AI can help with assorted tasks; humans can step in when the AI’s overloaded. The key here is finding balance.
Original article from Marketo in April 2019.
