Humans 2.0
Throughout the history of humanity, we have developed various tools that assist our bodies in performing tasks. This is the essence of creating machines: they are designed to make human work easier, regardless of the need.
Technology has advanced at an accelerated pace, and artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as one of the fastest-growing and innovative fields. As AI evolves, complex and challenging questions arise, including the role of humans in an increasingly automated and digitized world. In this context, it is important to reflect on where we are evolving as a humanity and what the future role of humans in the world will be. This leads to the need for a consideration of how we can navigate this path and how society, along with all layers of industry, can adapt to this new reality in the search for new pathways.
In recent months, we have been daily impacted by remarkable technological advancements. AI now has a pervasive presence and increasingly accessible applicability, radically transforming how we interact with and use these tools, as well as how companies engage with their customers. From using chatbots for customer service to data-driven personalization strategies and automations, to data analysis for market segmentation, AI has enabled companies to make more informed decisions and provide more personalized consumer experiences. However, this evolution also raises various concerns about the economic and social impact, as well as the role of individuals within organizations.
As AI becomes increasingly capable of efficiently performing repetitive and analytical tasks, professionals need to reinvent themselves by adding capabilities that cannot be replicated by AI, such as critical thinking, empathy, sentiment, the ability to connect their experiences, and their ability to understand and leverage AI effectively in both personal and professional tasks. It is crucial, across all professional fields and not just limited to them, that we learn to collaborate with AI, harnessing its potential to automate tasks, support knowledge acquisition, enhance informed decision-making processes, and free up time and resources to create an increasingly innovative, agile, and secure world.
There are various challenges that must be addressed, such as data transparency, AI training models in collecting and using sensitive information, regulation, and security, among others, that are critical for a positive evolution of technology.
We will find ourselves increasingly surrounded by AI that aids and even challenges us. We will witness changes in various aspects of our human lives, from health and economics to education and social interactions. We will witness the emergence of new professions and, inevitably, the downsizing or even disappearance of others. We continually face challenges ahead, but as humans, we have demonstrated throughout history the capacity to overcome and evolve. Therefore, what lies ahead will bring opportunities for growth, allowing us to continue our journey as a species.
We are moving towards a greater connection between technology and the human being. We will interact with products, services, and brands in completely different and much more natural ways, with patterns of knowledge and identification that are nearly effortless. To what extent will we be connected as humans to our artificial intelligences, which can assist us in decision-making, purchasing, and managing our daily lives? A simple purchase could be made through our future assistant, based on our thoughts, analyzing and interpreting our brainwaves, and assisting in a completely seamless process. Even our personal doctor could constantly monitor us and help us lead healthier lives. This connected future may not be light-years away but increasingly closer.
The way we currently interact as humans, becoming increasingly digital in our approach to buying, researching, socializing, and working, is undergoing constant change. Just look at how ChatGPT has reached millions of users and how a chat has changed our approach to searching, gaining knowledge, education, and even our daily professional lives. Therefore, our patterns of interaction with everything around us will continue to evolve towards simpler and more “human” ways of connected living.
I believe we will evolve individually and as a society, leveraging and harnessing all this technological advancement to become more efficient, more productive, and to create innovative goods and services. Above all, I believe we will see beyond the initial “terror” that we will be replaced by AI.
