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Comfort bubbles are bursting. The recent years and months have proved: what happens in one corner of the world, sooner or later will impact other parts of the world. We can no longer ignore global-reaching challenges. To tackle them, we have both our human intelligence as well as our smart technologies at hand.
Visionary leaders and experts play a fundamental role in our way forward. They inspire curiosity at the intersection of human and machine collaboration, encourage innovation and development, support cultural shift, and strengthen the cooperation of domains.
Artificial Intelligence has already awakened the curiosity of many leaders. However, in today’s volatile environment with the recent technological advancements curiosity alone is not enough. We need to act; and we need to act today. We need to tap further into the potentials of Artificial Intelligence, look beyond the wish for immediate commercial returns, and take long-term goals with societal well-being on top of our agendas. There should be no society needing to face existential questions, including the question of “Eat or Heat”.
“Visionary leaders and experts play a fundamental role in our way forward. They inspire curiosity at the intersection of human and machine collaboration, encourage innovation and development, support cultural shift, and strengthen the cooperation of domains.“
From Comfort-Zone to Future-Readiness
We are used to living in a globalized and well-connected world where everything is a click away – where we can afford to disconnect from the challenges of the rest of the world.
Times have changed. The climate crisis, the pandemic, and conflicts – which on global level exceed the number of any conflicts that the world has ever seen simultaneously since 1945 – have proved in recent years that we cannot ignore global-reaching crisis any longer. We are in the same boat. What happens in one corner of the world, sooner or later will impact other parts of the world.
We need to find ways to become more future-ready. But there is no silver bullet solution. We are facing challenges that before anything else require human intelligence – which combined with our advanced technologies, we could not only become more resilient but even prevent crises from happening. Based on recent advancements in technology and today’s volatile environments, it is our responsibility and top priority today to recognize and tap deeper into the potentials of smart technologies across industries, amplify and augment our human capabilities, and turn the combination of human and artificial intelligence to our businesses’, societies’ and fragile world’s best advantage.
“We are facing challenges that before anything else requires human intelligence – which combined with our advanced technologies, we could not only become more resilient but even prevent crises from happening.”
A Road Peppered with Challenges – Yet a Road We Must Take
Disruption and transition are nothing new. Throughout history, we can witness emerging technologies have always led to development, yet it was never technology on its own that led to change. It was the people behind it. People who dare to think outside of the box and dare to lead, take risks, learn from failures and work collaboratively. Visionary leaders who understand or are eager to understand the power and incredible potentials of our cognitive technologies with all their flaws, risks, and ethical implications – yet despite all the trials, are willing to take the road forward.
The road of transformation is indeed peppered with challenges, but need to take it. We need to look beyond today’s challenges and stakeholders’ immediate financial expectations and focus on innovative long-term solutions – which is not even only a necessity anymore but a must.
In agriculture, it means finding innovative ways to feed the world’s growing population sustainably, thus, growing more food with less environmental impact. In the banking and finance sector, it means supporting customers to help with the rising cost of living. In Appliances, Electrical, and Electronics as well as in Industrial Machinery Manufacturing this means finding more efficient ways of production, meaning producing to order while also managing supply chain challenges.
“It is our responsibility and top priority today to recognize and tap deeper into the potentials of smart technologies across industries, amplify and augment our human capabilities, and turn the combination of human and artificial intelligence to our businesses’, societies’ and fragile world’s best advantage.”
Mindset Shifting and Technological Scaling
Before any technological transformation can happen, leaders need to be able to trigger a change of mindset and cultural shift. Hand in hand with different domains – which means business, industry, academia, research, governments, and the mainstream media just to mention of few – leaders need to inspire understanding of the potential at the intersection of human and artificial intelligence.
Our success will depend on two main factors: humans and technology – shifting of mindsets and evolving from the trap of Proof of Concept, the combination of which is resulting in the scaling of AI.
To accommodate technological scaling and successful transformation, organizations also need to work with the talents. This does not mean however that we all need to become AI experts. For instance, a pharmaceutical company would not need to become a leader in IT. No; we have no time to waste and reinvent the wheel. We all need to remain focused on our core. Accommodating technological scaling means collaboration within the ecosystem – the transfer of skills, knowledge, and experiences, all of which result in advancement with joint forces.
”Artificial Intelligence has already awakened the curiosity of many leaders. However, in today’s volatile environment with the recent technological advancements curiosity alone is not enough. We need to act; and we need to act today.”
There is no Plan(et) B
As top priority, commercial goals need to be aligned with society’s agenda. There is no plan(et) B. By coming to the same moral and ethical grounds and having common goals, different industries and domains working together, success is possible.
“There is no Plan(et) B”
Leaders need to work together with all layers of the organization and collaborate across industries, progress through the transformation from being conservative to steady and eventually high performers in order to equip organizations, industries and societies with tools that are robust, easy to manage, and help us prevent, avoid or overcome crisis with speed.
We Should Never Have the Question “Eat or Heat”
We must come together to avoid devastating consequences and situations where for many it comes down to the question of “Eat or Heat?” – which no one should face. We have both the technological advances and enormous potentials as well as the human intelligence to ensure that no one needs to face questions like that.
“Eat or Heat?
We have both the technological advances and enormous potentials as well as the human intelligence to ensure that no one needs to face questions like that.”
Article Background Information
Context: C-Level Cross-Industry Boardroom Exchange (online, under Chatham House Rule)
Goal: to exchange on how leaders need to accommodate and accelerate innovation with AI in today’s volatile and unpredictable environments to the benefit of our businesses and societies worldwide
Participants: a handful of influential business leaders, CIOs, CDOs and CTOs with a leading cross-industry AI expert on board
Industries: Agriculture, Appliances, Electrical, and Electronics Manufacturing, Staffing and Recruitment, Insurance, Financial Services, Retail Luxury Goods and Jewellery, Industrial Machinery Manufacturing.
Facilitator: SwissCognitive, World-Leading AI Network
Moderator: Andy Fitze, Chief Digital AI Strategist, and Co-Founder of SwissCognitive
Article written and edited by: Andy Fitze, Chief Digital AI Strategist, and Co-Founder of SwissCognitive, and Livia Spiesz, Head of Global Business Relations and External Communications
Der Beitrag “Eat or Heat” – Renewed Expectations on AI at Board Level erschien zuerst auf SwissCognitive, World-Leading AI Network.
Source: SwissCognitive
