Smart meters, data capturers, programmable devices; it seems as though everywhere we look computers are taking over our lives.

But is this really something new or is it only recently that we have become more aware of the potential for AI to replace some of the more mundane aspects of our business life?

After all, the ‘computer says no’ phenomenon has been in common parlance over a decade. And even before then the Monty Python sketch which commented that there is no place for sentiment in big business spoke of a world in which logic and profit outweighed other considerations.

Admittedly the eventual aim is to develop technology to such an extent that computers or robots or other devices can think for themselves. But perhaps for now we are getting ahead of ourselves perhaps we were ascribing and intelligence to our technology which at the moment does not exist.

Okay, so our heating system can make sure the house is warm when we come home, but it is only responding to a programme of time and temperature. And maybe our computers can churn out loyalty vouchers and incentives, but they are only responding in a set algorithm to known sets of data.

Free to innovate

And this is great. Because the more that we can use technology to take care of more routine tasks, the more we are free to bring human qualities such as intuition and questioning and exploring to our business world. Those building Next Generation organisations which have innovation at their heart understand that intelligence is far more than a simple set of facts and figures.

True intelligence may start from the what but it looks to clothe it in the how and the why. I may know that my customer buys x but why did they buy it, how do they use it, what drives their spending patterns. More importantly, does what they buy provide a genuine solution or satisfy a genuine need or is it simply the best that they can find or afford at the time. In other words, when we move beyond the data and start clothing it in genuine intelligence we are on our way to setting the parameters for devising innovative and game changing solutions.

Technology and artificial intelligence can and should be seen as means to an end. They can take care of the mundane, collect the raw data, or provide a base point. That frees people up to do what we do best; being genuinely innovative and providing solutions which have the potential to change business and personal lives.