People and AI: where do people still matter most?
Machines now do many things faster than we can. Some things still need a person, and that is where companies should invest more.
Ramy MortadaRM × AI
Every week there is a new tool doing something we thought needed a person. That leaves many people asking: so what do we do now? The more important question, in my view, is: what would we lose if the machine did it alone?
Judgment in grey areas
Machines are excellent at clear cases. Real work is full of unclear ones: an upset but important customer, a deal that looks good but feels wrong. That takes someone with experience and context who can own the decision.
Relationships and trust
People buy from people they trust, especially for big decisions. The machine can prepare the meeting, summarise the history and suggest the next step, but trust is built by the person sitting across from the customer.
The right question and the direction
Machines answer very well when the question is clear. But who decides the question in the first place? Who decides where the company is going, and what it will not do? That is leadership, and it will not be automated.
So what do we do?
Let the machine take everything repetitive and clear. Invest the time saved in the things above: judgment, relationships and direction. The companies that win will not be the ones with the most tools, but the ones that split the work well between people and machines.
