Humans vs. AI: Who's the Real MVP When the Game Changes?

Word count: 1229 Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Key Takeaways:

• Humans are naturals at adapting to new situations on the fly, while AI struggles to keep up

• AI lacks the concept of "self," which is a key ingredient in human flexibility

• Before relying on AI for critical tasks, companies need to understand its current limitations

Picture this: you wake up in a hotel room, walk into a library, hop behind the wheel, or swipe to open your favorite app. Boom! Just like that, you've already sized up your surroundings and know exactly what to do next. It's like you've got a superpower for figuring out where you are and what you can do there. But here's the kicker – AI hasn't quite cracked that code yet.

According to Julian De Freitas, an assistant professor at Harvard Business School, AI might be awesome at specific tasks, but it's got a long way to go before it can match the lightning-fast flexibility that comes naturally to us humans. In his recent article "Self-Orienting in Human and Machine Learning," published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, De Freitas sheds some light on why AI is still playing catch-up in the adaptability game.

So, what's the secret sauce that makes humans so dang good at rolling with the punches? De Freitas says it all comes down to having a sense of "self." We humans know who we are and what we're capable of, and we use that knowledge to pivot like pros when the situation calls for it. But AI? Not so much. It hasn't quite figured out the whole "self" thing yet, which means it can struggle to switch gears when the environment throws a curveball.

This limitation is a pretty big deal, especially for companies banking on AI to streamline their operations and boost productivity. Imagine an self-driving car that suddenly finds itself stuck in a ditch. A human driver would instantly know that the problem has changed from "get from A to B" to "get unstuck ASAP." But an AI system? It might be left scratching its virtual head, wondering what the heck just happened.

De Freitas and his crew decided to put AI to the test and see how it stacked up against humans in the adaptability department. They whipped up four video games and set both humans and AI loose to see who could complete the tasks faster. The games were designed to test the players' ability to find themselves and adapt to increasingly tricky scenarios that messed with their sense of self.

The results? Humans: 4, AI: 0. Yep, you read that right. Humans crushed it, solving every game faster than the machines. It's like self-orientation doesn't even exist for AI right now.

So, what does AI need to do to level up its adaptability game? De Freitas says developers need to figure out how to teach AI to fill in the gaps and solve problems in situations it's never seen before – you know, like humans do all the time. Take a doctor in the ER, for example. One minute, they're treating a healthy young patient, and the next, they're helping a disabled elderly person. A good doc knows they need to switch gears and not just focus on treatment, but also make sure the older patient gets the extra help they need. That's the kind of flexible problem-solving that AI needs to master.

De Freitas and his pals are working on giving AI the same self-orienting superpowers that humans have, but it's no cakewalk. In the meantime, he's got some words of wisdom for companies looking to jump on the AI bandwagon:

1. Take it slow when using AI in fast-changing situations. If the environment is constantly shifting, humans are gonna run circles around the machines.

2. Don't ignore the gap between AI and human abilities. The first step to bridging that gap is acknowledging it exists and figuring out how to work around it.

Why It Matters: Let's face it – AI is the new hotness, and everyone wants a piece of the action. But before we hand over the keys to the kingdom, we need to make sure we understand what AI can and can't do. Right now, AI is like that kid who's amazing at one specific video game but falls apart when you switch to a different one. It's great at nailing specific tasks, but when the rules change, it's left floundering.

That's where humans come in. We're the ultimate adapters, able to roll with the punches and think on our feet no matter what life throws our way. And that flexibility is worth its weight in gold, especially in the business world.

So, before you go all-in on AI, take a step back and think about where it makes sense to use it and where you might need a human touch. If you're dealing with a fast-paced, ever-changing environment, AI might not be your best bet. But if you've got a specific, well-defined task that needs to be done quickly and efficiently, AI could be your new best friend.

The key is to know your AI's limits and plan accordingly. Don't just assume it can handle anything you throw at it – take the time to really understand what it's capable of and where it might fall short. That way, you can make informed decisions about when to rely on AI and when to let humans take the lead.

At the end of the day, the goal isn't to pit humans against machines – it's to find the perfect balance between the two. By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of both, we can create a dream team that's unstoppable. So let's embrace the power of AI, but never forget the unbeatable adaptability of the human mind. Together, there's nothing we can't handle.

Source: https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/how-humans-outshine-ai-in-adapting-to-change

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