AI Won't Replace Innovators and Fresh Thinking

How can AI and ChatGPT be useful in a world hungry for solutions to business problems? Will it ever replace people who come up with big ideas -- the entrepreneurs, researchers or scholars? Two thought leaders in this area recently shared their thoughts on this topic.

Tom Davenport is an acclaimed author, researcher, speaker, and professor helping businesses embrace major 21st century opportunities in artificial intelligence, analytics, big data, and more. A Babson College professor, Davenport is the author of 20 books, including “All in on AI: How Smart Companies Can Win Big With Artificial Intelligence.” He has also written about how companies can use amateurs and non-scientist "citizens" to develop applications, make sense of data, and automate work processes.

Glenn Leibowitz is Group Head of Communications for McKinsey & Company’s Greater China region (based in Taipei, Taiwan), and a talented writer in his own right. He was recognized for four straight years as a LinkedIn Top Voice: twice in the Marketing & Social Media category and twice in the Management & Workplace category.  

Both Davenport and Leibowitz recently appeared on separate episodes of “Everything Thought Leadership,” a video + podcast series hosted by Buday Thought Leadership Partners. This edited video shows the part of their interviews where they shared their thoughts on the potential and drawbacks of AI. Davenport feels that AI is no substitute for original ideas generated by humans. Leibowitz says that AI can help the people who do research that leads to those big ideas — a virtual “executive assistant” to unearth what others have found.

While these comments were directed towards thought leaders and those who help them develop and communicate their ideas, Davenport's and Leibowitz's perspectives will also resonate with innovators, researchers and others whose focus is developing fresh approaches to problems.