How Artificial Intelligence Redefines Competence and Value

Decades ago, an eminent physicist’s IQ would place him just below today’s average. Yet, if we reverse the journey, our contemporary minds would appear exceptionally bright in the early 20th century. This perspective shift underscores not just how we measure intelligence but how we value different cognitive abilities through history.

Intelligence Through the Ages

From the philosophical pursuits of ancient Greece to the Renaissance’s creative explosion, what we consider ‘intelligent’ has been in constant flux. The Enlightenment brought reason to the fore, whereas the 20th century sought to quantify intellect with the IQ score. Today, we’re increasingly valuing adaptability and digital savvy over standardized metrics.

Intelligence as Innovation

Innovation, like intelligence, follows a lifecycle. Initially scarce and highly valued, innovations gradually become commonplace. The story of condensed soup innovation by a chemist at Campbells is a perfect analogy. The once rare ‘intelligence product’ of chemists became a standard requirement, demonstrating the cycle from scarcity to ubiquity.

AI and the New Landscape of Intelligence

Artificial intelligence, from NLP to machine learning, is fast becoming the new baseline for ‘intelligent’ activity in businesses. But as AI becomes more widespread, its strategic value may diminish. To stay ahead, one must now leverage the human brain’s rarer outputs – creativity, intuition, and emotional intelligence.

Staying Valuable

AI excels at tasks associated with the brain’s left hemisphere – logical, analytical, and methodical thinking. However, the right hemisphere – responsible for intuition, creativity, and empathy – remains a bastion of human uniqueness. In the era of AI, nurturing right-brain skills could be the key to differentiation and success.

As AI advances, there is a clear path for human intellect: embracing the right hemisphere’s capabilities. The future belongs to those who can think differently, innovate with intuition, and create with a touch of human brilliance.

The rise of artificial intelligence invites us to redefine intelligence itself. As AI becomes more integrated into our work and life, the value of human cognition shifts from quantitative measures to qualitative, creative, and intuitive abilities. By understanding and nurturing these inherently human traits, we can differentiate ourselves in a rapidly evolving digital world.

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