Unless we find a way to combat it, AI will make us all stupider. This is not being given the attention it should. As Silicon Valley trumpets an ever-accelerating rush into the arms of unconstrained AI, our region has the opportunity to assert itself as a voice for a simple truth: people matter. We add value. We don’t have to be stupid.
Not concerned about this? You should be. Ask the people who are researching the effect of widespread AI utilization on an organization. Professors in our region at Georgetown and Washington and Lee universities are leading in this effort. There is a growing body of published research stating plainly that generative AI is an organizational crutch or stifler of creativity. For example, a recently publicized paper by Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon states that when humans work closely with AI in an organization humans have a “deterioration of cognitive faculties.”
The researchers from Georgetown and W&L go further than that. They have found that when AI use becomes widespread in a group, AI strongly and rapidly draws organizational ideation and problem solving inexorably towards the AI’s prompt responses. AI’s answers become the common knowledge – the truth of an organization. A previously creative group’s differentiated ideas become similar with rapid speed: group think prevails. I have seen this data, and it is chilling.
I am not going to argue that for this reason AI should be regulated or constrained. That ship has sailed with the Trump administration’s approach to technology regulation. AI’s development and use will expand rapidly and dramatically. With its overall success and utility measured solely by economic efficiency.
Instead, I believe that we need to find commercial approaches to demonstrate human value add on top of AI. What will that be based upon? Creativity: the ability for someone (AI or human) to come up with a novel idea. Why creativity? Because the supporters for unconstrained AI, and those that wish to regulate it, all agree that human creativity is the way that people will remain relevant. People must learn to work with AI as “hybrids” where they take what AI tools can do and add human insights. Or they must find ways to provide novelty and insight that is not available when AI is ubiquitous.
In short, they must demonstrate the human value advantage. And we must create ways to help people demonstrate that they matter.
If our business community focuses on defining and defending the human value advantage, this will create many business opportunities. It will also allow our region to play a meaningful leadership role in the AI boom.
Using our understanding of the human value advantage, our educational institutions could lead the nation on the adoption of AI into the curricula with an equal focus to English, math and science. Measuring human creativity would allow educators to evaluate their instruction and student progress. Our start up community could develop new products and services that would be differentiated from companies elsewhere. Our region’s economic development officers and politicians could find the vision to fund programs that train our people how to use AI as a tool — make them the hybrids that our Silicon Valley brethren call out for and allow them to show that they in fact are adding value. At a time of massive dislocation in our local government employment, this could give a group of highly skilled people new avenues to employment.
Let’s not fool ourselves, the AI boom is not being led by this region. It is a Silicon Valley led trend, and its proponents have a Silicon Valley centric point of view. It is also a view that hopes to disintermediate our region’s government contract and innovation community. At best this region will be an afterthought in the AI wave. Unless it finds a way to advocate and stand for something that is also valuable.
I am suggesting that this region exercise the one skill that is necessary for all of us to remain relevant. Be creative and do something new. Focus on human value as a driver of economic growth.
Jonathan Aberman, a partner in Ruxton Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm, contributes regularly to the Washington Business Journal.
