Despite rising investments in artificial intelligence (AI) by today’s enterprises, trust in the insights delivered by AI can be a hit or a miss with the C-suite. Are executives just resisting a new, unknown, and still unproven technology, or their hesitancy is rooted in something deeper? Executives have long resisted data analytics for higher-level decision-making, and have always preferred to rely on gut-level decision-making based on field experience to AI-assisted decisions.
Overcoming the C-Suite’s Distrust of AI
Business leaders are often comfortable using AI for tactical purposes — but aren’t yet ready to bring it into strategic decision-making.
March 23, 2022
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Summary.
Data-based decisions by AI are almost always based on probabilities (probabilistic versus deterministic). Because of this, there is always a degree of uncertainty when AI delivers a decision. There has to be an associated degree of confidence or scoring on the reliability of the results. It is for this reason most systems cannot, will not, and should not be automated. Humans need to be in the decision loop for the near future.
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New!
HBR Learning
HBR Learning
Ethics at Work Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Ethics at Work. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Avoid integrity traps in the workplace.