In her welcome remarks at the 12th edition of the Dive In Festival, WTW Head of Great Britain for WTW and Head of Employee Experience Consulting, Europe and International, Gaby Joyner opened with, "AI is changing the way we work at an unprecedented pace. We are talking about it every day with clients. We are talking about it every day internally.
“It is a topic that matters to all of us, from those starting their careers to the most senior leaders in our organisations. The theme is grounded in the future of our industry, because while technology continues to evolve, one thing remains constant: people.”
The human in the loop
Keynote speaker Secure Horizons Executive Director Sarah Armstrong-Smith leaned into Ms Joyner’s remarks, saying, “When we think about AI, we think about it from a technology perspective, and a technology transformation. But you should consider where we are as a human revolution instead.”
“The interesting thing is AI is still software developed by humans, and what can we say about humans is we are all inherently biased,’ said Ms Armstrong-Smith.
“We all come with a level of bias and that can come down to our own lived experiences. It can come down to culture and where we live. It comes down to values, and it comes down to being able to determine right from wrong, and right from wrong.
She also said, “But who decides what is right and wrong? Who decides where this moral compass is?
“So, we try to make the AI ethical. We want it to be responsible and reliable. But where do we set the boundary? Humans like to push the boundaries, so what was right and wrong yesterday is no longer right and wrong tomorrow.”
Humans leaving the loop
While it was always said that humans would remain the loop in AI, intelligent AI “came along not less than two years ago, and suddenly we changed our mind and decided we did not need a human in the loop anymore”, said Ms Armstrong-Smith.
“When we talk about this level of productivity and start thinking of getting rid of some jobs, what people hear in their own organisations is that they are not required any longer,” she said.
“The most dangerous thing this can lead to as a result of that is not AI; it is apathy, because people stop caring.”
In turn, this may leave to stagnation and “decision paralysis”, she continued.
Strong leadership needed in the insurance industry
Linking this to the insurance market, Ms Armstrong-Smith said, “in this sector, you meet people at their worst point.
“We need to be very mindful about the use of AI and about the level of human control. How can we put AI to its best use? Looking at the social impact, how can we make lives better? How can we improve services and how do we improve the future for everybody?”
She said, “That requires strong leadership, strong control and emphasis, and accountability and transparency, to come together.