One of the most persistent problems in AI products today is this: people still aren't sure what these systems are capable of, or how to get the best out of them. This is because most AI tools still greet users with a single blank box and a placeholder as vague as it is open-ended: "Ask anything." The result? Without clear guidance, users start crafting prompts in haste, iterate through endless revisions, lose control of the flow, and gradually pollute the context with fragmented instructions.
Dialogue and learning thrive when two "minds" challenge each other from separate vantage points. Structural separation keeps collaboration alive, turning distance into the space where insight forms. In my earlier post on parallax cognition, I proposed that depth in thinking comes from contrast, not convergence. When two distinct perspectives-human and artificial-observe the same problem from different computational vantage points, something new emerges.
Companies across various industries are investing heavily in AI to enhance employee productivity. A leader at the consulting firm McKinsey says he envisions an AI agent for every human employee. Soon, a factory manager will oversee a production line where human workers and intelligent robots seamlessly develop new products. A financial analyst will partner with an AI data analyst to uncover market trends. A surgeon will guide a robotic system with microscopic precision, while an AI teammate monitors the operation for potential complications.
It's 2025, and AI is no longer knocking at our doors: It's already in the building. Our people are using AI for a wide range of daily tasks, the demand for candidates with AI skills is growing, and AI is itself an important tool in the recruiting process. Meanwhile, L&D and talent leaders have moved beyond outsourcing rote tasks to AI and are now engaging it as a strategic and creative partner.
Sarah closed her laptop after another marathon day of back-to-back meetings. She glanced at her phone and smiled, a notification from Granola had already transformed her scattered notes from six different calls into beautifully organized summaries. No awkward meeting bots had invaded her calls. No clunky interfaces demanded her attention. The AI had simply worked. Invisibly. Perfectly. This moment captures something profound happening in product design right now: the rise of invisible AI that augments rather than replaces human intelligence.
Imagine you're working in a three-person team on a challenging bridge design project. Every decision about every truss is critical in the iterative design process. You have a good idea for the next design move to optimise the strength-to-weight ratio for a given truss. You state your case, and two of your teammates disagree, so you're outvoted. Now imagine that both of those teammates were artificial intelligence (AI) agents that overruled you.
Sometimes it seems the most direct route is to automate wherever possible, and to keep iterating until we get it right. Here's why that would be a mistake: imperfect automation is not a first step toward perfect automation, anymore than jumping halfway across a canyon is a first step toward jumping the full distance. Recognizing that the rim is out of reach, we may find better alternatives to leaping-for example, building a bridge, hiking the trail, or driving around the perimeter.
Our support teams are able to focus on more complex customer questions. These are engagements that really require human judgment, creativity, empathy—all things that AI can't do.
