Face the future
Find topics such as AI, Robotics, Cybersecurity,
Autonomous Vehicles, and more among the lifelong
learning electives on offer to all Hult alumni. You’ll
find this year’s registration link in upcoming alumni
newsletters, on social channels, and on Hult Connect.
design and lead organizations in an era of cog-
nitive computing.
To figure out how, we’re diving deep into
what we call “symbio-intelligence,” a sym-
biotic relationship that partners the best of
human and machine intelligence. For exam-
ple, the days of humans beating smart ma-
chines at chess are long gone, says former
chess grandmaster Patrick Wolff. Pairings of
human grandmasters with AI-powered chess
applications, however, can beat even the best
machines.
In this “centaur chess,” human and AI capa-
bilities enhance each other. The human chess
player sees an image of a chess configuration,
envisions a winning constellation, and then de-
velops a strategy to get from current to winning
states, Wolff explains. Meanwhile, the comput-
er calculates likelihoods and recognizes pat-
terns in the match as it evolves, recommending
changes to the strategy on the fly.
This is the future of work, too: human-
machine pairs playing at a higher level of pur-
pose, creativity, and productivity. Hence, the
fear of competition between human and ma-
chine is overblown in the mid- to long-term.
In the near term, though, machines
will displace humans in routine tasks. The
economics of efficiency will drive for that.
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Prof. Groth is co-
author (with Mark
Nitzberg, PhD)
of the acclaimed
Solomon’s Code:
Humanity in a
World of Thinking
Machines, Pegasus
Books, 2018, which
explores the
social and ethical
implications of the
rise of AI and is
available on Amazon.
As Hult-style responsible and ethical global
business leaders, let us create jobs that allow
humans to play at that higher level of fulfill-
ment. If we get it right, we can create a cog-
nitive economy with much greater job satis-
faction for humans. But to do so, we need to
look beyond economics and prioritize human
growth alongside financial-economic growth.
This will require a values-based relation-
ship with AI and a human-centric growth
formula for business leaders.
Intelligent machines represent the trans-
formative growth opportunity for humans
and societies, not just for markets. The time
to analyze, reflect, dialogue, and act on these
implications is now!
So, let’s get to it, and design the pur-
pose-filled future of working, learning, and
earning that people—and the global genera-
tion in particular—want to live.
Prof. Olaf Groth is a full-time professor for global
strategy, innovation, economics, and futures at Hult,
adjunct Professional Faculty at UC Berkeley’s Haas
International Business School, CEO of Cambrian Futures
Inc. (a deep tech strategy and product development
consultancy), and serves as a member of the Global
Expert Network of the World Economic Forum. Prior
to Hult, he spent 20+ years in corporate management
and strategy consulting firms.
Faculty
Grow
Your
Own
Way
No longer living by the (text)book, today’s students have infinite knowledge at their
fingertips. As our learning bandwidth increases, how do we gather the lessons we
need—in school, in business, and in life? Never ones for “traditional” learning,
Hult alumni are empowering themselves (and others) to evolve education for
better, for all.
Ways of Learning
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