Humans still matter when it comes to artificial intelligence

Heino Gehle

But as AI technology continues to develop rapidly, prominent personalities including Stephen Hawking and Bill Gates have voiced their concern about the rise of super-intelligent machines. They question they ask is: “How dangerous could AI become?”

We’ve all watched at least one science fiction movie where an intelligent robot goes rogue and tries to destroy all humanity. And while we certainly aren’t ignoring the valid concerns raised about super-intelligent machines, it is possible that AI and humans can be complementary.

Rather than put man against machine, there is a way to combine the two to create a unique and innovative, digital personal assistant: a product called Hey Jude, created by PLP Group. It’s the world’s first hybrid human artificial intelligence app. The app uses the very latest in technology to find data and streamline the request process, but it’s backed by a 700-seat call centre of very human agents, called Judes, who add emotional intelligence to the AI.

Value of human emotional intelligence

We’re a technology-driven company but we also realise the value of human emotional intelligence. Machines can be programmed to act in an intelligent manner and even though there are some tasks that AI can perform more competently, what they cannot do is outperform humans when a job requires common sense and reasoning.

In the world of digital personal assistants, AI efficiently answers most requests but it’s not smart enough for more complex demands, and this is why Hey Jude was developed.

The app uses the latest smartphone services, from geo-location to mobile wallets, and the Judes use this AI information to make informed decisions when they are responding to customers’ requests.

Human emotional intelligence is just too important to be replaced by AI, and that’s part of the success of Hey Jude.