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October 12, 2023

Two new research reports have been launched by SogetiLabs under the theme of Scarcity in Abundance – they describe a future where an abundance of artificial intelligence, and a scarcity of physical resources (such as water, metals, a stable climate, and biodiversity), coincide.

The paradox that arises from this presents organizations and society with a major dilemma: using artificial intelligence to stimulate economic growth leads to more scarcity of physical resources. We see both the tumultuous growth of the economy in recent decades, and the recent explosion in the use of AI, as a major social experiment and the reports delve in to the major issues of our time.

The Great AI Experiment

“The Great AI Experiment” provides an in-depth analysis on the impact of artificial intelligence to society and business, and the various order effects of the further spread of AI. For example, we are dealing with the consumerization of AI: we see that AI applications are increasingly integrated into our daily lives and work. We also describe the potential of machine creativity, and its influence on business processes and innovation, but also warn of the unforeseen effects of an abundance of artificial intelligence.

The Rise of the Experience Ecology

In “The Rise of the Experience Ecology” we explore the complex interaction between economic, ecological, and socio-psychological trends. We investigate how these trends lead to new challenges, and opportunities, for business and society, and the revolutionary changes that are needed in the future. In two scenarios, post-growth and eco-modernism are outlined, and the report also places a specific focus on the role of IT in concepts including techno-sobriety, consciousness technology, and ‘deep’ technology. The report notes that the growing influence of IT on greenhouse gas emissions means that there is an increasingly critical view of the use of information technology.

The Intelligent Interface

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) as ‘the’ new interface can be felt in many organisations. The use of AI for information gathering, also known as ‘prompting’ is becoming more commonly used. Prior knowledge is less important on the work floor as AI tirelessly provides relevant answers. In your organisation, you might see a discord between people who won’t have any of it yet, on one side, and those who fully embrace AI, on the other. With the latter not fully committing as necessary guidelines, or ‘guardrails’, are still in development.