When we talk about AI, most of us imagine the robots from Star Trek or the system from Hal. AI is an all-encompassing AI that can complete almost all tasks without human intervention. Yet, today’s technical evolution of machine learning and large language models aren’t the all-encompassing self-enhancing, creative models from science fiction. They are single-task focused and highly optimized for specific use cases. This focus on particular tasks makes them ideal to work in hybrid scenarios alongside us.
Consequently, new AI inventions and strategic decisions must account for the technology’s limitations. They need to consider that AI isn’t genuinely intelligent. They also need to work around our human psychology, which craves human-to-human interaction, social status, and companionship. Thus, let us examine how to build a hybrid AI model.
What is a Hybrid AI Business Model?
Many of the first AI application companies were full-fledged AI businesses. Companies that did document summarization relied on the customer interacting only with the AI. The client had no human contact. In contrast, your florist, for example, is likely a purely non-AI company. You walk into the store, interact with the human being, and leave without touching a computer. The customer experience entirely focuses on human-to-human interaction.
AI Enhanced Hybrid models combine the best of both worlds. They have AI’s instant touch and scalability, as well as the human component, for more complex and emotional topics. The best-known example is customer service chatbots. We appreciate the immediate reaction from the website and how it can efficiently solve minor issues. At the same time, there is a comforting aspect of talking to a human being and feeling understood by the person on the other end of the phone line.
The Human Factor in Hybrid Models
This feeling of being understood and cared for is intrinsic to our nature. Humans are social creatures, and our brain chemistry stimulates our well-being when interacting with other pleasant human beings. Consequently, when we have delightful experiences, we try to replicate them.
The restaurant industry is at the forefront of perfecting it. Interaction with the staff and fellow dinner guests and the ability to show your status is more significant to our experience than the actual food and beverages. Consequently, fine dining is at no risk of replacing servers with kiosks or bar tenders with drink robots for cost savings. After all, that would lower the personal touch and human contact.
Similarly, credit card concierge services and personal assistance for hire continue to flourish even though AI could replicate most of their jobs without any issues. In both cases, feeling understood and cared for is more important than the increased costs. Additionally, the convenience of having a human who can solve the 10% of tasks an AI can’t do without waiting is swaying in favor of the additional spending.
Current Technology
It is not to say that concierge services and assistants don’t use AI. After all, they need to perform their jobs most efficiently. Thus, even in a fully human experience, we might get our request fulfilled by an AI in the background. The current technology is particularly conducive to this setup. The human in the loop can filter the conversation and control the quality of the output. Especially in scenarios where the expectations are high and the tolerance for lost time is low, the combination can help moderate the costs. Thus, the concierge service concierge or summaries of executive calls and meetings are prime targets for hybrid approaches.
On the other hand, Q&A preparations are an excellent case for hybrid scenarios. AI can summarize the content of submitted questions, group them, and filter differently worded duplicates. Thus, it can reduce the time a human spends identifying redundancies.
Hybrid Models – The Perfect Blend for Business Strategy
Our preferences for human contact, being understood, and social status might hinder the deployment of AI beyond the technical limitations. Hybrid scenarios, where AI does the preparatory work, the lifting in the background, or the initial fact-finding, can ensure that our experience aligns with our preferences. Especially in high-stakes scenarios or when quality control is critical, the additional filtering of a hybrid scenario can help make us feel understood and valued.
Our social skills and expectations have developed over millennia. Large Language Models will not change our intrinsic demand for human contact or modify our expectations. Thus, Businesses must choose AI strategies that align with their customers’ and employees’ expectations.