In light of the tremendous technological progress AI has experienced over the last years, we find ourselves wondering what exactly the human and machine interface will look like in the future. A lot of hopes and questions are connected to this: What will our bond with technology look like? What kind of relationship do we want to have with AI?

At CourtCorrect, we like to think of an analogy from aviation here: we should not envision AI as being the human sitting next to us as we are preparing for takeoff. Rather, it’s the plane that we are already sitting in, this very moment, getting ready to fly. 

Aeroplanes are incredibly sophisticated pieces of machinery – and while they include a large amount of automation, they are machines built for human pilots. They blend together the best of human intuition and experience with machine-led tooling and data analysis. The result is not just the incredible ability to fly, but also a near-perfect safety record.

It is clear then, as French philosopher Gilbert Simondon already argued in the 50s, that a healthy, balanced relationship between people and machines is one where they are not working as rivals, but rather as complementary parts – one helping the other and vice versa.

The power to work towards that vision is in our hands. And more than that – it is already being realised every day by startups like CourtCorrect and Complaints Handlers across the UK alike. We do not strive for a humanlike robot, but rather work to expand the very limits of what we, as humans, can get done with AI. After all, we learned how to fly not by trying to recreate the human expertise of pilots, but by building a sophisticated machine with wings and controls that we humans could operate.

Think about this: if you are sitting in an aeroplane, you will want to know that you have full control over the machine that you are about to send sailing through the skies. Rather than having a robot sitting next to you, why not have a friendly colleague with whom you operate a flawless and incredibly safe piece of machinery that obeys your commands and helps keep you safe?

We should not envision AI as being the human sitting next to us as we are getting the aircraft ready. Rather, it’s the plane that we are already operating, in this very moment, preparing for takeoff.