Steering generative AI towards nondisruptive creation

The rise of generative AI has sparked both excitement and anxiety. The race to develop the best large language models and large multimodal models have seen the likes of OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, and other emerging players put out services that make us rethink how we do knowledge work. However, these fast-paced developments also stoke fears of technological displacement, as AI moves into cognitive domains previously reserved for humans.

Amid this polarized discourse, it is easy for us to assume that AI must be inherently disruptive – that for something new to rise, something old must fall. Silicon Valley tech startups tend to embrace disruptive innovation as a sort of holy grail, as if the only way to create and capture immense value is to “move fast and break things”. But this is a false dichotomy. This reflects a zero-sum mindset that frames industries as jungles, where only the efficiently productive survive.

If we are to prove that business can indeed be a force for good, we must chart a path for the use of AI to be truly human-centered—an approach that dignifies people and contributes to the flourishing of our collective well-being. Thus, we must steer the use of AI towards complementing and empowering humans rather than replacing us. We can pursue symbiosis, not substitution.

Instead of disruptive innovation, perhaps we can pursue an alternative – "nondisruptive creation" – a new framework from the 2023 book Beyond Disruption authored by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne. Nondisruptive creation is different from disruptive innovation and blue ocean strategy – this alternate approach seeks to generate growth by addressing brand new problems or opportunities, not by disrupting existing industries. 

In my view, if we expand our perspective, generative AI is more particularly suited for nondisruptive creation rather than disruptive innovation. Imagine: for the first time, we have tools that can generate human-like content across text, images, audio, video, and more. The potential to democratize creativity and augment human capabilities is immense. But if we subscribe to the mainstream paradigm of disruptive innovation, we risk job displacements and incurring great social costs. Wouldn’t it be such a disservice for a great technology to stunt societal growth rather than contributing to our collective flourishing?

To steer generative AI towards nondisruptive creation, we need a new playbook.

First, we must focus on augmentation, not on human-displacing automation. Instead of asking "how can we cut costs?", we should ask "how can we create value for all?". The goal should be to enhance human capabilities, not just drive efficiencies and productivity without regard for human well-being. When we free up the need for workers to do mundane tasks due to automation, instead of displacing them, wouldn’t it be more valuable to upskill them and make them focus on more creative, meaningful, and insightful activities?

Second, we need to look for opportunities outside the boundaries of existing jobs and industries. This means deeply understanding the unmet needs and untapped potential of knowledge workers across domains. It requires imagining new possibilities for human-AI collaboration, not just optimizing existing workflows. Business organizations and schools should develop think tanks or task forces that can help imagine new and meaningful ways of working.

Third, we must challenge the assumption that AI will necessarily replace humans. Even the most advanced AI today lacks the general intelligence and adaptability of humans. AI should be a tool to enhance our creativity, not a replacement for it. 

To make this vision a reality, organizations need both advanced AI capabilities and deep interdisciplinary expertise spanning technology, business, psychology, design, ethics, and the like. We need to tap into diverse pools of knowledge, both internally and externally. And we need to adopt a mindset of creating new possibilities, not just driving efficiencies.

When generative AI is pursued in this nondisruptive way, everyone benefits. Companies can drive innovation and growth without the pain of mass layoffs. Workers can harness the power of AI without fearing for their jobs. And society can enjoy the fruits of technological progress without the disruption of technologically-driven unemployment. 

If we want a future like this, we must engage in active choices and responsible stewardship from those building and deploying generative AI. We need managers and business educators who are willing to live in the adjacent possible – anticipating the risks and benefits of generative AI and putting stakeholders into a position of flourishing. We need technologists to not be limited by a narrow view of automation and instead pursue AI-augmented creative thinking. We need business leaders to prioritize value creation over cost reduction. And we need policymakers to foster an environment that incentivizes augmentation over displacement.

The rise of generative AI presents a pivotal opportunity to shape the future of work and creativity. By embracing the principles of nondisruptive creation, we can steer this powerful technology towards empowering people, growing the economic pie or even creating new ones, and painting a future where humans and AI work together in harmony. 

To disrupt or not? The choice is ours to make.