Generative AI presents new opportunities for accelerating human achievement

UiPath TOGETHER London gathered more than 800 innovators, partners, and customers for a deep dive into AI-powered automation. Among the many inspiring sessions, I had the opportunity to talk onstage with UiPath Co-Founder and Co-CEO Daniel Dines.

In a wide-ranging discussion, we covered the future of artificial intelligence (AI) in automation, the power of communication, and how the future of work will unleash human potential.

“One of the most astonishing inventions in human history”

It can be hard to keep up with the pace of change these days. I see us living in a time of unprecedented technology advances, and there’s new news every day, which can be pretty overwhelming.

In the technology industry, no topic has been more widely discussed this year than Generative AI. The astounding power of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT have captivated our collective curiosity, which Daniel labeled “one of the most astonishing inventions in human history.”

Daniel drew parallels between the evolution of human communication and the development of AI. He explained that language set us apart from other species—our ability to tell stories allowed us to work together and spread across the world. Communication was the key for work to progress from agriculture, then to factories, and eventually into knowledge-based jobs. But with the advent of AI, we may finally be “closing a circle in history” and freeing people to live out their purpose rather than needing to make a living through tedious work.

Because much of our knowledge is freely available on the internet, AI has been trained on nearly all of our collective wisdom, an unprecedented feat in human history. This, combined with the power of automation, will forever change how we work and interact with technology.

AI supports our purpose of accelerating human achievement

UiPath has always talked “about ‘accelerating human achievement’...and now I see behind the words. It’s about unchaining people and also empowering them. Because just unchaining is not enough—it’s also empowering them, showing them what to do in the new world of technology,” explained Daniel.

This goes beyond mere cost savings, which Daniel said was his first impression of automation. While that’s a significant benefit, the ability to deliver business goals faster and better is the real value-add.

UiPath customers each have their own unique purposes for making a difference in the world. Up to this point, automation has helped them make progress towards these goals more effectively and efficiently. And, despite negative headlines, the world really is getting better. 

And now, with the help of AI, we can accelerate these advances. For example, I talked about the talent challenges that companies continue to face due to labor shortages. By empowering employees, AI makes them more productive and able to do more with less. Ultimately, this helps UiPath customers provide more sophisticated support to the people and businesses they serve, furthering their missions.

But while AI can supplement many kinds of work, it can’t replace certain traits that separate humans from machines.

The role of AI in the future of work

While the power of AI is astonishing, it lacks a unique human ability to distinguish truth from untruth. Daniel noted that one of the greatest challenges this generation will face is distinguishing between these two as AI blurs the line between them.

In prior eras, human judgment wasn’t important for many roles. Daniel shared this example: if you worked in a coal mine, for instance, your reasoning skills weren’t relevant to your employer. But going forward, interpersonal skills like conflict resolution will be invaluable in the workplace for just about everyone. Reflecting on our own children, Daniel and I noted that their technology skills are far superior than our own at that age, and social skills needed to be more of a focus for the younger generation.

As we step into this new era, closer relationships between employees and companies will be indispensable. Nobody can predict exactly what the future will look like. But, as Daniel said, “we can go step by step in the right direction” and hopefully end up in a good place. Doing the right thing with the right people “has a multiplication effect, like compound interest.”

Together, we can continue to make incremental progress and accelerate human achievement.

Want to watch our full conversation? For a limited time you can access recordings of the TOGETHER London sessions. Don’t miss out!