As AI becomes part of our everyday lives, do organisations still need values to guide their people? Or have they served their purpose and are set to become a thing of the past?

One of AI’s greatest appeals is its promise of neutrality. Algorithms don’t carry bias, emotion, or the need to contend with moral dilemmas. They process vast amounts of data and identify patterns at a speed and consistency that humans cannot match. If AI could make every decision based on facts and logic, the argument goes, values might indeed become unnecessary.

But if you work on the basis that every technology is coded by a human - values are more important than ever.

Far from making values obsolete, AI makes them even more critical. The more powerful technology becomes, the greater our moral responsibility in directing it.

Values determine what problems we ask AI to solve, what data we collect, and how we weigh competing interests when things go wrong.

We live in an era that craves connection, but it’s becoming harder to find. The World Health Organisation warns the next pandemic will be loneliness, so human interaction is still important. In fact, our lives depend on it.

What organisations need to remember is that to get the best out of technology, values and purpose are essential.

Consistency creates culture

Purpose and values are critical in making sure that people show up consistently, know what is expected of them,and how they can make a positive difference. They’re also what enables AI to do its best work. This isn’t about replacing humans – it’s a partnership.

Victoria Lewis-Stephens, Managing Director and Founder, says: “In a world of relentless focus on AI with significant advancements everyday, it’s not unreasonable for people to be worried about whether tech istaking over. But we need to reframe from how we think about technology to focuson the partnership that needs to co-exist between human interaction and automation. That means in most cases human interaction can, and should be,richer and more impactful.

In that world, purpose and values are the lifeblood of the future. The question shouldn’t be do we need values, but whether we can make them explicit, consistent, and adaptable enough to guide technologies that learn faster than we do.

AI doesn’t diminish the important role employees play, it shines a light on it, and begs the question: can companies make values core to how they operate in a consistent and meaningful way?”

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