The key to AI integration: Keeping things the same while innovating

The most groundbreaking innovations are those that drastically improve the tried and tested. This principle, “conservative innovation” suggests that true progress doesn’t require abandoning our way of working but rather building upon it. Often, innovation is misconstrued as the creation of entirely new concepts or processes. However, history’s greatest milestones demonstrate that the most impactful innovations expand upon existing foundations.

Think of the evolution from candle to light bulb: This wasn’t only a technological leap but a significant expansion of light’s role in human life. The light bulb retained the candle’s primary function—illumination—while vastly increasing efficiency, safety, and application scope. Yet, despite the light bulb’s superiority in brightness and utility, candles can be found everywhere, not because they are the most efficient or cheap illumination method but because of their ambience and ceremonial significance.

This coexistence of old and new embodies our philosophy towards integrating AI into our operations at DVJ Insights, and this is also the basis of the ongoing AI strategy. Having established the theoretical foundation, let’s explore how we practically embraced this philosophy.

In the last month, we have done many different things to integrate AI into the workflow, all within the concept of not forcing people to use it but showing everyone the capabilities. This resulted in the integration of Chat GPT into the daily operations of 70% of employees, demonstrating the power of specialised AI that is trained on DVJ-specific information which makes DVJ Insights unique and special.

Beyond just integrating current AI solutions, we are on a constant quest to explore emerging AI tools and technologies that promise to refine our operations and improve the solutions we offer instead of replacing them. This concept of wanting to always learn is something that is so important in AI adoption, especially when realising some ways of working exist for longer than the person writing this blog.

Open-mindedness, as described above, is essential in this technological transition. AI seems scary from afar but becomes nicer and more welcome the closer you get. The more you use AI, the better you understand the place for AI in the workplace. AI is here to collaborate, not to replace. And just like the arrival of the computer, you need to adapt your workflow to the existing technology. Not too long ago, the arrival of Excel would spell the end of accounting; however, after Excel’s arrival accounting became more popular and necessary than ever before.

As we look into the future, our vision for AI integration is guided by the principle of augmentative innovation. By marrying the new with the old, we not only preserve our identity but also enhance our efficiency, creativity and adaptability. The journey of integrating AI into DVJ-Insights is a testament to our belief in continuous learning and improvement. It’s about ensuring that every team member has access to the ‘light bulbs’ of technology while maintaining the ambient ‘candlelight’ of our values.

We invite others to consider how the ‘conservative innovation’ can illuminate the path forward in their own organisations. How will you embrace the light bulbs of tomorrow while preserving the candlelight of tradition?

Blog by Dennis Hulsebos