Human-Wrapped AI:
My bet for the AI future
The AI landscape today: my perspective
Generative AI has brought us into an era of rapid transformation. This is what it must have felt like to be in the tech world during the 90s–00s – a period of rapid innovation, huge investments, and unsustainable growth. This AI-driven surge is exciting, but let’s be clear: it is also a bubble that will eventually deflate, forcing the industry to self-correct. Looking back, the leap from nothing to the internet and then to Google search was monumental, but the recent move from Google to ChatGPT feels less revolutionary in comparison.
For the absence of doubt, AI is still our generational opportunity - this is our internet. The current phase, and the next few iterations, of AI peaks with most industries transforming through process automation and further consolidation of their central tech stack. Each new iteration will continue to erase already deployed capital, enterprise valuations, and foundational segments of the global GDP.
That said, the value of trust derived from human expertise is poised to increase exponentially, especially in highly complex, specialised, and regulated sectors where there remains zero tolerance for error. To bridge the widening gap between these AI advancements and the nuanced finesse of human experts, I propose the concept of ‘Human-Wrapped AI’.
Introducing Human-Wrapped AI
Human-Wrapped AI is a model where subject matter experts create AI systems tailored to their expertise, incorporating proprietary knowledge, lived experiences, and relevant external data. In this model:
The expert remains the primary interface for client interactions, presenting themselves solely based on their professional expertise – not as an “AI professional.”
The AI operates behind the scenes, amplifying the expert’s capabilities without altering their professional identity or personality.
Data security and privacy are non-negotiable, with robust measures protecting both the expert’s intellectual property and the clients’ data.
The model emphasises that AI serves as a co-pilot, not a replacement, ensuring only those with deep expertise can effectively leverage it.
tl;dr: Human-Wrapped AI transforms professionals with deep expertise from good to great. But for those with average skills, AI won’t bridge the gap – instead, it will only maintain the status quo.
How Human-Wrapped AI stands apart
While AI frameworks like Human-in-the-Loop AI, AI augmentation, and human-centred AI have gained traction, Human-Wrapped AI introduces a distinct approach tailored to the future of work and expertise. Here are my one-liner differentiations from the status quo:
Human-in-the-Loop AI
Status quo: Focuses on humans training the AI, with a unidirectional flow of knowledge from human to AI. In a medical context, experts label diagnostic images or clinical data through supervised learning, helping the AI to recognise patterns, such as identifying tumours or anomalies.
Human-Wrapped AI: Goes beyond training by establishing a bidirectional flow of knowledge. The AI not only suggests whether the data indicates the specific disease but also provides additional insights, such as unexpected indicators for related conditions, enriching the expert’s diagnostic process.
AI Augmentation
Status quo: AI automates repetitive tasks, offering generic improvements to productivity. A financial analyst might use AI to generate market trend reports, but the tool remains disconnected from their proprietary strategies.
Human-Wrapped AI: AI integrates with the analyst’s unique methods and insights, co-creating outputs that reflect their approach. Instead of automating isolated tasks, the AI learns from the expert, tailoring recommendations to match their strategies, creating a personal competitive advantage.
Human-Centred AI
Status quo: AI is designed to align broadly with human values—like reducing bias in hiring—but it’s rarely tailored to specific workflows. An HR system might flag diverse candidates but struggle with the nuances of niche hiring practices.
Human-Wrapped AI: AI is embedded within the HR professional’s workflow, learning from their past decisions to refine its recommendations. It bridges ethical design with practical, domain-specific applications, allowing the professional to trust and control the system fully.
Status Quo AI Use in Industries
Status quo: Many industries use AI for broad automation – processing claims in insurance, reviewing contracts in legal, or diagnosing illnesses in healthcare. However, this can feel impersonal, risking client trust and over-relying on AI outputs.
Human-Wrapped AI: Brings AI into highly specialised, nuanced workflows, where human judgement is indispensable. This ensures that automation doesn’t sacrifice quality, compliance, or the human touch.
Looking ahead to the Human-Wrapped AI era
As AI continues to redefine industries and workflows, my Human-Wrapped AI framework rejects the widespread misconception that AI will ultimately replace all humans. The path forward focuses on emphasising human expertise while preserving trust, individuality, and the human touch in a world increasingly powered by technology.
For subject-matter experts, this model represents the ultimate opportunity to:
expand expertise: scale the impact of proprietary knowledge built through lived experiences while maintaining the personal touch that clients value.
leverage AI without losing identity: Use AI to enhance professional judgement and gut calls, not replace them.
outperform the (new) average: In industries with zero tolerance for mistakes or mediocrity, true expertise – and the trust it garners – will always come out on top.
Human-Wrapped AI is my vision for how AI and humans will partner and win together. This blog introduces the concept; in future discussions, I will explore real-world applications and test its potential across industries already applying this balance.
The moment to embrace Human-Wrapped AI is now: focus on how technology demonstrates, not overshadows, your expertise and credibility.
