Are we asking the wrong questions when it comes to AI?

In summary

The recent unlocking of the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) has been met with a wave of both optimism and fear. Businesses see the potential for greater efficiency, cost savings, and new opportunities, while many workers fear their roles could be automated out of existence.

Headlines frequently swing between utopian promises of productivity gains and dystopian warnings about mass job loss.

Take the example of radiology. In 2016, the widely acclaimed ‘godfather’ of AI, Geoffrey Hinton, suggested we should stop training radiologists altogether with AI-driven scanners set to surpass human efficiency and accuracy in taking medical readings.

This is not a view shared by Feng Li, Associate Dean for Research and Innovation, and Chair of Information Management at Bayes Business School, who has spent his career examining how organisations can responsibly embrace digital transformation.

As a member of the Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)’s Artificial Intelligence Consortium, and a trusted advisor to both business leaders and policymakers, Professor Li is leading research on clarifying AI’s future role in business and society.

His argument is that rather than asking whether AI will replace humans, we should focus on how we choose to redesign work in light of these emerging tools.

In the case of radiology, he argues machine learning is only capable of automating some of the many tasks radiologists actually perform. A radiologist’s role, he says, is not only to interpret results but to contextualise them within a broader medical picture and support patients through their care journey.

If AI automates some of radiologists’ core tasks, the challenge becomes how to reorganise the remaining responsibilities, raising complex questions about job redesign and how we manage organisational and broader institutional changes.

What did we explore and how?

The example of the changing nature of radiology highlights Professor Li’s central research subject. Rather than looking at how many jobs AI will take, he has been encouraging businesses and sectors to ask how work itself should evolve.

The future of work lies in rethinking roles, processes, and relationships so that humans and AI can complement one another.

For instance, by allowing machines to take on repetitive or data-intensive tasks, professionals can focus more on decision-making, strategy, and human connection – areas where human judgment and emotional intelligence remain irreplaceable.

Unlike technological developments, which can happen rapidly, institutional changes are usually slow and can take considerable time and effort to accomplish.

Benefits and influence of this research

Instead of framing AI as a zero-sum game between humans and machines, Professor Li urges leaders to consider how it can be integrated to benefit both businesses and society at large.

His work is widely published in leading academic journals, including the Journal of Management, Academy of Management Discovery, Technovation, European Journal of Information Systems, International Journal of Production and Operations Management, British Journal of Management, as well as professionally oriented journals such as Journal of Financial Transformation and Harvard Business Review.

Beyond academia, he is a sought-after media commentator, regularly appearing on BBC News, The Telegraph, and the Financial Times.

Professor Li also advises global tech businesses and policy makers, such as Slack, VMware and Amazon Web Services – and recently gave a keynote to the Prime Minister of Vietnam along with ministers and 350 business leaders.

This conversation is not just about technology, it is about the kind of future we want to create.

By reframing the questions we ask, Professor Li suggests, we can move towards an AI-enabled world that amplifies human potential rather than diminishes it.