The Art of Necessary Discord: Building Teams That Think in Counterpoint

Technology has always reshaped the way businesses operate—from electricity to the internet, each wave brought disruption, doubt, and eventual transformation.

- TV Narendran is CEO & Managing Director, Tata Steel.

AI is next such wave. It is making change faster and more complex, opening new possibilities and responsibilities for how organisations earn the trust of customers.

AI promises automation of tasks and decisions that would otherwise require large, expensive teams, and offers flexibility of scale at marginal cost. It can enhance customer experience, personalise services, and unlock insights hidden in data. The potential is enormous; so is the responsibility. The question is not whether AI will matter, but how it can be applied safely, meaningfully, and to genuine customer advantage.

AI is powerful, but not infallible. It does not absolve management of the rigour, oversight, or responsibility of the outcomes it generates. Like every major technology in its early years, it will evolve through cycles of progress and correction. Errors and biases are inevitable because AI relies on digitised information that may or may not be validated. Its effectiveness depends not only on algorithms and training datasets but also on the quality of human supervision and the intent behind its use. If neglected, AI can easily turn from a business advantage into a business risk.

While optimism is justified, realism is essential. It may take years to smooth out AI's current limitations—its tendency to hallucinate, misread context, or deliver uneven accuracy.

In some tasks, AI shows near-human ability; in others, it falls short in surprising ways. The jagged edge of intelligence is what makes it fascinating and occasionally frustrating. As with any emerging technology, early overconfidence can backfire. Businesses must treat AI as an evolving assistant, not an infallible expert.