Shaping The High-Performance Teams Of Tomorrow – AI, Brain Computer Interfaces and More

Tarina Hawkins has written several articles appearing here on the 21st Century Tech Blog. She prides herself in taking complex subjects and making them easy to understand. When not writing, she enjoys being outdoors in summer weather. Her topic today looks at the future of business productivity in the face of technological innovation. Enjoy the read and please feel free to send us your comments.

How can artificial intelligence (AI) improve human productivity in business? At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management, new research states AI has the potential to improve productivity across teams by 40%. Generative AI apps like ChatGPT 4.0, Gemini, Grok and others represent current high-performance additions for business teams to improve their productivity.

Off stage, another technology, brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), still in the early stages of development, may actually rewire our brains to make us smarter, sharper and even telepathic.

Teams that embrace these disruptive technologies could potentially be more focused, collaborative, and profitable. Will employers ask or force workers to accept BCIs? Can they? 

Watch out! The disruptive technology train has only started to head from the station and business is among its destinations. 

Generative AI Supports Data-Driven Decision Making

Generative AI (GenAI) tools are already having a huge impact in business, creating data-driven insights that support faster, better decision-making. To give some perspective, research indicates that over 50% of U.S. business teams are using genAI with those teams making decisions based on data, rather than instinct, 19% more likely to be profitable. GenAI tools find patterns in vast volumes of data that most humans overlook. 

Despite genAI’s widespread use, however, 91% of employees say they find inadequate workplace technology a hindrance with 77% stating they would feel more committed to the job with more reliable technology tools on hand.

Businesses take heed. Efficient laptop deployment improves employee productivity. Adding GenAI app tools on laptops seems like a no brainer. 

BCIs Can Create Super Smart Teams

New research indicates that BCIs can give high-performance teams an edge by improving attention, memory, and executive brain function. The way BCIs work is surprisingly simple. Scalp sensors monitor the brain’s electrical signals, which are then used to retrain the brain. Team members can watch their brain activity on a monitor in real-time, and teach their brains to replace unproductive habits with useful ones. This process of rewiring the brain is called neuroplasticity, and increases a brain’s capacity to learn and adapt. Fascinatingly, neuroplasticity is a defining feature of high-performance teams, who are 92% more innovative than weaker teams who don’t like to challenge themselves to learn new things regularly. 

BCI technology can be worn like a bathing cap or be implanted as a chip on a brain’s surface. Neuralink, one of Elon Musk’s companies, is at the forefront of implantable brain chips. A “Link” neural chip can be used to control devices including keyboards and a mouse using thought. A team with Neuralink implants could collaborate and share ideas simply by thinking. This is the ultimate sci-fi scenario where humans communicate telepathically.

Currently, Neuralink’s Link detects approximately 10,000 synapses. Future iterations will link to far more considering that the human brain contains as many as a quadrillion.

The next generation of Link chips will be biological containing living neurons with the potential to enhance cognitive performance for individuals and teams to levels never anticipated.   

Getting Chipped – A Bridge Too Far?

From a legal perspective, compelling employees to get chipped may be a bridge too far. GenAI has been adopted with minimal controversy. BCI is an entirely different ballgame entering the realm of body augmentation. In the United States, California, Missouri, and Ohio have passed laws prohibiting employers from mandating employees to get chipped. Other jurisdictions are considering similar legislation. Interestingly, the laws don’t stop employees themselves getting chipped of their own free will.

Imagine how much more unfair this can make an already tough job market. How can regular job seekers compete with those who choose to get augmented? Will future laws prohibit employers from picking those candidates who have already been chipped?