What is AI augmentation?

Let’s be clear: this isn’t a soft alternative to automation. It’s a different mindset altogether. Automation removes the person. Augmentation elevates the person. It’s about amplifying what makes us human – our curiosity, our imagination, our ability to collaborate and lead. And using AI to unlock those qualities in ways we couldn’t before.

So what does that look like?

What is AI augmentation?

In this video, Professor Stijn Viaene explains how AI can help us to do our job better - and how we can use technology to support human progress, in the way we think, in the way we act, and in the way we lead.

Well, imagine an AI that nudges researchers to explore unfamiliar fields by connecting unexpected ideas – like a digital curiosity compass. Or an AI that joins your agile team – not just as a tool, but as a team member – helping you learn faster and build better. Or a system that doesn’t just track KPIs but collaborates with you to shape them – offering counterfactuals, generating narratives, helping you think ahead, act boldly, and lead with humility.

This is the heart of AI augmentation: using technology to support human progress – in the way we think, in the way we act, and in the way we lead. It challenges us to ask: What do we want AI to help us become?

Leaders have a critical role to play here. Not just adopting AI tools, but shaping the environment where AI helps people grow. Where new ways of working are designed to enhance human strengths. Because in the end, AI augmentation isn’t just about doing things differently – it’s about becoming better at being human, in a digital age.