Artificial intelligence is transforming the world we live in every day whether you are aware of it or not. As new strides in technology save time, energy and money, it has never been easier to work smart, and the latest statistics back this up. According to the Information Technology Industry Council, AI reduces energy intake in the US by 12-22%. Moreover, PWC predicts that by 2030, AI will contribute $15.7 trillion to the global economy. Additionally, environmental scientists believe that AI will play a pivotal role in tackling climate change.

Having said that, AI cannot do everything. In his TED Talk, “How AI can save our humanity”, Kai-Fu Lee outlines the limitations of technology. AI can optimise but it cannot innovate – at least not yet. For the past few years, many have tried to test this theory. They’d feed robots scripts of TV shows or pop music to see if AI could write creatively, and the results proved otherwise. In one instance, a bot was fed every episode of Scrubs in order to generate an ‘average episode’, and the result – while funny – was completely nonsensical.

Indeed, artificial intelligence – at the time of writing this – is unable to be creative and, naturally, it cannot feel passion or love. This is where the rebel entrepreneur steps in. A rebel entrepreneur who values innovation and is truly passionate about their business will embrace AI and use it to optimise their company, product or service. A Harvard Business Review study surveyed 1,500 companies and found that when humans and machines work together, significant improvements in productivity are made. Even on a rudimentary level, AI can be used in gathering feedback, analysing data and anticipating the needs of your clients, all of which assist in ironing out any friction points. Leading tech companies – Facebook, Skype, Instagram, Adobe – take advantage of AI in order to use the ‘perfection loop’ to make their products better according to the needs of their users.

Being a rebel entrepreneur is all about taking a risk, jumping off that cliff and working so that you will not hit the ground. Embracing the future and its technology is a vital part of that plunge. When technology meets innovation, businesses soar.