Think back, if you can, to a time before November 2022, before we began being inundated daily—in both our personal and professional lives—with information (hype or doomsaying) about generative AI.
Everything seemed to have changed. And it’s still changing as we try to navigate a new normal where, increasingly, we are turning to technology to help us do tasks of all kinds.
These days the coverage surrounding GenAI tends to vacillate between awe and concern.
Wharton professor Ethan Mollick adopts a measured, well-reasoned, and possibly even optimistic approach towards this emerging technology. In his bestselling book from 2024, “Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI,” he urges readers to see AI as a colleague, collaborator, and mentor. He asserts, a viewpoint that I share, that we can leverage the capabilities of AI while preserving the distinct value that we, as humans, can offer.
We can co-create. And learn to co-exist. Mollick describes two ways of using AI as a co-worker—as a ‘Centaur’ and as a ‘Cyborg.’
Centaurs and Cyborgs: Oh my!
If you’re up on your mythology, you’ll likely recall that Centaurs are mythical beasts, half human and half horse. Cyborgs are “humanistic” robots—like the movie characters in Terminator and Robocop.
Mollick suggests that people often operate in one or the other of these two modes. People in Centaur mode operate with a clear dividing line between AI and human. Cyborgs, on the other hand, maintain an effortless flow between human and system.
Centaurs use AI as a tool that can be picked up and used and put down. Cyborgs interact more seamlessly and less consciously between the two. There’s a place for both and as we move further into the future, we’ll use both in our day-to-day work, depending on the tasks we’re managing.
Creative tasks call for Cyborg Mode
Cyborg mode can be especially useful when tackling creative tasks. It just makes more sense. The iterative cycles of brainstorming, idea refinement, research, data extrapolation, drafting, rewriting, reviewing, and so on, are well suited to co-working with AI.
Think of it like collaborating in a virtual writer’s room, having a coach, and getting input from an expert editor when needed. In Cyborg mode, AI is continuously engaged, augmenting our human capabilities. Humans and AI work seamlessly together.
But, when specialized expertise or critical evaluation is required, I’ve found that it’s best to operate in Centaur mode.
Centaur Mode draws a line
Centaur mode clearly distinguishes and separates the roles of humans and AI. AI becomes a tool or an aid, not a partner or collaborator. That can be especially critical when doing security-sensitive work, for instance—or when human judgment supersedes the value of AI. There are clear boundaries between the two.
Helping Your Team Balance the Centaur and the Cyborg
Helping workers understand the practical implications of Centaur vs. Cyborg interactions with AI and offering relevant examples can effectively prompt them to think more consciously and critically about how best to put these tools to work.
When to use Centaur Mode:
- When creating or reviewing documents that require accuracy and precision but which can be risky should any errors occur, for instance, legal documents or financial reports.
- When looking for options that will be reviewed and then selected.
- When performing tasks that are confidential or that involve sensitive or proprietary information that should not be shared with AI. (Companies should define what these are.)
- When your own professional judgment is paramount.
When to use Cyborg Mode:
- When engaged in creative collaboration. This is where AI really shines; the back-and-forth AI to human interactions can create a generative feedback loop.
- Creative thought and brainstorming sessions.
- For data analysis, where AI can discern patterns or anomalies that humans might otherwise overlook.
- When learning new things. AI assistance can help provide new context and fill knowledge gaps.
- For iterative processes where several cycles of refinement can help to generate an enhanced result.
Technology is a tool and, in itself, neither good nor bad—it’s how we use it that matters. Technology molds to the hands and wills of those who wield it.
I am extremely optimistic about the potential applications and benefits that AI can deliver. When used responsibly, AI is a great asset. Our job as a society is to find ways to use what we have responsibly and to wield the power of AI in ways that further humanity while proactively finding strategies, establishing company policies, and passing regulations to prevent abuse for nefarious purposes and reduce misuse.
Workplaces can be a place to begin this process. Work with co-workers and peers to help them understand the value of Centaur and Cyborg modes and when to use each. People are still in charge, and we can make informed decisions about the role AI plays in our work and personal lives.
