Human in the Loop: Why Wisdom Matters More in the Age of AI

“Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.”

– Brian O’Driscoll

I’m not entirely sure what Brian O’Driscoll would make of enterprise AI, but there’s something in that quote that feels increasingly relevant today. Any excuse for me to mention one of my sporting heroes!

Over the last 3 years or so, AI has gone from curiosity to boardroom. Every business is exploring it. Every vendor is talking about it. Every executive is being asked how AI changes their strategy, workforce, customer experience, security posture, and competitive advantage.

But beneath all the excitement sits a very human reality, AI can generate answers but it cannot own judgement. I personally feel this will not change any time soon, even if and when (big if and when!) we enter the AGI era of AI. This distinction matters more than ever.

Recently, Mark Cuban made the point that one of the biggest challenges with enterprise AI is consistency. Ask the same question multiple times and you may not always receive the same answer. That isn’t necessarily a sign that AI is “broken.” It’s a reminder that these systems are point in time, contextual, and ultimately detached from consequence.

AI does not understand impact or accountability or sit in the room when things go wrong. Humans do.

That’s why I believe the phrase “human in the loop” is becoming one of the most important concepts in modern business transformation.

The organisations seeing real value from AI are not simply replacing people with automation. They are designing systems where human expertise, domain knowledge, emotional intelligence, governance, and judgement sit alongside, even over the top of AI capability.

The real opportunity in my opinion is not one of AI versus people but people amplified by AI, and equally AI amplified by people.

In many ways, AI is increasing the value of experience, not diminishing it. A junior employee with AI can move faster but a domain expert with AI can fundamentally change an organisation and that is that is an important distinction.

Because knowing an answer and understanding what to do with that answer are fundamentally different things. The point made by the great Brian O'Driscoll.

The future probably belongs to organisations that can balance both the speed and scale of AI but also the wisdom and accountability of their people.

Technology continues to evolve rapidly and human judgement remains and will continue to be the differentiator. And perhaps that’s the irony in all of this.

The smarter AI becomes, the more valuable wisdom will become alongside it.

Ken Hickey,

June 2026

The views expressed in this and all of my blogs are my own and not necessarily endorsed by my employer(s).

Analog Revenge

Whats the old saying about walking and running, and not doing one before the other?

Well, this week I may have been slightly reigned in from my "early adopter" digital approach. Its been a week of illness in our house, sick kids and a dad with a bout of man flu (me). As a result the sleeping arrangements have been a little muddled. I've been sleeping in a spare room without my wireless charging pad nearby (you will see why that's important later).

As a break from the house I took my little girl, Gracie (11) to Kmart to buy a present for her friends upcoming birthday. The ulterior motive was to try and get her to eat something having lost her appetite with the flu. Sushi was promised.

We got to the register at Kmart only to find that my phone had completely died when I went to pay, with no wallet, I thought we will have to head home and either charge my phone, or get the wallet. No big deal, a 20 minute round trip. As we gave our would be purchases to a check-out girl to put aside until our return, we left the store and suddenly something dawned on me. No wallet, no keys, and an EV where my phone is my car key. Amazing how the lack of a full charge the night before had rendered my digital life futile. My kingdom for an old fashioned car key, a bank card or dare I say it even some cash!

Crisis averted when we found one of those mobile phone kiosks, now the proud owner of an overly priced, fairly average power bank, we were able to charge the phone and normal service was resumed.

Present purchased, sushi enjoyed and my daughter had great amusement at my digital malaise.

We are heading toward a world where the mobile device is our world. Maybe just not yet, for me.

The dark web has your data, what next?

How do we stop our personally identifiable data (PII) ending up on the dark web?

Well, i'd say It’s too late for that, just this last few months there have been high profile breaches affecting brands such as Qantas, Louis Vuitton and Paddy Power to name but a few. Millions of pieces of data, yours and mine affected. It is safe to say most of us have already had our PII compromised, whether through a high-profile breach, a careless vendor, our own mistakes or an insecure platform.

So the real question becomes how do we protect what happens next?

The Horse Has Bolted — So What Comes Next for Verification?

With billions of personal records already circulating on the dark web, we need to stop pretending we can "protect" PII in the traditional sense. The horse has well and truly bolted.

The question now is, how do we rebuild trust in a world where identity can be faked, manipulated, and traded in a matter of seconds?

The Future of Verification Isn’t More Passwords — It’s Smarter Protocols

We’re entering an era where static identifiers, like your date of birth, driver's licence, or even email addresses simply don’t cut it. The global shift must now move toward things like:

Cryptographic Standards

The move toward verifiable credentials and zero-knowledge proofs is accelerating. These technologies allow for data validation without exposure, reducing the risk surface significantly.

Biometric authentication

My personal favourite, devices already use biometrics, but projects like myGovID (Australia’s digital identity platform) are already exploring federated, privacy-conscious identity systems that use biometrics in combination with encrypted credentials.

Distributed ID verification

The concept of self-sovereign identity (SSI) is gaining global traction. Companies like Microsoft (Entra Verified ID) are leading the charge, enabling individuals to store and share verified credentials, like qualifications or employment history without relying on a centralised authority. This all means that identity verification can be established without sharing actual evidence that could be compromised.

It’s No Longer About Protection — It’s About Validation

The world needs a new trust framework, one that acknowledges breach as a reality, and shifts the conversation from who you are to what you can prove, securely, in real time.

This is no longer the job of the IT department. It’s a strategic imperative for boards, regulators, and businesses everywhere. 

Watch This Space

We’re standing at the edge of a fundamental shift in how we verify identity, manage consent, and protect access.

The breach era is becoming the verification era, by necessity!

Interesting times ahead.

#CybersecurityLeadership #PIIProtection #ZeroTrust #SecureByDesign

#AboveTheLineLeadership #BusinessResilience