At Knownwell, we believe that Artificial Intelligence is the most powerful technological breakthrough in the history of the world. It has the ability to elevate humanity in a manner never contemplated or to destroy society in a way never before imagined.
We exist to steward the adoption of enterprise Artificial Intelligence – to ensure that organizations realize the full potential of AI in a moral, ethical, and prudent fashion.
We believe you can have your cake, and eat it too. Make no mistake—we are a for-profit business. We are capitalists. We believe in the power of creative destruction. But we also believe there is right and there is wrong. We believe that technology can be used for evil purposes and we care passionately about stewarding the adoption of AI to make sure that it builds up, and doesn’t tear down, humanity. While we believe in the power of profit, we also believe that there are limits that should be (self) imposed on its pursuit.
I am often asked for an example of how we live our purpose and I respond that there are both examples of commission (doing something) and omission (not doing something). I believe that the former are both most powerful and most common. The latter are essential, and hopefully rare.
We are intentionally building products that allow leaders to be more effective and spend time on what only they can uniquely do. Our software helps organizations serve clients more effectively and strengthens business relationships. It helps businesses maximize profit and leaders to be more human. That is good for the world. We need better leaders. That is helping organizations to realize AI’s full potential — it’s a double bottom line.
At the same time, I’m confident there will be lines we refuse to cross. A news report caught my attention the other day. AI Avatars are increasingly being positioned (to great success) to replace human relationships. At Knownwell, we believe that at the core of what makes us human is our ability to love — that is, to know and to be known. This consciousness, our ability to be familiar, to understand, to relate and to choose what is good for the sake of the other is core to the human experience and it can never be replaced. While we have no problem with the idea of conversational AI for a utilitarian purpose, the idea of a human being in relationship with a machine seems dehumanizing and fraught with peril. It’s likely a line we’d refuse to cross.
You might be surprised at how controversial this purpose is. I’ve had a potential investor say it made us sound like a non-profit and a potential partner tell me that it made him question my drive. Those that know me know that neither could be further from the truth. But, that’s ok. That is the power of purpose. It attracts those who believe what you believe and repels those with a different world view. While I’d love to work with both of those individuals, I’m willing to sacrifice business for the sake of our beliefs.
Regardless of what happens with those individuals, I’ll remain optimistic that 98% of humans agree with our premise. They want to leverage AI to the greatest extent possible, but they want to do it without crossing certain lines. And we need leaders, businesses, and even users who are willing to draw that line in the sand.