Is generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) a tool? Not quite. A tool is something that can be used to complete a specific kind of task. Gen AI is better understood as a capability—that is, a technology that can be deployed in a wide range of circumstances, and in a variety of ways to achieve a wide range of outcomes.
While business leaders, managers, and frontline workers have a sense that gen AI can offer new ways to think, work, and create, they are still having difficulty figuring out how. Thus the gen AI paradox: according to a McKinsey survey earlier this year, 71% of companies are using gen AI in at least one business function, but few are seeing organization-wide, bottom-line impact.
