Artificial Intelligence is advancing at an unstoppable pace and playing an increasingly important role in our organisations. However, amid so much innovation, it is important to pause and reflect on what adopting these technologies really means and how they can help us in our daily lives. In this post, we want to share a brief reflection on two of its main protagonists — traditional AI and generative AI — and how their combination can bring real value to processes such as surveillance and intelligence within organisations.

Artificial Intelligence is increasingly present in our daily lives: from systems that recommend which films to watch or which trainers to buy, to virtual assistants that answer all our questions. Its potential is enormous, and harnessing it has become a priority for many organisations seeking to anticipate, innovate and make better decisions.

A few weeks ago, we read a very interesting article on datos.gob.es about the differences between traditional AI and generative AI. It is not just a matter of knowing about these technologies, but of understanding how they can be integrated into different processes to have a real impact on organisations.

• Traditional AI: focuses on analysing data to recognise patterns and make predictions. Example: a system that analyses sales history to forecast demand for the next quarter.

• Generative AI: goes one step further, creating new content based on what it has learned. Example: a tool that automatically generates a product design or text based on initial instructions.

How can you support the surveillance and intelligence process?

This makes us reflect on how these two forms of artificial intelligence can be integrated into our own surveillance and intelligence processes, enhancing the way we identify strategic information, interpret it and transform it into useful knowledge for decision-making.

In the surveillance process, traditional AI can be a great ally in detecting trends and weak signals by analysing large volumes of data. It helps us see earlier what is changing in the environment.

In the intelligence phase, generative AI can transform that validated information into scenarios, summaries or initial proposals, facilitating interpretation and paving the way for ideation. In this way, the organisation not only understands what is happening, but can also imagine how to respond to it.

Generative AI does not replace traditional AI, but rather complements it. When both approaches are integrated into the same workflow, much more powerful results are achieved than if each technology were used separately.

At InTool, we believe in the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence and its key role in innovation processes, because, according to Xavier Marcet, in the end, the most advanced innovation will continue to be radically human.