Humans Plus Machines Beat Humans Alone

By Mrs Hudson-Findley (Director of Digital Learning, Enterprise and Sustainability)

It is easy to frame new technology as a competition: humans versus machines. In reality, the most powerful results happen when the two work together.

AI is very good at speed, pattern-spotting and handling large amounts of information. People are better at judgement, creativity, empathy and deciding what really matters. When those strengths are combined, productivity and insight increase, not decrease.

Think of AI as a co-pilot rather than an autopilot. It can suggest, summarise, draft or organise, but it still needs a human to set the direction, make choices and decide what is right.

A useful way to work with AI is to ask for options rather than answers. For example:
“Give me three different ways to explain this idea, aimed at different audiences, and tell me the strengths and weaknesses of each.”

That kind of prompt turns AI into a thinking partner, not a shortcut.

In a digital world, the most valuable skill is not using the tool.
It is knowing when to use it, how to guide it, and when to override it.