Design Thinking Humanizes Data Science

The article "Cognitive Hub: The Future of Work" and the supporting infographic (see Figure 1) provides an interesting perspective on some "technology combinations" that could transform the workplace of the future, all enabled by Artificial Intelligence (AI): The infographic above is very cool and depicts a very interesting proposition. However, my concern with the proposition is that while these technology combinations could be quite powerful, the Internet of Things, Human-Machine Interfaces, Cyber physical systems and Artificial Intelligence are only enabling technologies, that is, they only give someone or something the means to do something. You still need someone or something to actually do something; to decide what to do, when to do it, where to do it, with whom to do it, how to do it, the required items to do it, etc. There is a H-U-G-E difference between enabling and doing. For example, I can enable you with an individualized diet and fitness plan that will improve your life, but the subsequent improvement in your life won't happen if you are not doing it.