Everything looks as if the future belongs entirely to machines, where decisions will be driven solely by logic and data. This makes sense from a logical perspective. AI can already shift through terabytes of real-time data in seconds. It can identify patterns the human eye cannot see. As these systems become more sophisticated and continue to improve exponentially, it is fair to predict that in the near-term future we will not only push data- and logic-driven decision-making to a point of saturation, we will also experience a natural tendency to lean heavily on logic-based recommendations from advanced AI systems.
I fear that the more we rely on these data-driven arguments, the more we risk sidelining a crucial element of decision-making: human intuition. We risk that algorithms and AI systems become the default arbiters of choice. The more powerful their capabilities become, the higher will be the temptation to dismiss our intuition. We will end up making decisions purely on logic, with every action optimized by data.
Here is the contrarian truth: as AI systems gets better at advanced reasoning, processing even more data, and identifying patterns, pure logical and knowledge based analysis becomes commoditized.
We are already in a world where decisions are made for us by algorithms and AI systems. Not only do they decide which video we should watch next on YouTube, they also provide decision makers with data and insights – whether it is in finance, trading, marketing, hiring, or medicine. And why not? AI systems process data faster, more accurately, and with few biases than any human being ever could. They can recognize patterns that would take humans years to discern. Advanced algorithms spit out logical predictions based on mathematical conclusions. For tasks like optimizing logistics, predicting customer behavior, and analyzing stock market trends, it is a no-brainer–AI wins.
It seems logical to assume that pure data and computation will lead to the best decisions. But this is flawed because there is something missing in this equation. Decisions are not always about logic. The most important decisions in life and business are anything but logical. They are guided by subtle, almost imperceptible signals we cannot fully explain, but we feel. This is intuition, the gut feeling we experience when something just feels right or feels wrong. While it is tempting to dismiss these feelings as irrational, they often turn out to be right.
Optimizing decisions based on more data and more logical reasoning is thereby flawed, and I fear that the more we lean on AI systems to guide our choices, the more we risk sidelining the most powerful tool humans possess: intuition.
Scientific discoveries, for example, are not made as a result of logical reasoning. They are regularly the result of an “aha moment” of insight when knowledge seems to come from nowhere. Or think of the countless stories of entrepreneur who make bold decisions based on nothing but an intangible sense of certainty. Steve Jobs went against market research and expert advice when he decided to launch the iPhone. Elon Musk bet his fortune on SpaceX when logic screamed that the odds were against him. There are investors who pull out of a seemingly attractive opportunity just moments before it tanks, driven by nothing more than a gut feeling. Also, good music just comes to the musician, and it is not created by technical skill.
Through intuition, we can feel the subtle energetic currents of events before they manifest. It’s the mother who knows something’s wrong with her child before receiving the call from school, or the traveler who avoids a particular flight, only to find out later it crashed.
These aren’t coincidences or anomalies—they are examples of intuition at work. In these moments, we are not responding to what is, but we are aligning ourselves with what could be. We sense reality before it unfolds. This intuitive intelligence is more than a vague “gut feeling”; it is an ability to sense what isn’t in the data, to feel the reality before it is fully formed. With our intuition, we tap into a deeper field of information that transcends the conscious mind.
Our rational mind is not very good at listening to our intuition. It is busy making sense of the things in our material world. It is busy with its endless internal monologue and anxiety. Our mind is constantly generating thoughts – and the more data we have access to (think of the infinite information feeds from social media, the news, and now generative AI) the more difficult it becomes to access our intuitive intelligence.
Furthermore, I fear that, the more ubiquitous AI systems and the more convincing their logic-based arguments become, the more we will trust and rely on them blindly. When an algorithm presents a data-backed recommendation, it is hard to contradict it. The numbers add up, the patterns are clear – it feels almost reckless to go against the machine. But that is exactly the risk.
The stronger the logical basis for decision-making becomes, the harder it will be to justify following your gut. The result? We will end up in a world where every decision is optimized for efficiency and logic – at the cost of creativity, foresight, and frankly, the human element.
We risk entering a near-term future where we become slaves to the data, losing the ability to make decisions that transcend the immediate facts in front of us and instead tap into a deeper, more holistic understanding of reality.
Exactly in fields that require the most crucial decisions, intuitive intelligence is of higher importance than pure data-driven logic. In business strategy, creative innovation, and geopolitical decisions, intuition plays a unique and uttermost important role. It tells use when an idea feels right, even if the numbers aren’t there to back it up, or we abandon a “logical” choice because something feels off.
The best decisions aren’t made purely on logic or data. They’re made by integrating the analytical with the intuitive. AI will continue to become an ever more invaluable tool, but it’s just that – a tool. It processes the world as it is, based on observable facts and historical data. But intuition allows us to perceive the world as it could be. It taps into potential futures, subtle energetic shifts, and possibilities that aren’t visible in the data. Data can get us to the next step, but intuition lets us leap to entirely new paths. And as AI carves out logic’s territory, intuition becomes even more vital.
I don’t say we should abandon data or AI systems – far from it. Intuitive decision makers aren’t anti data. They leverage data and logic without being trapped by it. They use it as a foundation, but they use their intuition to connect the dots and sense realities which machines cannot compute. They use data as a guide but trust their intuition to make the final decision. Their intuition will navigate the uncertainties and unknowns that lie beyond the reach of logic. The best leaders will be those who can access and trust their intuition even though logic is against it.
Those who can access and act upon their intuitive intelligence will find themselves making the right decision when it matters the most—even if logic disagrees: preventing a nuclear conflict by sensing hidden motives when every visible sign points toward war, sparking a scientific breakthrough that defies conventional knowledge, designing a world-changing technology that others dismissed as impossible, or uniting adversaries to forge an unexpected, lasting peace against all rational odds.