Artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly influential role in the domain of strategic foresight, where specialists analyze potential future scenarios and design strategies for governments, businesses, and institutions. A recent report by the World Economic Forum, developed in partnership with the OECD, investigates the evolving impact of AI on this discipline. n nBased on input from 167 foresight professionals across 55 nations, the findings indicate that AI is primarily appreciated for boosting efficiency, particularly by automating routine and time-consuming processes. This allows experts to redirect their focus toward higher-level analysis and decision-making. Despite these advantages, a significant number of respondents voiced skepticism about the reliability of AI-produced insights. Key concerns include the technology’s tendency to generate inaccurate or fabricated information—commonly referred to as hallucinations—and its reliance on pre-existing data, which limits its ability to support truly innovative or forward-thinking projections. The report emphasizes a balanced approach: leveraging AI to enhance productivity in foresight activities while remaining cautious of its cognitive and interpretive limitations. n— news from The World Economic Forum
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World Economic Forum
AI is transforming strategic foresight, the field where experts explore plausible futures and develop strategies to help organizations, governments and others prepare for events to come. This paper from the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with the OECD, explores how AI is reshaping this field. n nDrawing on insights from 167 foresight experts in 55 countries, it reveals that experts value AI primarily for saving time and streamlining their work by handling repetitive and labour-intensive tasks. However, many respondents express concerns about the quality and trustworthiness of AI-generated content, noting its proclivity to hallucinations, and its limited capacity for inductive reasoning, as it draws from existing knowledge and struggles to embrace the forward-looking perspectives needed for strategic foresight. The paper suggests how to take advantage of AI where it can augment foresight, while limiting its pitfalls.