LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE: THE RELEVANCE OF SHAKESPEAREAN CANNON FOR THE NEW GENERATION: SHAKESPEARE AND AI

Abstract

“By indirection find direction out!” (Hamlet)

Shakespeare does write about foreseeing the future and the ability to create coded language by a few highly skilled “experts” – witches, wizards and fairies – to influence people’s future behaviour (Macbeth, The Tempest, Midsummer Night’s Dream).
It would be intriguing to examine Shakespeare's works to discern any insights or relevance to the contemporary phenomena of digitisation and the AI revolution.
Business transformation of the 21st century is mostly about people, not tech.  While everyone is talking about tech and AI, it’s straightforward to forget, and perhaps tempting, to forget that.  The road of digital transformations is littered with tech projects that fail to consider people’s behaviour and incentives to use them.  Tech and AI work
best when they augment and support people and their roles, not replace them.
But the age of AI offers a “brave new world” (The Tempest) of robots and it’s tempting for investors to see them as replacements for people. 
Undoubtedly, for some people, the role of the human workforce is to support the machines, not the other way around. So far, many tech-led businesses have resisted processes like the unionisation of the workforce, or the recognition of some workers’
rights.
The reluctance of many tech-driven companies to adopt workforce protections, such as unionisation and workers' rights, underscores the conflict between advancing technology and prioritising human welfare.

Shakespeare’s famous line from Hamlet—"By indirection find direction out!"—captures the essence of this ongoing dilemma. It serves as a reminder to navigate the complexities of digital transformation not through simplistic solutions, but by critically engaging with the intricate relationships between technology, power, and human agency.