S.M.'s revelation at top law firm mirrors discoveries happening across every industry as organizations grapple with AI's expanding capabilities. To navigate this new landscape, we need a clear map of what AI can do, what it can't do, and—most importantly—what happens in the space between.
The Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI's 2024 AI Index provides our starting coordinates⁶. Their comprehensive analysis reveals three critical insights:
1. AI capabilities are deeper but narrower than most realize. In specific domains with clear objectives and abundant data, AI often exceeds human performance. But these domains are islands of excellence in an ocean of human advantage.
2. The capability frontier is moving rapidly but predictably. Understanding the patterns of AI progress helps identify which human skills to develop and which to delegate.
3. The highest value emerges at the intersection of human and machine capabilities, not at either extreme.
Let's map this frontier across key domains.