We are driven by pleasure and the desire to take the easy route, which is why we settle for the quick answers AI provides. This leads to all companies' knowledge, analyses and strategies starting to resemble each other, says Sami Kuusisto.
"I'm a designer by training. Design doesn't just mean objects and their form — above all, it means identifying a genuine problem and solving it in a new way. To do that, a designer needs an understanding of how people think.
Technology has always changed the way we think and act. The phone, the computer, the internet, and most recently AI are all good examples of this.
Pleasure has always guided us, and it still does.
Technology, however, has not changed the human being. Pleasure has always guided us, and it still does. From childhood, we make choices that feel easy, good and rewarding. AI strikes right at that operating model of ours. That's what makes it dangerous."
"Nobel Prize-winning psychologist and researcher Daniel Kahneman describes two levels of human thinking: fast thinking and deeper, systemic thinking.
Our built-in operating model pushes us to settle for the quick answer, because it feels rewarding. We become satisfied before we've had time to think more deeply about something — and in the worst case, our thinking never reaches the deeper level."
"Today's AI draws on the visual and verbal world produced by humans by imitating it. AI therefore repeats the old — it doesn't genuinely create the new. Yet a successful company must be able to create the new.
If we settle purely for AI-driven fast thinking, all companies' knowledge, analyses and strategies will start to resemble each other. On top of that, authenticity will disappear from brands. Because AI always draws on the same sources when generating responses, its answers tend to be similar regardless of who is asking."
"It's fundamentally a question of company culture. Many companies may teach and encourage critical thinking — in workshops, for example — but that's of little use if everyday life rewards speed and efficiency, and even punishes slowness.
If we focus only on the present moment, we keep repeating things as they are now.
Aalto University Assistant Professor Eeva Vilkkumaa has asked the apt question: why would anyone bother to read something that no one has bothered to write? That brings us to the why question — vital for every company. Even when calendars are full of tasks to complete, companies must sometimes stop and boldly ask 'why'. That leads to strategic value choices that guide business in a way that is genuine and distinctive."
"We are rewarded for achieving goals, so goals drive behaviour. Goals need to be re-examined so that we look beyond the present day. If we focus only on the present moment, we keep repeating things as they are now.
Companies also need to create a permissive cultural atmosphere that actively makes room for deep thinking. In such a culture, people feel psychologically safe. That's when they dare to ask questions and positively challenge colleagues and established ways of doing things."
"Even though I'm excited by what AI can do, I try to use it after my own thinking — not instead of it. I also take a critical view of the answers AI provides.
We need a combination of humanist, activist and business mind.
I also try to air out my thoughts by deliberately breaking my routines. Last week I went to pick up a sandwich and stopped by a nearby gallery to look at art. It stimulated my thinking in a new way, and when I got back to work I was in a completely different headspace than when I'd left for lunch."
"As diverse as possible — because diversity creates an exceptionally nourishing company culture.
We need a combination of humanist, activist and business mind. I'm an advocate for solution-focused activism. Future generations will increasingly look for solutions through activism and even radicalism. Business needs a forward-moving, dynamic and disruptive approach."
The Ahaa article series features visionary innovators who are helping to build a sustainable future.
Name: Sami Kuusisto
Role: Design Lead at Brande, a strategic think tank. Someone who has been fascinated throughout his life by people and the possibility of making better choices — and encouraging others to do the same.
Free time: Passionate about experiential nature activities and adventure sports.
Next challenge: cycling the Finnish coastline from Vaalimaa to Tornio. Also known as an avid culture consumer and the renovation manager of a century-old log house.
Courageously get in touch! Let’s sit down and consider how we could bring new insights to support the development of your business already in the first meeting.
Liisa Gadd
Sales Concepts and Commercialization
