Approaching scientific problems takes both a macro and micro perspective in order to arrive at the results with repeatable and verifiable certainty. As more human activities are absorbed by automation, AI and machine learning, we must focus on our strengths – human intuition. Intuition is guided by mental processes in our reptilian brain that are as of yet not fully understood – and may never be. By taking advantage of sound reason, hard work and human intuition humans are able to see the larger picture – or the forest as it were.

Even in these earlier years of advanced compute power, with algorithms branched enough that even the designers have difficulty tracing back to the final decision point, we must realize people should always be the final arbitrators. Computers cannot see the forest, and we need to remain humble enough to know this is not their place when it comes to higher level decision making – on any stage. It may be tempting to allow higher level business decisions to be made by computers when computers can beat Grand Masters in chess, yet it is precisely when a Grand Master uses intuition that (s)he stands a chance against these formidable foes.

In science there is this highly evolved blood-brain barrier which selectively allows some molecules to pass to the brain, yet other molecules and micro-organisms to be stopped – of equal size and disguise – it’s an amazingly adaptive system and one in which our future technology models need to somehow incorporate within these highly complex algorithms that will be running more and more of our world, allowing for the ultimate decision loop to insert itself – the human.