In a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, there’s a growing misconception that machines are here to replace us. At Laird, we see things differently. We believe that the most powerful results happen when humans and AI work together, not in competition, but in collaboration.
This human-AI partnership is often referred to as a symbiotic relationship, a dynamic where each brings unique strengths to the table, enhancing what the other can achieve. It’s not about AI taking over, but rather AI supporting humans, and humans refining the output of AI. Together, they form a system that is smarter, faster, and more reliable than either could be alone.
What Symbiosis with AI Looks Like
AI excels at processing vast datasets, detecting patterns, and performing repetitive tasks with speed and consistency. But context, ethics, empathy, and nuanced judgment? These remain squarely in the human domain. That’s where the concept of human-in-the-loop (HITL) becomes vital.
At Laird, we’ve embraced HITL as a core principle of how we work with technology. Whether we’re leveraging AI for vehicle valuations, streamlining customer support with our voicebot, or using automation to triage enquiries, there’s always a human expert involved to validate, interpret, and refine.
Visual Intelligence (VI) is great at recognising the outside of a car, so ideal for detecting scrapes and minor bumps, but we still need the expertise and wisdom of the human engineer to predict latent or likely damage in an actual crash.
Real-World Application at Laird Assessors
Take our recent upgrade to the Laird chatbot, a cutting-edge AI tool built into our Swiftcase platform. It provides 24/7 multilingual support, guides users through the claims process, and compares real-time vehicle values. Critically, it doesn’t replace our human assessors, but works alongside them.
When a complex or unusual query arises, the voicebot hands over to a member of our team. Our engineers and customer service staff then apply human judgment, drawing on years of experience to ensure the right outcome. AI speeds things up and removes bottlenecks, while our people ensure accuracy, fairness, and customer satisfaction.
Why Human-in-the-Loop Matters
In industries like ours dealing with bodyshops, the legal and insurance industries and the general public, small errors can have big consequences. That’s why Laird insists on a human layer, because oversight, quality assurance, and critical thinking are irreplaceable.
By maintaining a human-in-the-loop approach, we protect against bias in AI outputs, ensure compliance with industry regulations and preserve the human touch our clients trust.
Looking Ahead
As AI tools continue to evolve, our role as humans isn’t diminishing, it’s becoming more valuable. We’re not just deploying AI for the sake of innovation; we’re doing it thoughtfully, with our people at the centre of the process & exceptional customer service as a priority.
This balance of automation and human expertise is what makes our service so effective and so trusted. It’s not AI versus humans, it’s AI and humans. Together we’re building a smarter, more efficient future for vehicle assessments. After all the majority of our awards and award nominations have been in the customer service and industry support categories (and a fair bit on tech too!)