The sense of innovation: between technology, responsibility and Purpose

Roberto Verganti, Co-founder of Leadin’Lab, the Politecnico di Milano School of Management’s laboratory of Leadership, Design and Innovation.

When a new technology emerges, the first reaction is almost always straightforward: to use it to improve on what had already been done before. This is what happened with the web in the 1990s and is happening again today with artificial intelligence. Early applications simply replicate existing activities, raising fears of human labour being replaced. In the field of music, for example, tools are already available that allow you to create a song in less time than it takes to listen to it. It is technically possible, but the fundamental question remains: does it make sense?

The perspective of Purpose – the meaning and direction of what we do – makes it possible to distinguish between useful innovation and solutions that produce only “perfect monsters.” Not everything that is achievable, in fact, is worthwhile.  

Who decides what makes sense?

Determining what makes sense is not the exclusive task of governments or regulators, who almost always lag behind the fast pace of technology. The responsibility lies with a multitude of actors: business leaders, developers, designers, and even those who, in the detail of a project, choose between multiple options. Even a seemingly marginal decision can steer development in one direction rather than another.

The question of meaning, therefore, involves everyone: each individual contributes, with their own role, to determining the trajectory of innovation.

Art as a space of meaning

Art represents a privileged field for understanding this dynamic. It doesn't solve practical problems, but it makes us human. This is a field where the value is not in functionality, but in meaning. That's why integrating art and technology means training for a mindset other than just problem solving: it's not enough to ask how to solve a problem; you have to ask yourself which problem is worth tackling.

In this sense, not only engineering but also humanistic skills become essential. Sense-making, the understanding of  meaning, is bound to the will, to the desire for a better world: aspects that no machine can ever replace.

The risks of losing meaning

The daily risk is to let yourself be overwhelmed by operations and to stop wondering why. The busier our schedules, the more we tend to work mechanically, losing sight of the direction of innovation. The challenge of leadership lies in continuing to ask the question of what makes sense ─ in being able to pause, even for a moment. Which, if we think about it, is good for business: because doing perfect things that don’t make sense produces zero value, and consumes resources. The end result is purely negative! So stopping and asking the question of what makes sense is the only way to create value.

In this scenario, management schools today play a crucial role: showing future leaders that the pursuit of meaning is not an abstract exercise, but the heart of social impact and, at the same time, of economic success, of business. A product that makes sense, in fact, wins people over naturally, far more than a product that has no meaning, however well made.

The collective sense and vision of leaders

Meaning, however, does not arise in a vacuum: it sprouts from “seeds” already present in society. Leaders have the responsibility, and the power, to choose which seeds to grow and amplify. Some, such as Alessandro Michele in the fashion world – who has placed a strong emphasis on the identity of the individual – have shown how a vision can radically transform an industry. Today, technology – and artificial intelligence in particular – is waiting to find its way. The future of AI will depend on our ability to recognise and nurture the right seeds, overcoming the reductive logic of substitution.

Being responsibly optimistic

In this sense, should we be optimistic or pessimistic? When faced with “general purpose” technologies such as artificial intelligence, answering this question is reductive. The real posture to adopt is that of responsibility. Every designer, leader and user has a duty to direct innovation towards a better world.

Design is a shining example of this: designing responsibly means, by definition, imagining a better future. And this is what is needed now more than ever: schools and businesses that are able to educate and guide responsible people, capable of not only being attracted by the technical challenge, but also of putting meaning at the centre.

We shouldn’t see this as a pedantic and moralistic exercise. Instead, it is an optimistic stance that gets to the heart of the joy of being human: imagining things that make more sense. This is the condition in which innovation is not a sterile exercise, but a driver of human and social progress, guided by a clear and well-defined Purpose.