Not All Bias Is Bad — It Can Be Your Safety Net Against AI

There’s been a lot of talk lately about bias, especially in relation to artificial intelligence. We’re told, almost like a warning label, that humans are inherently biased and that this is something we need to fix, remove or override. AI, we’re told, is the solution: neutral, data-driven, fair. And yes, it’s true — bias can lead to all sorts of problems.

But here’s something we don’t hear enough: Not all bias is bad. In fact, in some cases, human bias is exactly what protects us from making blind, dangerous decisions in a world run by machines.

Bias as a filter, not a flaw

As someone who’s spent years navigating markets, building ventures and watching technology evolve, I’ve come to appreciate the role human bias plays — not as a flaw, but as a filter. It’s what keeps us from being tricked by algorithms that may look objective on the surface, but are actually just mirroring the world as it is, not how it should be.

There’s a saying that stuck with me: “Nothing is as it appears to be.” AI doesn’t understand that. It can only see what’s visible — data points, patterns, trends. It can match one thing to another based on what’s happened before. But it can’t feel. It can’t intuit. It doesn’t know when something’s off, even if the numbers look fine. That’s where human bias steps in.

What AI can’t see

Let me give you an example. Say you’re using AI to evaluate political or regulatory risk before launching a product in a new country. The algorithm will give you an analysis based on policies, past elections, economic indicators, etc. Sounds great, right? But here’s the thing: That’s just the surface.

What about the local sentiment? What about the power dynamics that don’t show up in official records? What about what’s really going on? AI doesn’t know how to see that. But a human who’s lived through that kind of environment does. Their “bias” — their worldview, their experience, their instinct — is what helps them see beyond the numbers.

It’s the same in markets. AI can analyze the stock market better than any human can. It can detect patterns we’d never see. But when something truly unexpected happens — political unrest, a war, a pandemic — AI is often the last to understand what’s really going on. It continues following the patterns it knows. Humans, on the other hand, can sense a shift before the data reflects it. They can say, “This doesn’t feel right,” or “I’ve seen this before,” and pull out before the fall. That gut feeling? That’s bias. That’s wisdom shaped by memory and instinct.

The entrepreneur’s greatest asset

We tend to treat bias like a dirty word. But bias is also what allows a founder to say, “I believe in this product even though the market doesn’t see it yet.” Or, “I know the data says we should go in this direction, but I just don’t trust it.” That kind of thinking is what leads to breakthroughs. AI won’t take that leap. It needs precedent. Humans don’t.

Bias is also what keeps us honest when AI misses the mark. I’ve seen intelligent systems recommend policies or strategies that, while technically accurate, are completely tone-deaf. They might tell you that firing half the team is optimal or that certain demographics aren’t profitable. But they don’t understand people. They don’t understand trust, loyalty or reputation. A good entrepreneur does. And it’s their sense of fairness — or their bias, if you want to call it that — that stops them from walking off a cliff because a dashboard said so.

Now, none of this is to say bias doesn’t have a dark side. Of course it does. It can be unfair, exclusionary and short-sighted. We’ve seen the damage that comes from unexamined bias, especially in hiring, lending or law enforcement. But the answer isn’t to get rid of bias completely. It’s to understand it. To own it. To sharpen it through experience, reflection and diversity of thought. The more we know our own blind spots, the better we can use bias as a tool rather than let it steer us blindly.

Entrepreneurship is inherently biased. It’s driven by vision — by someone looking at the world and saying, “I see something others don’t.” AI doesn’t do that. It doesn’t dream. It doesn’t rebel. It doesn’t ask, “What if?” It can tell you how things are, but not how they could be. That job still belongs to us.

I’ve had moments in my own journey where the data said one thing, but my gut said another. Sometimes I listened to the data and regretted it. Other times, I went with my instinct, and it saved the business. That instinct isn’t magical. It’s shaped by thousands of small experiences, things I’ve read, conversations I’ve had, places I’ve lived. All of that forms a lens — a bias — that helps me make sense of the world. Without it, I’d be just another decision-maker waiting for permission from a spreadsheet.

AI as a tool, not a replacement

This isn’t an argument against AI. I use it every day. It’s an incredible tool. But that’s all it is — a tool. It shouldn’t replace our judgment, especially not the kind of judgment that comes from lived experience. Human bias, when shaped by values and informed by experience, becomes something closer to wisdom. And wisdom, not just data, is what keeps good entrepreneurs ahead of the curve.

So the next time someone tells you that AI is better because it’s unbiased, remember: That’s only half the story. Bias isn’t always the problem. Sometimes, it’s the thing that saves you from seeing only what the machine sees.

And if you’re building something that’s never been built before, you’ll need more than data. You’ll need that quiet voice inside — the one that doesn’t always agree with the metrics, but still knows which way to go. That voice may be biased, yes. But in the right hands, it can be your greatest strength.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about bias, especially in relation to artificial intelligence. We’re told, almost like a warning label, that humans are inherently biased and that this is something we need to fix, remove or override. AI, we’re told, is the solution: neutral, data-driven, fair. And yes, it’s true — bias can lead to all sorts of problems.

But here’s something we don’t hear enough: Not all bias is bad. In fact, in some cases, human bias is exactly what protects us from making blind, dangerous decisions in a world run by machines.