The world is hungry for innovation. People want it to make their lives better. Businesses want it to stay relevant. Yet despite all the technical advances that characterise our increasingly AI-driven world, innovation is in short supply.

Innovation is a top three priority for over 80% of executives, one recent study found. Yet fewer than 10% believe they do it well. Why? The answer is culture. Or, to be more specific, the prevalence of what’s lacking in today’s top innovation cultures: herd thinking.

To understand the causes of this problem and how best to solve it, let’s begin with what innovation is. Innovation is novelty – a new idea, method, or device. And as such, it is something only achievable when we are free to think differently.

Given how people who think and see the world differently don’t typically fit into conventional systems or procedures, it is no coincidence that neurodiversity unites some of the world’s greatest tech innovators – from Gates and Jobs to Musk.

Thinking differently is something we are actively discouraged from doing, pretty much from the get-go, and the institutions we pass through tend to be set up for just the reverse

Yet thinking differently is something we are actively discouraged from doing, pretty much from the get-go, and the institutions we pass through tend to be set up for just the reverse, with one-size-fits-all approaches. And how this plays out is perhaps most apparent when, like me, you are neurodiverse.

Organisations in the technology, data, financial services, engineering, and defence sectors are among notable exceptions now leading the way and reaping the rewards. SAP and Freddie Mac, for example, have both gained competitive advantage by actively recruiting talent on the autism spectrum as a business strategy, not just a tick-box exercise over the past ten-plus years.

But the lack of such an approach in many other areas of business in today’s AI era is a real problem, and one we can only expect to grow. Why? Because by drawing on everything that’s gone before, AI is the ultimate herd approach. If AI had been in control back in the 4th millennium BC, mankind would never have left the campfire and invented the wheel. It would certainly not have beaten Thomas Edison to design not only the electric light bulb but its mass production.

This is not to say I am anti AI – in fact, far from it. By allowing us to play to our strengths, technology has been an enabler for the neurodiverse in many ways. And while we will increasingly see AI taking over a growing proportion of our more mundane, everyday tasks – it can and will design, for example – there are some things it can’t and won’t be able to do.

Fear of questioning convention, of doing things differently or failing, is still prevalent in many workplace cultures

It will never think sideways to create things that are both truly unexpected and totally human, for example. This is because humans are equipped with ‘common sense’ as we form long-lasting mental images of the things in our world in our experiences: what they look like, how they behave, and what they can and can’t do.

Deep neural networks do not make such mental models. Because they don’t have to. Empathy, kindness and other emotional traits are critical to us navigating our common sense in the world. It’s behavioural rather than logical. While AI-based machines are fast, accurate, and consistently rational, they lack intuition, emotions, and cultural sensitivity, which are crucial qualities that humans possess. Machine intelligence and human intelligence differ from each other.

Therefore, AI won’t be truly innovative in the way the most innovative humans are (and have always been). For this reason, building human innovation culture – a place where fresh ideas come from human inspiration, not technical gimmickry – will be the new creative frontier and, also, the biggest opportunity for businesses over the next ten years.

But how to do so? The answer, I think, is to not just remove the obstacles to innovation that exist but to also rewire our organisations (and yes, if possible, educational institutions) to work better for individuals, in particular those who think and see the world differently: the neurodiverse.

Let’s focus on building human innovation culture shaped by the people who are its constituent parts. Not a formal structure into which people should be expected to fit

Fear of questioning convention, of doing things differently or failing, is still prevalent in many workplace cultures. Yet challenging the conventional way of doing something, whether that’s paying for a coffee or managing a business, is critical for novelty. To encourage people to question, we need to both remove the obstacles to doing so and trigger greater discussion and debate by adding stimulants, in the form of greater diversity. Agencies can do this by rehauling their talent attraction and acquisition process. Reinvent, test and learn.

Encourage flexibility to attract mothers, fathers and carers who can bring real learned life skills to a challenge. Mix up the hiring pools. Barriers around class, gender, age and, of course, neurodiversity are baked into legacy models, so be brave enough to explore different approaches. It’s everyone’s responsibility to be in the people game and shape a new, more open, kinder and interesting world. Having people who think differently will help create a culture of innovation. And so comes game-changing creative.

So, let’s focus on building human innovation culture shaped by the people who are its constituent parts. Not a formal structure into which people should be expected to fit, but a living and breathing thing.

In ecommerce, currently, increased value is being placed on friction – the little things that add to the emotional experience of our journey that for years in digital UX design have been trashed in the name of seamlessness and efficiency. In the same way, as we move forward, we will see greater value placed on being human. Despite the rise and adoption of AI, it cannot and will not replicate human innovation. So, let’s play to our strengths as humans by valuing everyone who thinks differently.

Wayne Deakin is global creative principal at Wolff Olins; wolffolins.com