AI and automation have won the war for future workplace domination
In 1962, Katherine Johnson, a mere mortal, famously checked the orbital flight calculations made by NASA’s computers manually. Today, we would look upon such a task as foolish, and the job would be entirely computerised.
Human intelligence is increasingly being shifted out of the workplace in the same way that human physical tasks are being taken over by automation. Here is some food for thought:
- The share of jobs requiring AI skills grew by four and a half times in the five years from 2013.
- The number of imports internationally of industrial robots has more than doubled since 2000.
- 76% of the tasks done by older workers in China are at risk of automation.
Fear Factor
Our feelings as a society toward AI are also shifting. According to Trendkite research, the percentage of articles referencing AI in a positive way was less than 10% in 2014 but reached almost 30% just three years later. People have become less afraid of, and less resistant to, technology in the workplace.
Fears remain that AI adoption will lead to greater wealth and work gaps. According to Mercer, the role of HR must evolve to match increased automation in the workplace. Human and AI workers will exist together in a labour pool, with HR expected to deploy the best worker for any given job. This will require a nuanced understanding of the power and aptitudes of robots and, perhaps more importantly, their limitations. Deploying human capabilities against the right tasks will become a key skill for HR.
The biggest fear for most workers is not the idea of new technology to work with; it is the fear of being replaced entirely. However, according to Jeetu Patel, Chief Product Officer of technology company Box inc., all is not doom and gloom. Patel said, “AI will replace some jobs, potentially those that are centred around process-oriented repeatable tasks. It will also create new opportunities for people to apply their skills to more value-adding jobs and will ultimately lead to untapped industries. It will take time, and we must have retraining programs to help account for the jobs we will lose. With AI, there are potential new categories of jobs that haven’t existed before.”
Diversity and inclusion
We know from research that more diverse teams make better decisions for business and drive better results. That includes cognitive diversity made up of people’s different problem-solving or information-processing styles. The obvious next step is factoring in how AI-powered solutions will affect a team’s cognitive diversity. The robot’s problem-solving style is known, based on the code it runs and the data set it has been trained on. They are a natural counterweight to the unstructured and variable nature of human decision-making. It is the job of HR to balance these teams effectively.
3d-rendering cyborg control robot assembly line
According to Ingrid Waterfield, Director, People and Performance, KPMG, “Just as biases can be programmed in, they can also be programmed out. AI could be a fantastic tool to augment HR’s functionality and help drive diversity and inclusion strategies.” Waterfield listed three crucial steps that could put D&I at the heart of an organisations AI strategy:
- Understand how digital labour will affect your business
How will digital labour affect the diversity of your existing workforce and the ones you want to attract and retain? Be creative about how data can enhance the ability to attract, develop and engage diverse talent and encourage inclusive behaviour.
Will you need to recruit a different type of person? How will you reach and attract them? AI could analyse the language used in existing job descriptions and the insights gained could help maximise their appeal across different demographic groups.
- Use AI to better understand your workforce and provide an employee experience that suits their specific needs.
Use AI to estimate an individual’s likelihood of staying. One of Waterfield’s clients had an issue with staff attrition of up to 40% in some areas, so they used data points to predict who was most likely to leave based on behaviour patterns changing over time. By identifying those most at risk of leaving they could act in advance and potentially avoid it happening. This approach had a significant impact on their bottom line.
- Ensure you are a key stakeholder of your organisation’s AI/digital labour strategy.
Incorporating these technologies into your business is a strategy decision, so it’s important that HR engages with colleagues across the company to: define biases already inherent in existing activities that digital labour is replacing (e.g. judgement- and skills-oriented); ensure there is consideration (ideally a specific work stream) focusing on adjusting any new digital activities to be free from bias; and use AI to encourage inclusivity that creates innovation and creativity.
Leadership and integration
Leaders now need to develop strategies for increased reliance on data, AI and automation in the future. This means preparing today’s environment and employees to embrace working in tandem with AI solutions. Leaders need to start anticipating different future-of-work scenarios, including areas where human productivity and creativity are matched or exceeded by data-driven artificial counterparts. Jeff Hodge, Managing Partner, Boyden United States, acknowledged, “The best leaders are very data-oriented, data-driven. A deep understanding of data analytics will be a foundational skill for every CHRO in the future.” Optimising a team will soon mean designing a powerful combination of creative human minds with structured AI minds, applied to different elements of each job.
Training and self-directed learning
According to Andi Britt, Vice President, Talent and Transformation, IBM, “A culture of continuous, self-directed learning is required, with employees actively seeking any opportunity to watch, read or attend opportunities for learning.” AI will enable—and in some companies this is already happening—personalised learning programmes that align with the employee’s needs and personal objectives.
To achieve maximum success in the future HR must be open with its staff about their plans. Adoption of AI is inevitable. Integration is the key, and engagement with staff can smooth the transition. An agile and experimental culture is essential for success in the AI era.
Whoever wins, we all win
Regardless of whether AI becomes a dominant tool in the industry or continues to work in a subservient capacity to human decision makers, the end result is a better recruitment and retention strategy. On that basis, all talent at organisations making use of developing technologies stand to gain as a result of being better understood. By recruiting the right people into the right roles and managing change effectively to prevent attrition, staff could end up happier in their company and potentially stay longer and be more productive. The statistical evidence, and anecdotal feedback from leaders already ahead of the game in this space, suggests that there is a bright future for AI in HR—especially if we, as humans, work with it instead of fearing it.
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
