Recent news stories, social media headlines, and tech community buzz about the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are making us think that jobs traditionally done by humans will soon be replaced by machines. Concerns are rekindled.
This technology has already permeated our lives and the changes are real, with many examples such as AI robotic prostheses, AI in augmented reality for the medical industry, and even AI music bands.
The sci-fi ideology that machines will one day take over the world is nothing new, but newer bots such as ChatGPT-4’s superior capabilities and datasets have made this fear somewhat real.
To understand why, we need to look at how the world of work has evolved today due to factors such as the rise of hybrid work combined with technologies such as AI and ML.
Gone are the days when companies structured employee job roles, strict responsibilities, linear career progression and lifetime employment.
Rather, today’s concept of work has evolved into a skill-based concept and we need to adapt.
Faced with the speed and scale of change in the nature of work and related skills, organizations must adopt a skills-based approach and leverage AI and ML technologies to prepare their workforce for the opportunities and challenges ahead. I have.
In other words, instead of fearing machines, leaders should take advantage of new technological innovations to empower the intelligent, agile and competitive workforce of the future.
Harnessing AI and ML to Realize Infinite Possibilities
AI and ML have the potential to revolutionize the future of work, especially with advances in generative AI.
Such innovations are fundamental to enabling organizations to take a skills-based approach to talent management, helping organizations not only hire and retain the right talent, but also meet the evolving needs of today’s digital world. You can also upskill existing talent to meet.
To illustrate this, Workday’s Career Hub powered by ML provides employees with suggestions for skill upgrades and encourages them to develop learning and development plans as they seek ongoing career advancement opportunities. Here’s one example.
Such efforts help improve the employee experience and are critical to talent retention and overall business success.
These include internal mobility, career advancement opportunities, and sometimes short-term assignments that allow employees to try out entirely new career tracks.
Applying AI and ML is just as essential in other parts of the workplace, from sales and operations to finance.
In the finance industry, teams traditionally spend an enormous amount of time gathering information and coordinating deals throughout the month and at the end of the quarter.
Leveraging ML, financial professionals can identify patterns, trends, map possible futures, and automatically highlight anomalies to better manage risk, plan, and Now you can complete the financial close process in just hours or minutes.
This increased efficiency frees up employees to work on more complex and value-added tasks.
More importantly, AI and ML technologies should be seen as complementing and enhancing human capabilities, not replacing them.
Machines can help automate and derive better insights from large amounts of data or take over manual and repetitive processes, but machines have the same human problem-solving, high-touch, analytical, and empathetic abilities. , lacks creativity.
Similarly, when responding quickly to emerging insights, AI and ML can be used to customize search functionality and recommend features within customized user experiences for personal, mobile, and web.
This greatly improves the end-user experience and gives employees quick access to what they need.
Responsible and ethical AI is a critical foundation
For AI and ML to thrive and realize the powerful growth potential they offer, they must be trustworthy and focused on augmenting human capabilities, not replacing them.
To achieve this purpose, trust must be built into the very foundations of these technologies so that they continue to deliver positive outcomes for society.
Central to that is ensuring that humans remain the ultimate decision makers in any AI and ML technology. This approach ensures that employees and leaders alike continue to benefit from these new innovations, further improving their productivity, efficiency and information knowledge.
As a technology and innovation hub in the Asia-Pacific region, Singapore is leading the adoption of AI and ML technologies and is at the forefront of responsible AI policymaking.
The country will launch the world’s first AI governance test framework and toolkit in 2022 to increase transparency and promote public trust in AI. Such efforts are a step in the right direction as the use of AI and ML technologies increases exponentially.
As organizations adopt technology, how to use AI and ML responsibly, and their far-reaching societal impact, will have everyone from governments and industry groups to the companies developing these technologies. Meaningful policy discussions are needed about understanding that stakeholder input is included.
AI and ML will undoubtedly bring future opportunities to the workforce, from better access to career opportunities to greater efficiency and greater equality.
I believe that through joint efforts of public and private companies, we can establish new standards and policies that will advance human progress, create new jobs, and further develop our economies.
These new technologies have also created a new reality in which previously unimaginable roles will emerge for displaced workers, but this will help them improve their skills and stay adaptable to seize the jobs of the future. It is a new frontier that must be willingly explored by doing so.
This is the promise that AI and ML bring. We’re just getting started, so keep riding.
About the author:
Damian Leach is Chief Technology Officer for Asia Pacific and Japan at Workday, a systems software company.
