Technology is infiltrating every aspect of our lives and the workplace is no exception. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems within the workplace have the potential to improve efficiency and productivity. However, as automation takes over administrative and repetitive tasks, it also poses a threat to established jobs. So, how will AI impact the future of our workplaces and how can we make it beneficial to all employees?
The Benefits And Drawbacks of AI
The rise of AI technology cannot be ignored. Increasingly, companies are beginning to realize that artificial intelligence offers big advantages to businesses, especially with regards to collecting and analyzing data, as well as the capacity for AI to help enhance human intelligence.
“Artificial Intelligence has the potential to help make jobs more efficient, provide better quality data to enhance decision-making and allow for innovative new products and services to be produced.”
Yet, at the same time, the increasing use of AI will inevitably lead to some job losses or job displacements within particular sectors. Although it is predicted that AI will come to have an impact on every sector in some form by the mid-2030s, there are some occupations and sectors which are facing a greater risk in the more immediate future.
Jobs which can be easily automated are most likely to be affected first and the introduction of AI technology does pose a risk to the job security of people currently working within these sectors. By contrast, it is expected that demand in occupations that require literary or emotional abilities, will be less likely to be affected by the introduction of AI in the workplace.
New skillsets and training will be needed to fully and successfully incorporate AI technologies in existing businesses.
In the long-term, it is predicted that innovative AI technologies will actually lead to greater job creation.
AI And Administrative Tasks
One of the biggest ways in which AI is already having an impact on the workplace is by its ability to perform administrative tasks. Artificial intelligence is already capable of replacing some jobs which involve repetitive and basic, time-consuming activities. For example, X.ai has created an AI-powered personal assistant which is capable of scheduling and cancelling meetings. There is also technology available which can transcribe and distribute meeting notes.
Using AI to deal with administrative tasks helps to free up valuable time for workers to be able to focus on more productive activities.
Using AI To Enhance Communication
Using AI has proven to be extremely helpful to employee support staff.
“Human resources teams are essential for any business,” explains George Simmons, a business writer at Write My X and Britstudent. “They have an important role in terms of ensuring that all the personal data, as well as the company’s network, are being kept secure. But they also spend a lot of time dealing with employee queries. The beauty of Artificial Intelligence technology within HR sectors is that it allows the office staff to focus on important responsibilities, rather than being continuously interrupted by repetitive questions or requests.
Instead, AI programs, such as Spoke, can be used to answer employee questions promptly. If the program encounters a question it doesn’t have the answer to, it can direct the request to the relevant human personnel team member. Over time, the AI is able to learn and so becomes more useful.”
AI technology is also being used to help facilitate communications between employees, especially between team members who speak different languages. Programs, such as Skype’s Translator AI, allow employees to conduct conference calls and understand one another, almost in real-time, thanks to the AI’s translation.
Using AI To Drive Innovation And Problem-Solving
AI technology is being used across multiple occupations and industries, a trend which is likely to continue into the future. By freeing workers from mundane tasks, it provides more time and freedom for innovation to occur.
Using the data collected by AI systems, as well as having an increased ability to communicate and collaborate with fellow workers across multiple platforms, provides individuals with the opportunity to improve their working practices. Moreover, not only do they have time and resources to improve existing services, but they are able to focus on creating new services and technologies which can help to develop and grow industries.
“AI is already being used to help teachers and medical practitioners to problem-solve, which in turn is helping to drive innovation,” says Fred Miller, a tech blogger at 1day2write and Nextcoursework.
“For example, IBM’s Watson is an AI program which is already being used by teachers to help them identify the learning preferences and styles of their pupils.”
This is allowing teachers to personalize pupils’ learning plans and tailor their teaching to truly meet the individual needs of their pupils.
Using Artificial Intelligence To Increase Productivity
AI is impacting productivity and efficiency most of all. Companies are turning to AI to help them to collect and analyze data more efficiently. This allows workers to make better use of their time and therefore, be more productive. They are then free to exercise greater creativity within their job-role, which also leads to greater job satisfaction.
Some companies are also beginning to utilize AI tools and programs which have been designed specifically to boost and monitor productivity. These often involve analytics tools that help to identify problem areas. For example, they can help to identify departments that require more staff or identify current obstacles that are forcing workers to slow down.
AI analytics tools help team leaders or managers to quickly resolve issues which are slowing down productivity and efficiency in the workplace.
Conclusion
Artificial intelligence is going to affect all workplaces to some extent in the coming years. There is a growing recognition that this will lead to some job losses, as well as a shift in the types of skills needed by companies in the future to effectively implement AI technologies.
Yet, rather than fearing the use of AI in the workplace, automation can be used instead to help create new jobs, boost productivity and allow for innovation from human workers.
— Beatrice is a professional copywriter at Research Paper Help and Academicbrits.
