The role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace has taken the center stage in recent online discourse. As AI continues to revolutionize various sectors, predicting market trends, tailoring online shopping, diagnosing diseases, and driving cars, a new debate is surfacing – should AI be considered a necessary competency in the modern workplace or just another tool like an upgraded software? This question puts employees and managers at odds, as can be witnessed from the recent online coverage.
The corporate world seems to accept the increasing role of AI. A 2019 Deloitte survey found that 57% of executives described AI as critical to their business, while within two years, 37% of organizations had moved beyond pilot programs to implement AI widely across their enterprises.
However, employees’ reception to AI has been mixed. Whilst many value AI as a tool to enhance productivity, some worry about the potential for job displacement and the need to continually adjust to rapidly evolving AI systems.
Recently, a cross-industry study by IBM revealed that 120 million workers in the world’s 12 major economies may need to be retrained due to AI and intelligent automation. This suggest a significant performance requirement – that individuals must not only learn how to use AI but start understanding its mechanics.
Managers, predictably, are less divided on the issue. TechTarget reports that managers view AI as a means of increasing productivity and improving decision making. A 2020 study published by Harvard Business Review highlights that managers view AI as an aid for their teams, not a replacement. However, the perceived ‘AI capabilities’ gap between employees and management can be precipitous.
Jason James, a digital transformation specialist, echoes this sentiment, “AI enhances decision-making capabilities, but it needs human context to work,” adding that while AI can process and analyze more data than a human ever can, it lacks emotional intelligence and the ability to understand context.
Despite the polarized viewpoints, the use of AI in the job market is steadily rising. A recent Forbes report highlights an increased demand for AI specialists, with job postings for AI-related roles increasing by 32% from 2019 to 2020.
Moreover, the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2020 highlights that in 2025, the time spent on current tasks at work by humans and machines will be equal. So, it’s clear that the prevalence of AI is not slowing down. The question now is – how are companies tackling the AI skills gap and making AI an essential part of the company culture?
Industry giants are setting an example by championing retraining programs. Amazon announced ‘Upskilling 2025’, a $700 million initiative to train 100,000 employees to meet the demands of increasingly tech-savvy roles. Similarly, IBM is investing $1 billion in training and development programs for its workforce over the next three years.
Despite the progress, a 2021 McKinsey report highlights a considerable lag between the adoption of AI and the accompanying workforce changes, suggesting that organizations are failing to anticipate the seismic shift AI is likely to induce in the workplace landscape.
As the discourse on AI as a performance requirement continues, the need for a middle ground becomes increasingly apparent. Organizations need to bridge the AI understanding and usage gap among employees and management, leverage AI-industry partnerships for ongoing education and training, and address fears about job security for employee buy-in.
In the end, AI’s role in the workplace will be a fine balance between replacing routine tasks and augmenting human skills. As Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella opines, “The key is to avoid framing AI as a replacement for humans and instead present it as a tool that can empower humans to do more.”
Original Source: https://hrexecutive.com/ai-as-a-performance-requirement-employees-managers-are-divided/
