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What does the future of artificial intelligence in the workplace look like for employee experience?
Over last few years, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a very significant part of business operations across all industries. It’s already making an impact as part of our daily lives, from appliances, voice assistants, search, surveillance, marketing, autonomous vehicles, video games, TVs, to large sporting events.
AI is the result of applying cognitive science techniques to emulate human intellect and artificially create something that performs tasks that only humans can perform, like reasoning, natural communication and problem-solving. It does this by leveraging machine learning technique by reading and analyzing large data sets to identify patterns, detect anomalies and make decisions with no human intervention.
In this ever-evolving market, AI has become super crucial for businesses to upscale workplace infrastructure and improve employee experience. According to Precedence Research, the AI market size is projected to surpass around $1,597.1 billion by 2030, and is expanding growth at a CAGR of 38.1% from 2022 to 2030.
Currently, AI is being used in the workplace to automate jobs that are repetitive or require a high degree of precision, like data entry or analysis. AI can also be used to make predictions about customer behavior or market trends.
In the future, AI is expected to increasingly be used to augment human workers, providing them with recommendations or suggestions based on the data that it has been programmed to analyze.
Today’s websites are capable of using AI to quickly detect potential customer intent in real-time based on interactions by the online visitor, and to show more engaging and personalized content to enhance the possibility of converting customers. As AI continues to develop, its capabilities in the workplace are expected to increase, making it an essential tool for businesses looking to stay ahead of the competition.
Will AI Take Jobs From Humans?
Kai-Fu Lee, a famous computer scientist, businessman and writer, said in a 2019 interview with CBS News that he believes 40% of the world’s jobs will be replaced by robots capable of automating tasks.
AI has a potential to replace many types of jobs that involve mechanical or structured tasks that are repetitive in nature. Some opportunities we are seeing now are robotic vehicles, drones, surgical devices, logistics, call centers, administrative tasks like housekeeping, data entry and proofreading. Even armies of robots for security and defense are being discussed.
That said, AI is going to be a huge disruption worldwide over the next decade or so. Most innovations come from disruptions; take COVID-19 pandemic as an example, it dramatically changed how we work now.
While AI takes some jobs, it is also creates many opportunities. When it comes to strategic thinking, creativity, emotions and empathy, humans will always win over machines. This rings the bell to adapt with the change and grow human factors in workplace in all possible dimensions. Nokia and Blackberry mobile phones, Kodak cameras are the living examples of failing by not acknowledging the digital disruption. Timely market research, using the right technology and enabling the workforce to adapt for change can bring success to businesses through digital transformation.
Can Artificial Intelligence Be 100% Reliable?
There will be changes in the traditional means of doing things, and more jobs will be generated. AI has the potential to revolutionize the workplace, transforming how we do everything from customer service to driving cars in one of the busiest places like downtown San Francisco. However, there are still several challenges that need to be overcome before AI can be widely implemented in the workplace.
One of the biggest challenges is developing algorithms that can reliably replicate human tasks. This is often difficult because human tasks often involve common sense and reasoning, which are difficult for computers to understand. We should also ensure that AI systems are fair and unbiased. This is important because AI systems are often used to make decisions about things like hiring and promotions, and if they are biased then this can lead to discrimination. We live in the world of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and mistakes with AI can be costly for businesses. It may take a very long time to develop a customer-centric model that is completely dependent on AI, one that is reliable and trustworthy.
What Does a Future With AI Look Like?
The future of AI is hard to predict, but there are a few key trends that are likely to shape its development. The increasing availability of data will allow AI systems to become more accurate and efficient, and as businesses and individuals rely on AI more and more, a need for new types of AI applications means more work and jobs. As these trends continue, AI is likely to have a significant impact on the workforce. It can very well lead to the automation of many cognitive tasks, including those that are currently performed by human workers.
This could result in a reduction in the overall demand for labor as well as an increase in the need for workers with skills that complement the AI systems. AI is the future of work; there’s no doubt about that, but how it will shape the future of human workforce remains to be seen.
Many are worried that AI will remove many jobs, while others see it as an opportunity to increase efficiency and accuracy in the workforce. No matter which side you’re on, it’s important to understand how AI is changing the way we work and what that means for the future.
Where AI Has Changed the World
Let’s look at few real-world examples that are already changing the way of work:
- Personalized digital experience: in real-time to online website users.
- Screening thousands of job applications and resumes to flag relevant candidates.
- Ecommerce giants are: testing delivery by drones.
- Self-driving trucks and cars are already seen on the roads.
- Medical surgeriesare being operated by robots.
- Robots are delivering babies.
- Traffic surveillance and flagging accidents in real-time so help is dispatched quickly.
- Robotic vacuum cleaners.
- Social media apps are using intelligence to show personalized content.
- Healthcare is leveraging AI for diagnostic accuracy and prediction based on samples.
- Satellites and drones equipped with cameras are continuously taking pictures to automatically detect, inspect, monitor and diagnose asset health.
All above implementations look great. However, it is important to note that AI should be used as a supplement to human intelligence, not a replacement for it. When used properly, AI can help businesses thrive. The role of AI in the workplace is ever evolving, and it will be interesting to see how businesses adopt these technologies and improve the overall work environment to provide the best employee experience.
An October 2020 Gallup poll found that “51% of workers are ‘not engaged’ — they are psychologically unattached to their work and company.”
How AI Can Improve Employee Experience
Here are some employee experience aspects that AI could improve:
- Detect burnout and predict behavioral changes and create opportunities to keep motivating employees at the right time.
- Analyze employee collaboration activities across different projects/events and define segments by several attributes to provide more personalized experience at scale.
- Look at performance patterns and create a recommendation engine to ensure the right employees are assigned to the right tasks to maximize outcome.
- With regards to the great resignation, there’s an opportunity for great recruitment. Why employees are leaving should be understood to create opportunities for existing, as well as new employees, to retain good talent.
- Automate, automate and automate as many processes as possible in order to use real human strengths where needed most.
Employees need to know and trust that you have their best interests in mind. The value of AI in human resources is going to be critical to deliver employee experiences along with human connection and values.