As organisations implement AI tools into the workplace, employees are not as likely to be replaced by the technology as they might think.
If I was to count in my head the amount of times I have heard someone say that we are all going to become unemployed at the hands of AI, I would lose track. It is a popular, albeit somewhat ill-informed belief that artificial intelligence has the power to render millions of people worldwide jobless over the course of the next few years.
While AI does threaten job stability in certain industries, for the most part advanced technologies are being implemented into organisations and institutions as an asset and to aid the existing workforce. Not replace them.
Many people may find that the parameters of their jobs are changed by AI, but not all change is bad. In fact, if integration, training and usage is clear, above board and beneficial to all, then you might even find that it has made your day to day that bit easier. But, in many regards, AI might not affect how you work and here is why.
It’s soulless
There has been much talk of late regarding how AI is being used to create art, literature, music, social media content and even to manipulate voice acting. The recent Oscar-nominated film The Brutalist being a prime example, as AI was used to refine the actors’ Hungarian accents.
While unfortunately we do live in a world where AI can generate works to mimic artistry, it still takes a human and human oversight to ensure that the work is correctly interpreted. AI can analyse vast amounts of information and make decisions but it lacks the sentience required to be truly creative, innovative or imaginative.
For projects that demand out-of-the-box thinking, ingenuity and complexity of thought, AI will never be a solid substitute for a person. Simply put, people develop their creativity skills over time and are often inspired by their life experiences, which is not yet a possibility for AI machinery.
It lacks nuance
While many careers, STEM in particular, deal in facts, it is still imperative that there is room for uncertainty. More specifically, innovators, researchers and other stakeholders need to understand the results of a project in terms of why something worked or equally why it failed. AI often lacks the ability to make decisions based on uncertainty or adjusting factors. While common sense is not a science, it does enable people to make choices at key moments.
Humans can understand nuance, creating a workable narrative, but AI is not equipped to deal with it and may instead use what it can to create a false and inaccurate picture. For that reason humankind still has the edge on AI, as we may not always appreciate ambiguity but we can work around it.
It’s no Florence Nightingale
Not everyone is a kind, empathetic or fair human being, but I would like to think that for the most part, the majority of people are. AI on the other hand is not, simply because it isn’t sentient and its motivators are clinical. While not every job in the STEM field is going to require you to be friendly, many will, particularly those that are consumer-facing.
For example, researchers in the medical field who are often dealing with ill people in vulnerable moments need to be tactful and aware that their choice of words and actions matter. AI is an ideal partner when it comes to diagnosing and treating patients, however, it can never take the place of a human being who needs to be able to express compassion for the people in their care and offer support where needed.
It has no concept of morality
Despite US president Donald Trump’s campaign to end federal DEI initiatives in the US and the subsequent dismantlement of such policies in large organisations with a global footprint, such as Amazon, Google and Meta, many companies still value diversity among the workforce.
One common challenge presented by widespread organisational AI is the lack of sound moral reasoning. Because AI is only ever as ethical as its creators, it is prone to bias and is often fed information that views the world in a specific way, in many cases unintentionally.
In many areas such as medicine, engineering and R&D, human beings are needed to ensure that the decisions being made are representative of everyone and not catering to or excluding certain groups based on prejudice.
When it comes down to it, AI is a tool that has the power to drastically alter life, but it’s important to remember that human beings created that technology and have the capacity to control and manipulate it for a positive outcome.
So, if you are worried that your role could be impacted by advanced technologies, why not find out how you can twist it to your advantage? AI doesn’t sit and ponder its replaceability, so neither should you, just be proactive in your choices.
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