Courtney Machi shared her predictions for AI and the future of work in 2025.
If the experts are to be believed, AI innovation and the transformation of the workplace is set to continue over the next 12 months. Whether it is the increased implementation of AI agents across working operations or the expansion of much needed AI technology regulations and safeguards, it’s fair to say that the road ahead for the sector is going to be both exciting and challenging.
For Courtney Machi, the vice-president of product and engineering at technical talent platform Andela, a number of trends have already emerged and are likely to impact working environments in the coming year. Primarily, AI looks as though it is going to strongly dictate success or failure for organisations, and will change how the average employee can engage with their role.
Managing fear and hype
In the era we live in now, it is easy to exaggerate the impact a certain technology might have, but really, that is not unique to the modern day. When trains were first introduced as a successor to horse and carts, there was a fear that the velocity could seriously injure the passengers. Early versions of the telephone were seen as untrustworthy and potentially dangerous and even microwaves were subject to unproven claims of electromagnetic interference and even radiation.
While all of those inventions are now crucial to everyday life, that is not to say that initial fears were unfounded, or unwarranted, and every new creation should be open to criticism and regulation. AI in the workplace is no different, so the real battle is controlling the hype and ensuring it doesn’t become larger than the invention itself.
“AI may be overhyped, but it can be a game changer for those who figure out how it applies to their business,” explained Machi. “Those who have put in the resources to understand how to leverage it for their business are pulling ahead. Part of the challenge is that many struggle with how to get started, ‘the use case’ to solve for, and don’t have the right talent in their teams to tackle solving problems with AI.”
In her opinion, the fears around job loss and elimination are justified, as indicated by the employees involved in the port strikes in the US, who brandished signs saying ‘machines can not replace people’. The companies that plan to automate their workforce will likely find themselves in a scenario whereby they will lose any previously held trust and loyalty.
Instead, she stated winning companies will use AI and automation to complement and enhance existing human capabilities, “and will elevate the worker experience with new skills and higher quality work. At the same time, more entry-level tasks will be absorbed by AI co-pilots and other tools.”
Embracing the fractional workforce
Of the companies that are likely to see a return on investment from the adoption of AI, the successful ones will be the organisations that can identify and cut costs associated with the automation of previously human-driven tasks. For Machi, this will all come back to whether or not companies are willing to seriously invest their time and embrace risk.
One such risk is the adoption of a less traditional working structure, for example, the use of fractional C-level and management employees to meet immediate and short-term goals.
“Start-ups and fast-growing companies will drive the trend as these experts fit the exact needs at multiple companies at one time. Fractional roles will be more important, too, among non-management workers. The pandemic accelerated this trend as workers, including management level, became accustomed to having high flexibility in their work. With AI in the mix, AI-copilots will become part of the fractional workforce as parts of jobs become outsourced to AI.”
Ultimately, AI is going to continue disrupting virtually every sector and industry, in ways that are both positive and negative. The key is to embrace change, adapt quickly and keep the workforce informed and highly skilled.
By ensuring that AI is a part of an organisation’s journey, not as an alternative to an employee, but as a useful aid to make the route simpler, companies can ensure the ideal marriage between AI and people.
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