Early Research Findings
The articles I have found so far pertaining to the relationship of AI and the workforce take two different stances. They believe that the AI will have completely different effects on the workplace.
What stance does each article take?
Time.com states that not only are workers in danger because of AI, but the pandemic is accelerating the use of AI in the workforce. On the other hand, Wired.com states that technological advancements have always eliminated jobs, as well as create new ones and that AI is no different. Both these articles bring up concrete information about how the AI can possibly impact the workplace. The Time.com article brought up some facts I had already known about such as cashiers being replaced with touch screens. It also brought up some new points about how the recent pandemic has thrusted AI into everyday lives. People and businesses will feel more comfortable with AI while person to person contact must be six feet apart. The Wired.com article stated that AI in the workplace has and will continue to create new jobs. However, the jobs they create, which mostly consist of operating and understanding AI, have more requirements than the jobs they replace. The article gives some examples such as trainers and explainers. A trainer involves training the AI how to understand people like a person would, for instance detect sarcasm. While an explainer bridges the gap between managers and AI, monitoring and ensuring that the AI is capable of making productive decisions.
Support from another blogger
Another Medium blogger, Coburg Banks, addresses the concept of these jobs. “In my personal opinion, you’ll always need a human touch when it comes to recruitment (and many other jobs, supposedly getting taken over by AI).You need that gut instinct and judgement to know whether someone will actually fit into the team” (Banks 2018 ). This quote, along with the Wired article confirm that jobs will not be as scarce in the future, as I originally thought. However, like any job, these jobs will need certain skills, which most don’t have. I will have to find more sources and discover which stance has the most support. Until then, these two articles and Banks’s blog raise more questions than it answers. How will the pandemic affect the workplace long-term? Will AI decrease in use once the pandemic stops? What are the requirements for jobs created by AI in the workplace? Overall, will AI in the workplace ultimately have a positive or negative effect? It’s certainly safe to say that jobs will not run short while AI increases its presence in the workplace. However, the workplace will most certainly never be the same once AI reaches its full potential.
References
Banks, C. (2018, January 19). How Artificial Intelligence Can Revolutionize Recruitment. Retrieved from https://42hire.com/how-artificial-intelligence-can-revolutionize-recruitment-de0936cca38c
Insider, W. (2018, April 04). AI and the Future of Work. Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/wiredinsider/2018/04/ai-future-work/#:~:text=Rather than replacing workers, AI can be a,better. That goes for businesses and industry too.
Semuels, A. (2020, August 06). Machines and AI Are Taking Over Jobs Lost to Coronavirus. Retrieved from https://time.com/5876604/machines-jobs-coronavirus/
