HR practitioners around the globe are wrestling with the ethical consequences of AI and the future of work as we currently know it. As more and more employees are voicing their concerns about job security, organisations are no longer rolling out the standard “AI won’t replace jobs, it will replace processes” response. What has shifted for the future of work in the last six months?
Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) describes the future of work as a choice between two futures. On the one side is AI’s potential in partnership with people, used to create new opportunities and ‘magnify the possibilities for human-complementary technological change’. On the other, is the move towards using AI technology to automate and replace, driving a deeper wedge between those who have, and those who have not. As the business world stands on the edge of the AI revolution, the future of work remains an important conversation.
How can AI be used to change the world of work in a way that enhances jobs and builds opportunities? As SSIR points out, this has happened before – augmenting human abilities through the use of technology resulted in financial and economic prosperity after World War 2. While there is a push on one side of the AI fence towards more automation, less human interaction, there are companies and technologies prioritising people. As the World Economic Forum (WEF) points out, AI will create 69 million jobs over the next five years. The OECD found that 63% of people in the manufacturing and finance sectors were actually enjoying their jobs more because of AI.
For further perspective, the first iPhone was released in 2007 which is a mere seventeen years ago. When these ‘smart devices’ were first invented in the early nineties by IBM no one could have imagined the impact these handheld oracles would have on our future in all aspects – education, healthcare, security, safety, politics, and so on. The list is inexhaustible because this technology is now embedded in the way we live and work. Smart phones have made an indelible impact on the way we work by increasing job flexibility while also ensuring perpetual accessibility. Is this not a similar double-edged sword that we are facing now with AI?
The shape of work is changing: the choice is yours
AI is changing the shape of work, but it is the humans that will ensure this shape has value. People will need to reskill and upskill to benefit from the use of AI, but they can also create their own AI tools, automate their own workflows, increase their productivity without increasing their hours behind the desk, and find new ways of doing old things.
AI technology may be dominating headlines, but it is not the only tool that has changed the skills expectations for jobs over the past 10 years. Since 2015, says a recent LinkedIn Learning report, these skills have changed by as much as 25%. The same survey also found that companies (90%) are using learning and skills development as a way of retaining employees. Companies want AI skills, people want AI skills, and when both recognise the value of expanding their skillsets and leveraging the technology to augment the human, both benefit – both grow.
The choice comes down to the company and its vision for AI and its employees.
The great innovator: AI as an enabler
Microsoft believes that AI has the potential to ‘advance human capabilities’, bringing with it jobs, economic growth, stability and opportunities. In a recent whitepaper unpacking how AI will influence the world of work in Africa, specifically, experts believe that AI can bring down the barriers inhibiting people from building careers and innovating at scale. AI has the potential to bridge the digital divide that has plagued organisations for over a decade – employees need access to technology and providing more people with this access increases the size of a highly fought over talent pool in many industries.
The company also believes that it isn’t AI that’s creative and innovative – it’s people. The challenge is to ensure that the organisation works with its people to create opportunities within the business. The consensus is that employees are adopting AI and they would like their employers to catch up with them. The 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report found that 75% of knowledge workers use AI because it saves them time (90%), makes them more creative (84%) and helps them enjoy their jobs (83%). It also found that companies aren’t clear on how they plan to implement the technology – 60% aren’t certain of their vision.
While there are valid concerns around how AI can affect careers and jobs, the future of work is in balance. Many companies recognise the value of their people and how investing in their skills development benefits the growth of the organisation, and its potential. While some will opt out of human for automation, those that prioritise the creativity and innovative potential of human-AI collaboration will thrive. At a recent HR-industry event held here in Johannesburg, more than half of the speakers referenced or focused on AI and the benefit presented to HR practitioners who integrate AI into their way of work. Countless examples were provided to support the issue at hand – it is not what the future of work will look like, but rather, who will be a part of that future. Those who are not embracing AI are excluding themselves, and their organisations, from future-proofing their careers and success.
