The end of work as we know it?

Or not just yet! Most days we get 10-20 emails from AI sellers covering databases, marketing, SEO, website optimisation, CV searches, candidate resources and so on. Back in early 2023 we didn’t get any so you can see what has happened in the last 12 months.

Whilst AI has been around for years it is only now fully in the consciousness of businesses and employees.

The end of Employment

There are plenty of scare stories doing the rounds about what impact AI will have on our jobs – and if any of us will have a job soon, but this is surely too early a prediction?

Quite apart from every cloud service we use offering AI assistance with writing articles, filling content and adding value, we shouldn’t forget that not every job uses a computer and not every business has systems and infrastructure to cope with AI.

Technology Infrastructure

Indeed, a recent study by Ricoh Europe has shown a big discontent among employees regarding the “outdated technology prevalent in their workplaces”.

The research discovered that nearly half believed that their workplace was out of date and behind on bringing in and using cutting-edge technology. They felt it was to the detriment of their productivity, as well as their motivation to stay, rather than move to a better equipped business.

AI and HR

Another survey, by Unmind has revealed that the majority of HR Leaders (nearly 90%) are going to implement AI soon in the organisations. They obviously did not survey those discontented businesses above!

The survey has also shown that AI will be top of the HR agenda for some years to come, particularly if it can help combat workplace stress and burnout. The skills shortage means that we all have to do more…

However, the caveat is that many are worried about ethical issues around AI and the lack of a 'human touch’ that could result from widespread use.

Future Employment

Frighteningly, the Future of Jobs Report 2023, predicts a decrease in employment of 5% in the next five years – new jobs are being added but more are becoming obsolete.

No doubt AI in the workplace will radically alter the skills needed, and present a major training challenge for organisations, particularly those that are not good at providing this at present.

However, in his recent interview with the BBC, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey was confident that AI won’t be a “mass destroyer of jobs” and talked about workers adapting and collaborating with these new technologies. He feels there are risks but also significant potential benefits.

The Human Touch

AI seems to be making its way big time into the recruitment process but it seems that most candidates (70%) want to keep the human touch in the process and not have AI manage everything. Will AI identify that left field, maverick candidate that every organisation could use? Or will it trot out uniform workers, that conform to the business ‘norm’? Time will tell.

Interestingly, the survey, by Robert Half, found that, predictably, more older workers (40% to 50%) want to deal only with humans compared to the under 35’s (25%) who have grown up with technology, but they still wanted the human touch to be part of the process.

AI and Profits

Apparently, AI-driven companies are more financially successful than those that do not, according to a survey by Embryo. It seems that you can add £9m to your bottom line by embracing AI…

Areas where AI was used to profitable success included image processing, green tech and natural language processing. Sectors enjoying the most success included those in data analysis and machine learning.

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