Ways In Which AI Can Revolutionize The Workforce

In the July 1st edition of Financial Times, Isabel Berwick and Mischa Frankl-Duval outlined five ways in which generative AI can help revolutionize the workforce in their podcast. The IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) Research Center - the largest industrial research organization in the world - defines generative AI as a type of deep-learning model capable of generating high-quality text, images, audio, videos, or codes. 

The authors state that one of the ethical concerns with using AI for hiring purposes is potential hiring biases. Humans make discriminatory hiring decisions based on race, gender, and other factors. However, there is evidence that AI can positively affect the recruitment process. Chano Fernandez, the co-chief executive of the AI platform - Eightfold - states that AI platforms like this can help individuals seeking employment in two ways. First, the platform will highlight vacant job opportunities relevant to the individual's interests. Second, it will also show candidates which key skills they are lacking for different job opportunities. For instance, a candidate might be interested in a senior-level tax position. If they aren't familiar with tax software tools like Bloomberg Tax or Tax Docs, the platform will let them know. Generative AI has the potential to help individuals improve their chances of landing a job offer and serve as a tool to help people identify and work on their weak areas. 

One of the concerns with AI is that it will put more people on the unemployment line. While this is a valid concern, the authors provide a more optimistic viewpoint. First, they state that AI will make prompt engineering a high-demand job. Prompt engineering refers to inputting words, queries, and requests into AI tools to generate the desired output. For generative AI to work as intended, humans must refine their communication skills. Some individuals are better at doing this than others. Prompt engineering is an art that requires strong communication, analysis, and critical thinking skills. Second, the authors state that AI is primarily taking up boring and tedious tasks that humans don't want to do. For example, inputting data can be tedious and time-consuming, but generative AI can do that for us. If an individual is sick, a digital twin avatar can attend work instead. We need to be careful with the latter, as it could encourage people to be lazy and incompetent. It is still a good option to have.

Lastly, the authors state that generative AI can help introverts or individuals with disabilities. Ali Ansari - the founder of the recruitment service Micro1 - states that his company is offering avatar interviews for candidates with social anxiety or disabilities such as autism. Avatar interviews would be beneficial for individuals suffering from disabilities or anxiety, but might negatively impact the rest of the population. Avatar interviews could inhibit individuals from developing their social and communication skills. For people to learn and grow, they must step outside their comfort zone. Knowing how to communicate with others is an important skill. Conducting interviews with another human being will benefit people in the long run. 

It appears that generative AI will have a positive impact on the workforce. As discussed above, there are some concerns, but the overall outlook is positive. AI has a lot of potential. If used correctly and ethically, it will certainly revolutionize both the workforce and the whole world.

References:

What is generative AI? (n.d.). https://research.ibm.com/blog/what-is-generative-AI

Five ways ai is helping the workforce. (2024, July 1). Financial Times.