Will A.I. really replace people in the workplace?

The ever-advancing capabilities of artificial intelligence are incredibly exciting. Yet for many people, A.I. also brings concern over the replacement of human labor.

Fear of the unknown is natural, and it’s true that A.I. enabled process automation is already being used to complete tasks traditionally done by people.

Is this the rise of the machines?

Fortunately, the likes of Skynet are still reserved for fiction. In reality, the tasks being automated are boring and repetitive (though essential). Leaving these to automation makes processes more efficient and actually frees your people to add more value to your business.

Using A.I. to augment human decision-making works because the two have different strengths and weaknesses that complement the other.

A.I. solutions can complete the tasks they are programmed for with an exceptional level of accuracy, without fatiguing or incorporating human error. This enables humans to make better informed decisions and undertake tasks that involve ‘soft skills’ like judgment, creativity, empathy, and even asking the right questions.

That’s where humans are irreplaceable.

Let’s say you have an employee who is talented, creative, and knows your company well. However, right now they spend more than half of their day inputting data into a spreadsheet or manually examining the days’ sales. These tasks leave them with little time to use their skills to add value to your business. Their judgment, empathy, creative thinking, and ability to ask the right questions: all these talents are being wasted.

Now, imagine these repetitive tasks have been automated. Picture a future-focused employee who can bring more value to the business, while enjoying their work more.

Freeing your people to focus on rewarding tasks reduces manual errors that occur due to boredom, creates more engagement, and improves the employee experience. All of these positives combine to reduce staff turnover, creating a win-win.

Working with artificial intelligence is an area that your people may have little experience in. You may not be Amazon and have $700million to invest in upskilling 100,000 workers, but developing your workforce is always a good idea. Your employees don’t all need to learn Python, Java, or R, but improving their soft skills ensures they’re irreplaceable, and developing communication and collaboration can allow for a greater degree of planning between teams, and therefore add more value.

Problem-solving is also a skill that will never go out of demand. A.I. solutions tend to be good at one specific problem, and need to be trained by humans to analyze any others. So, whether it’s solving unique problems on an ad hoc basis or recognizing which issues are good candidates for automation, people will remain key for your business.

Intelygenz can free your people to provide more value.

We work with you to create a bespoke A.I. enabled process automation solution. This will help you achieve your business goals, keep you on top of the curve, and–vitally–have happier staff that bring more to your company.

Our brochure reveals which elements of your business could benefit most from automation, and how you could make the most of the time you unlock.