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Human-machine collaboration is the future of work, and those caught off guard are warned they may face a bumpy transition unless they get ahead of the shift now. But what does that mean exactly?
Many people are sounding the alarm, blaming automation and its big brother AI for the volatile labor market, particularly in tech. But that perspective may not be fully accurate.
“The labor market has been stronger than expected this year, and job gains have been widespread across industries and occupations,” shared Jay Denton, chief analytics officer at LaborIQ. “While some roles have been impacted [by automation], more new ones have been created.”
The unemployment rate is also an important metric to monitor. While it recently increased to 3.8%, it’s been below 4% for more than a year-and-a-half, and many types of jobs have unemployment rates below 2.5%.
All this shows that there’s a definite change in the air, and tech does have a role to play in it. But the rise of automation may be more of an evolution than a destruction. So, whether a person is unemployed or seeking to remain employed, it is wise to accommodate the rise of automation in one’s efforts, as its impact will be felt in every industry soon enough.
The Effect of Automation on Jobs
“AI is penetrating all types of businesses in some form,” said Denton, and industries that rely heavily on research will experience the first wave of changes, as will those performing routine data entry and analysis tasks.
Liz Wheeles, staff technical program manager at LinkedIn, has also witnessed this wave in motion. “Automated testing tools and frameworks have transformed software testers’ work,” she said. “Instead of manually running tests, they now concentrate on creating test cases and interpreting the results.”
Today, testers and analysts of every ilk have been freed to focus on more complex decision-making, as automation reshapes the workplace for optimal efficiency. “It’s becoming more about acting on the information than gathering it,” added Denton.
But this also seems to require the human side of the equation to possess more knowledge and learn new skills, creating a constant hill to climb in the quest to keep pace with evolving technologies.
“Some people worry about losing their jobs to AI,” Wheeles observed. “One big takeaway from this transformation is that embracing AI as a tool, rather than fearing it as a threat, can actually help IT professionals boost productivity and discover new opportunities.”
Denton said there are several other advantages to automation, including retention and talent acquisition, which will be even greater priorities as skilled labor retires. The technology can “narrow a large group of qualified candidates, knowing what compensation to offer to be competitive in the market, or identify causes for attrition rates,” he said. And what would have taken days, weeks or months to aggregate and sort can happen in a few hours — and soon may be reduced to a few minutes.
It can also combat bias, he said. “Some programs are meant to remove bias from the hiring process and even identify steps in your current process that might create bias.” Oversight and proof that the tools are working as intended will be important, but cautious optimism feels in order here.
Embracing lifelong learning to stay relevant in a rapidly changing job market will be important for professionals in every sector, as the jobs of tomorrow are not yet defined. And the workplaces of tomorrow must, likewise, start preparing.
Related Article: Balancing the Tech and the Human When Onboarding
Preparing Workplaces for Human-Machine Collaboration
Collaborative environments are already the norm, as workplaces continue to evolve and adapt to increasingly sophisticated automation and AI capabilities. But to get to the future of work where humans and machines collaborate fully, employers must first overcome psychological barriers around this new way of work. Wheeles offered these tips to help get there:
- Offer clear communication channels to facilitate top-down and peer-to-peer idea and information sharing.
- Create cross-functional teams and projects to bring different departments, diverse perspectives and geographies to the table.
- Organize team-building activities and training programs to ensure employees feel comfortable and supported in evolving roles.
- Recognize and reward collaborative efforts through incentives and performance evaluations.
Also, transparently communicate as these transitions to automated processes happen. Wheeles advised involving employees in the decision-making process when possible and “highlighting the benefits of human-machine collaboration, such as improved efficiency and reduced monotonous tasks,” to reduce resistance and instill a culture of innovation and adaptability.
Related Article: Forge a Path of Least Resistance to AI and Automation
Tomorrow’s Workforce: Where the Wild Things Are
To thrive in this evolving landscape, Wheeles stressed the importance of creativity, adaptability, open-mindedness and cultural awareness. That’s because we are still in the early stages of this age of AI and automation and, as Denton noted, “as with all technologies before, we still have a lot of learning in front of us.”
Although several functions might become automated, somebody with sought-after skills will need to run the systems. To count yourself among that number, Denton suggests the following:
- Be an expert on new and advanced tools.
- Stay current on any changes and implications to your role and business.
- Create new processes for your company or industry.
- Consider enrolling in classes to further your education outside of your base job.
- Look for other ways to add value outside of pure production work.
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Automation will continue, and technology’s potential will evolve. Humanity will always be the wild card in this collaborative landscape — but it’s one that will stand out for its uniquely human qualities.
As Denton shared, although generative AI rapidly organizes answers and has commoditized a lot of marketing content, “so many posts on social media clearly look like they were written by a bot. It’s hard to automate real-life experiences, and that is the type of material that will clearly stand out moving forward.”
Of course, this doesn’t take artificial general intelligence or artificial super intelligence into account — the former potentially being primed for introduction any time now, and the latter nipping at AGI’s heels and projected to follow at an alarmingly fast rate. But looking at the rise of automation in that manner — that is, by focusing on our uniquely human qualities — offers hope and a way to cope with the changes. And we all need that. Because short of Sarah Connor taking down Skynet, AI-powered automation is here, and there’s no turning back.
