With rampant advancements being made in the fields of artificial intelligence and machine learning, many individuals have come forward to voice their concerns regarding the rapid amalgamation of these “modern” technologies within organizations. Amongst all the concerns that employees have voiced, a primary issue that was brought up was the notion that the increased inclusion of AI and robotics will ‘substitute’ the human workforce.
Right off the bat, not only is the notion of humanity “losing” their jobs to robots a product of individuals taking Hollywood sci-fi plots too literally, the reality of AI and robotics inclusion differs quite literally from the situation that we’ve conjured up inside our heads.
The amalgamation of modern technologies such as AI, machine learning, and Robotics has an extremely positive impact on the workplace. These technologies not just help in boosting sales, detecting abnormalities, and preventing malware, but it also results in significant improvements being made to the state that employees work in. Some ways in which the inclusion of AI and robotics into the workforce proves to be extremely beneficial include the following:
#1- Robots can Prove to be a Source of Giving Trustworthy Advice to Employees:
In a typical workplace environment, employees consider their bosses, along with other higher-ups on the corporate ladder to be a source through which they can receive honest and trustworthy advice.
In a rather surprising study, however, it was discovered that individuals tend to display the same amount of trust towards robots also. The study, which was conducted by Oracle and Future Workplace, polled a staggering 8300 workers and HR representatives across 10 countries. The results of the study brought into light the unprecedented discovery that 64% of the polled employees trusted the advice provided to them by robots more than the advice given to them by their superiors, whilst half of them had already consulted robots for corporate counseling.
Furthermore, 65% of the survey participants stated that they were quite eager to share their work experience with the robots, which clears the air of any quips that concerned managers might have had. Although the study did not dive deep into the methods that the robots had employed to give out advice, we believe that a continued appreciation and honest feedback (especially, if it’s being generated by a completely unbiased source) is bound to improve employee performance and create a more positive workplace.
#2- AI can Help in Creating Job Opportunities for Overlooked Individuals:
One of the biggest hurdles in the hiring process, which often accounts for the global unemployment rate, is that enterprises fail to come across applicants that match the job description that they’ve put a listing out for. Amidst the hundreds, and sometimes, even thousands of resumes that an organization receives from the “wrong” applicants, the individuals that are tailor-made for the job get lost somewhere in the spam folder.
Fortunately, however, we’ve got artificial intelligence to come to the rescue, with many organizations already implementing AI, as a means to a more effective hiring process. Not only can AI streamline the hiring process by providing an alternative to the menial interview process it also has the potential to shortlist the applicant pool to include only the individuals that are optimal for the job at hand.
One such AI tool focuses specifically on the overlooked individuals in the tech world and enables for the formulation of an AI-enabled platform that shines a light on people who have the potential to excel in tech roles. So far, it has been reported that the AI tool has the potential to locate individuals that possess the talent to be trained for complex tech work in a minimal time period of only 20 weeks.
When we take into account the rather large discrepancy that exists in the IT world, particularly as far as high-risk tech jobs are concerned- the inclusion of an AI tool similar to the kind that we’ve mentioned above can result in the eradication of traditional employment barriers, such as the lack of a college degree. Moreover, the implementation of AI in the hiring process could also foster a platform through which organizations could connect with the ablest individuals, which directly influences the workplace, and promotes a robust work environment.
#3- Robots can Help Humans By Performing Menial Tasks:
Owing to the way that the modern, digital enterprise is structured, employees are forced to partake in routine tasks that are extremely boring and repetitive. Typically, when an individual has to do a repetitive task over a long course of time, the burden and stress can take a physical toll on their mental and physical health.
Luckily, the inclusion of robots into the workplace can provide employees with sufficient comfort, by stepping in and automating menial tasks such as inspection, that significantly reduce the amount of strain being put on humans.
One such example that perfectly demonstrates how robots can provide ease to employees concerns and arthritis-ridden employee and his Cabot colleague. The employee was responsible for inspecting various parts at an automotive plant, which resulted in him facing severe arthritis issues in his hands and feet because of the strain that the manual work put on him. With a camera attached to the robot, the process of the inspection of the automotive parts was automated, which eliminated the strain on the employee and played a crucial role in curing his arthritis.
Not only does this example provide a perfect demonstration of how robots can take the stress off humans, but it also paints a picture of a future where humans won’t have to wreak havoc on their bodies and minds, and still contribute to a workplace.
#4- AI can Better the State of Employee Scheduling:
One of the biggest hurdles in the modern enterprise today is that it is extremely challenging for HR managers to effectively fulfill all of their scheduling requirements in a way that satisfies everyone. And contrary to popular belief, the discrepancy that arises in scheduling is not because of the HR’s department poor organizational skills; instead, it arises because there are highly specific needs that a well-made schedule needs to cater to.
There are several tools available on the AI market that are software-based and are designed in a way to optimize an organization’s schedule for maximum productivity, whilst simultaneously reducing the strain and frustration of many team members.
An example of the benefits that AI can offer to improve employee scheduling is by deflecting situations where several inexperienced staff members without the guidance of a long-time employee, which is almost always bound to result in things going awry. Moreover, the implementation of an AI tool similar to the one we’ve given an example of above also fosters a friendly workplace environment, simply by collecting data on the employees that work well together.
#5- Robots can Boost Employee Safety:
One of the biggest concerns that individuals have voiced over the inclusion of robots and artificial intelligence into the workplace is over employee safety. At this point, the sooner we come to terms with the fact that the world is full of dangerous jobs that employees have to partake in, the sooner we can devise robots that can combat the associated risks.
A particularly apt example of how robots can contribute to keeping employees safe is the fact that a robot can enter a burning building and examine the level of damage caused, without having to endanger the lives of firefighters. In a similar fashion, robots could also survey the damage caused on a broken bridge, or in the aftermath of an earthquake, and provide a more accurate recount of the damage wreaked.
There are also robots that are remotely operated and enable employees to overlook the functioning of an event, without having to put themselves in the midst of catastrophic circumstances.
#6- AI can Enable Employees to Conjure Original Ideas:
A typical workplace always rewards the individuals that conjure the most original ideas, which is why the prospect of finding out that a fantastic idea that you just came up with has already been proposed by somebody else.
Luckily, AI can aid with the idea generation, through a specialized interface that displays to an employee all the previously submitted content. Moreover, it also provides them with the liberty to filter by topic, along with comparing and contrasting their idea through a search of a whopping 1.36 million ideas, which lights the path for the fruition of creative and new ideas.
Parting Words:
At the end of the article, we can only hope that we’ve cleared the air of some of the doubts that our readers might have been harboring in regards with AI and robotics implementation, and made them realize that the inclusion of modern technologies is not all doom, and can, in fact, prove to be extremely beneficial for the workplace.
