Robotics and Artificial Intelligence have already penetrated our daily lives. According to the latest McKinsey report, most organizations have already invested in AI. However, only 1% of these companies think they have reached maturity. With the development of large language models, we have entered a new tech era. So, will the long-term potential of AI significantly impact the workforce? Will AI vs human workers be an endless debate? AI has no doubt become a threat to most jobs. Thus, let us compare AI with human workers and determine the future of employment.
Human versus Artificial Intelligence
Our human intelligence combines different cognitive abilities like-
- Learning
- Problem-solving
- Creativity
- Reasoning
- Emotional intelligence
Human workers have the ability to-
- Think abstractly
- Adapt to any situations
- Apply knowledge in different contexts
By using senses and experience, humans can make informed decisions and manage complex situations. So, biology is the main factor that drives human intelligence.
On the contrary, artificially created systems gain intelligence from different technologies-
- Natural Language Processing lets AI technology interpret human language. So, communicating with machines becomes more intuitive.
- Machine Learning is another technology that helps AI tools learn from a vast amount of data for improved performance.
- Machine Vision allows AI to see visual data. It works like human vision for various tasks, such as object detection and facial recognition.
- Speech Recognition enables AI to process spoken words. You need to use virtual assistants and voice commands to use this type of AI.
- Sensors and robotics simulate physical interactions and touch gestures. AI can navigate spaces and manipulate objects.
AI Versus Human Labor- How Will AI Impact Workforce
AI revolution would take 2 distinct paths-
First is the path of automation–
It depends on the concept that AI performs tasks even better than human beings. This vision dominates the ecosystem of Google, Microsoft, and other tech giants. These companies are trying their best to design new AI-driven applications, which may take over several human tasks.
This path could negatively impact people. The earlier automation types had already declined the employment rate in the manufacturing sector. So, if AI continues to augment automation, there will be inequality, a gap between labor and capital.
The second path- Focusing on new task creation and human capabilities
This is nothing new in tech history. In the last few decades, you have already found how human capabilities were augmented using technology.
However, AI could improve the potential for human-complementary technological revolution. It is not limited to professional and office workers. Even blue-collar workers, electricians, and healthcare experts depend on real-time decision-making and problem-solving. By leveraging context-oriented data, workers can become productive and perform complex tasks.
The question is- How will AI improve the future of employment?
- Automate everyday tasks– Digitizing and automating repetitive tasks will become easy with AI. In some cases, there is no need for human intervention.
- Promote economic growth– Strategically used AI will drive economic growth and productivity.
- Bring new opportunities– AI will open up new job opportunities like digital engineering. So, even though traditional job vacancies decline, you can prepare for new career fields.
- Role of work– Jobs in the AI world will fulfill the need for creativity and deeper involvement.
- Innovation– If AI starts managing routine tasks, you may focus more on innovative tasks.
Pros and Cons of AI for Your Jobs
AI in the professional world benefits employees in different ways.
- Artificial Intelligence processes data and accomplishes tasks quicker than humans.
- AI tools minimize operational costs and automate repetitive activities.
- They provide consistent outcomes without feeling fatigued.
- AI is efficient at managing and analyzing vast datasets accurately and quickly.
If you consider AI versus human jobs, the former has a few limitations
- No creativity, as AI cannot think creatively
- Technology cannot respond genuinely to human emotions.
- It works depending on the pre-promoted data that may result in ethical concerns.
Pros and Cons of Human Workers
Many companies need to depend on human workers for certain reasons.
- Human brains are efficient at creating fresh ideas.
- Humans can develop relationships and show empathy. So, they are experts at providing personalized services.
- Another reason for depending on human brains is to make ethical decisions.
- They are also quickly adaptable to new situations and manage different tasks even without training.
- Human workers have contextual understanding, whereas AI does not have such capabilities.
But, human workers have a few limitations
- Stress and fatigue may degrade human performance and increase the risk of errors.
- Employing human labor means bearing ongoing costs like training and salaries.
- Unlike AI assistants, human workers have limited availability.
- Some employees take time to adopt new technologies.
AI Vs Human Decision-Making
Let us now compare AI vs human workers in decision-making.
- Differences in cognitive abilities- Humans and AI tools think differently which affects their decision-making processes.
- Replacement versus improvement- AI can improve human decision-making instead of replacing it. Moreover, it has the potential to process data. On the contrary, humans provide judgment and context.
- AI does not have nuanced understanding abilities, and its output is based on flawed assumptions.
- Human brains have unique strengths like ethical considerations and emotional intelligence. These traits are essential for a decision-making process.
Thus, although AI processes data quickly, it cannot replace the human decision-making process.
AI vs Human Workers- Prepare for the Future Workforce
With the continuous evolution of AI, most companies have started rethinking their workforce. A thoughtful approach will help you balance the strengths of human workers and AI. Instead of making a full replacement of human jobs, Artificial intelligence should transform traditional roles. So, human-AI collaboration will be the priority in the future. While human workers focus on problem-solving activities, AI will do repetitive tasks.
