By Manish Bahl
The future of work is always in the future, but it is approaching much faster than ever before. We believe 2020 will be the year of realisation for many organisations and leaders. Here are our top five predictions of how the way we work, live and play will change in 2020.
Realistic expectations from AI
The top three challenges companies face in leveraging machines to meet their future business objectives are a misalignment of workforce strategy with business goals (72%), inadequate technical capability and infrastructure (71%), and shortage of required talent and knowledge (70%). Traditional businesses will have to address fundamental challenges before they can start reaping the enormous benefits of AI. Leaders will realise that AI is not a magic bullet and they will need to set realistic expectations from AI.
Addressing people’s fear of job loss
Around 58% of APAC companies cited fear of job loss as a significant challenge to the adoption of intelligent machines. Companies will need to be prepared to deflate the fear of bots. Success with AI adoption will be based on how well we blend and extend the strengths of humans (cognition, judgment, empathy, versatility, etc.) with the capabilities of machines (accuracy, endurance, computation, speed, etc.) to create a joint team for common business goals.
Reskilling is boardroom priority
Not only do companies need to train people for jobs that currently exist, they also need to prepare them for jobs that don’t exist yet. Realising the urgency to prepare the workforce for the work ahead, organisations will double their spend on workforce training in 2020 and beyond.
Human-machine trust issues
From unexpected or biased results, to the perpetuation of dangerous errors, many people fear “what could go wrong” with intelligent machines. In fact, 65% of APAC companies were somewhat to very concerned about the unknown consequences of intelligent machine failures. Companies will realise the need to train and hold AI engineers, designers, developers, investors and innovators accountable for not only defining specific tasks for intelligent machines, but also quantifying ethical values into machines, as well as the anticipated outcomes of their choices.
Higher education institutions wake up to the mammoth task ahead
As automation and AI continue to take over many routine, repetitive and low-end tasks, human skills have become like mobile apps that need frequent upgrades and as a result, the educational models that worked for decades are no longer making the cut. Thus, in order to stay relevant, education institutions will realise the need to fundamentally redesign their learning and teaching processes and structures by responding to the changes needed to equip students for the work ahead.
The future of work will be shaped by two inevitable and powerful forces: the growing adoption of AI and future partnership between humans and machines. Striking a balance between the two will be the biggest opportunity and challenge for organisations. The transition to the intelligent machine age won’t happen without an acute focus on the relationship between humans and machines, how the two will collaborate, and how the current workforce and the business itself will adapt to AI.
The writer is AVP, Centre for the Future of Work – Asia Pacific, Cognizant
