Artificial intelligence (AI) gradually takes over all spheres of human life. Nowadays, people feel a severe fear of robots and artificial intelligence. Partly, it is the fault of mass culture and popular films, such as I, robot, and The Matrix, in which malicious androids and clever AI want to destroy humans. However, there are also more real reasons for fear. For example, the prospect of replacing human resources and giving their jobs to robots is one of them. For a long time, the developing sphere of digital technologies and robotics has been introducing its achievements in people’s lives. Although artificial intelligence helps improve companies’ productivity and profits, there are many contentious questions about the potential harm it can do.
Directions and tendencies in relationships between the organization, management, leadership, and employees are usually based on two main perspectives – Taylor’s scientific management and Mayo’s human relations management. In the early 20th century, Taylor’s work focused on production management and labor efficiency, which led to the attention of managers to the problems of selection, the motivation of employees, and their training.
He believed that using observations, measurements, and analysis, much of manual labor operations could be improved and performed more effectively (Smith, 2017). At the beginning of the 20th century, the emphasis was on an individual worker, in the second half – on groups of workers. Mayo’s Hawthorne experiments, whose goal was to reduce employees’ turnover, deserve special attention (Smith, 2017). These experiments have proved a link between job satisfaction and productivity.
It can be argued that Taylor’s approach is not refuted, as some theorists believe, but develops in two directions, intertwined with a humanistic approach. On the one hand, there is the development of psychological aspects – psycho-techniques, humanization of work. On the other – the development of concepts of management processes improvement. AI and robots are able to improve both work efficiency and working conditions for employees. There are a lot of routine tasks, which with the development of machines, will be completely transferred to them. Moreover, dangerous jobs, like a miner, can also be replaced by robots (Digital Trends, 2018).
It will cause the disappearance of a number of professions. Nevertheless, as AI solutions develop, so will the scale of opportunities for the professional development of people in this area – there will be specialties that did not exist before.
A robot is a smart machine that can perform tasks and interact with the environment on its own. The main thing about robots is their autonomy and ability to navigate in space. Artificial intelligence is a system in which software algorithms are not pre-defined, but are generated by the system itself based on formalized descriptions of targets, knowledge of possible actions, and information about current changes in the state of the external environment. Artificial intelligence allows computers to learn from their own experience, adapt to set parameters, and perform tasks that were previously only possible for humans. In addition, the definition of AI is also applied to a set of related technologies and processes, such as machine learning, virtual agents, and expert systems.
Many AI tasks will require people who do not have deep knowledge and skill in the technical field, – those in which the IT industry has not previously experienced any need. For example, writers will be able to find their application in work on training and evolution of chatbots. Another exciting profession that can appear in the labor market is empathy specialists. Some machine learning systems already exist, allowing chatbots like Siri and Alexa to respond to people’s questions with deep understanding, compassion, and even humor (Wisskirchen et al., 2017).
These may be, for example, problems related to breakage of household equipment, purchase of a poor-quality product, or being ill. However, empathy needs to be taught: the machine cannot generate it on its own. It should not be forgotten that it is necessary to create and maintain artificial intelligence and robots themselves and correct mistakes in them. Thus, a programmer is the profession of the future.
In order to effectively implement the results of robotics development, it is crucial to forming a positive perception of artificial intelligence by people. Perhaps this is difficult to do for older people, as some of them are even afraid of smartphones. However, there are many benefits in the field of work that robots offer to future generations. For example, this fast-growing sphere will require constant learning and gaining new skills, which will give more opportunities for self-development and a search for self-identity. The additional time freed from routine tasks will also contribute to it (Wisskirchen et al., 2017). What is more important, artificial intelligence will help to realize the creative potential of man and make his role more strategic.
Already in the medium term, AI will radically transform the process of professional training, giving it a permanent character. It is explained by the next factor: behind the growth of opportunities and prospects of AI, a person will need to keep up with exactly the same speed that he or she sets for the development of this technology. Moreover: the more people use AI solutions in their lives, the more they tend to trust them. However, many researchers are already thinking about the ethical and legal aspects of introducing artificial intelligence into human lives. Perhaps in the future, the world should consider common legislation and a set of rules to regulate human-machine interaction.
References
Digital Trends. (2018). How artificial intelligence will change your world in 2019, for better or worse [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Smith, K. (2017). Management, Managerial Revolution, Taylorism. In B. Turner, The Wiley‐Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social Theory (pp. 1-5). John Wiley & Sons.
Wisskirchen, G., Biacabe, B. T., Bormann, U., Muntz, A., Niehaus, G., Soler, G. J., & von Brauchitsch, B. (2017). Artificial intelligence and robotics and their impact on the workplace. IBA Global Employment Institute.