Saturday, May 27, 2017
Artificial Intelligence (AI) - A Perspective
We're seeing artificial intelligence grow in the workplace
and take over a variety of responsibilities, from data entry to customer
service, with great success, but could management positions ever be replaced by
AI?
It may seem like a far-fetched idea, but the growth of AI
has already crossed borders into areas many people previously didn't think
technology could go, like robots completely running retail stores or AI being
used to manage hedge funds. Artificial intelligence is getting increasingly
smarter and becoming more humanlike, meaning its capacity to make decisions and
take on larger roles is increasing.
The main role of management has always been to enforce
protocol and make decisions for others in the organization. AI is already being
used to make decisions in the workplace on things like who to hire or how to
assemble the most effective teams, so what happens when we get to the point when
AI can make all decisions typically made by mangers? Would we ever get to a
point where the role of managers is obsolete?
The answer to the question isn't totally black and white.
While it seems likely that technology will increase and eventually get to the
point where all business decisions could likely be made my AI, computers will
never be able to match the emotion and human aspects of real managers.
This is
both good and bad--machines are capable of making decisions without emotions,
meaning everything would be fueled by an algorithm, eliminating the need for
guesswork and gut reactions that could prove false. For less-effective managers
whose main purpose is just to make decisions and sign timecards, AI could be a
realistic replacement because they already aren't doing anything that a
computer can't do.
However, replacing all managers with AI takes out another
vital part of a manager's role--the human aspect. Good managers do more than
just make decisions for their organization; they also lead the company, build
relationships with employees, and connect on an emotional level. The best
companies around the world are led by enthusiastic and charismatic managers who
could never be replaced by computers.
These are the leaders who inspire,
engage, and empower their employees to drive the company forward and meet
strategic goals. A real threat to AI managers would be a loss of employee
engagement and morale, especially because most humans likely wouldn't want to
work for a machine and would miss out on the important relationships and
emotional connections with a human manager.
Managers play an increasing important role
in the future of work as they set the stage for transparency, employee
experience, corporate culture, and more. With these human-driven principles
playing such an important role in an organization's success, managers will
stand out even more from AI.
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