Corporate Cyborgs: A New Reality for the Modern Worker, and Workplace

What’s a cyborg, more so a Corporate one?

Beneath sleek office exteriors, corridors, and virtual meetings, a silent revolution is taking place - where humans and machines merge, giving birth to a new breed of professionals: corporate cyborgs.

The cyborg - a being with both organic and mechanical parts - has captivated our imagination for years. Robocop, Terminator, Ironman (debatable if he’s a cyborg), or Inspector Gadget, we've seen how cyborgs can have extraordinary powers and abilities augmented by robotic limbs, AI assisted brains, enhanced heads-up displays on the eye, amongst many other advantages. But what if this is not just a sci-fi fantasy for modern worker demands? What if it's already happening in the corporate world? What if the ability to augment our existing capabilities exists, and the playing field has changed in a slow, and now sudden way?

Anyone working in the 21st century corporate world will have seen imagery of humans engaging robots, or humans and robots working together (yes, the one with the human and robot hand, we’ve all seen it!). While it was/is cheesy, it created some form of expectation and context setting. It was also unrealistic as robots are clunky and, in all honesty, freak people out – for now. I also imagine robots that replace humans are tricky to procure, integrate and change manage. What is tangible today however, at least in the modern knowledge worker sense, is the ‘softer’ side of AI, where the robots are digital, and they exist behind devices we can access, in user interfaces that are easy to use, for free, or at price points that are not restrictive. The access gap for truly cutting edge tech is a narrow one.

Like in those movies, where cyborgs can do super-human things and make humans the hero, AI will automate repetitive, data-driven, and mundane tasks, from scheduling meetings, generating leads, analysing data, to reducing human workload and error, and improving productivity and creativity. All of these make the corporate or professional more capable. Stronger. Faster. Smarter. Need insights quick? Just ask. Need inspiration? Prompt away. Need a pretty deck with some cool insights and charts? That'll be doable with some basic human language. New videos? User Experience Design? Coding? Designing a new office? Fixing underground water leaks? Identifying insights from unstructured data such as imagery, video, emails and text? No problem! It won't be long before we speak these into being given the rise and rise of natural language processing and the ability for these virtual tools to give us actionable and useful feedback.

AI brings the ability to undertake tasks that are too dangerous or difficult for humans, such as defusing bombs, exploring space, detecting landmines, exploring mines, etc. “But isn’t that for robots?”, you might ask. A robot with sensors that with the right level of coaching can give a human an answer, I might add. The modern working context, where these capabilities are being virtualised and made available to more people, and the concept of a roboticised (i.e., the machines doing the work) is digital, rather than physical is becoming a norm; the age old litmus test, if your hairdresser is talking about it, it's a thing.

At the same point, AI helps us make better decisions by providing nudges, prompts, suggestions, and predictions based on data analysis and machine learning.?This improves human performance and outcomes in various domains. AI solves problems in ways that we can’t by using advanced algorithms and neural networks that can process complex information and learn from experience.?This enables human innovation and discovery. And just like our cyborg heroes (and villains, I haven’t forgotten about Darth Vader), AI works and learns 24 hours a day without fatigue or boredom.?

The corporate worker of the 4IR is 'live'

I believe the corporate cyborg is here, and is changing the way we work, and live. Previous industrial revolutions have proven to create more roles, and if I am honest – this one is questionable, however the whole concept and the need to adapt, is as critical as ever.

A corporate cyborg is a human worker like you or I, who is augmented by AI tools and programs that help them perform specific tasks more efficiently and effectively. For example, a salesperson could use an AI assistant that can schedule meetings, generate leads, and provide insights on customer behaviour. Just like our favourite Iron Man, the salesman still must slay the villain, or in this case - close the deal. A lawyer may use an AI program that can analyse contracts, draft documents, and suggest arguments, but the legal process is far more nuanced and cases requiring pleading to the judge or settling out of court, or standard offline litigation procedures will still be necessary. A teacher can use an AI platform that can create personalised learning plans, grade assignments, and provide feedback for an individual pupil based on their capabilities, capacity, and needs – however that teacher will still need to deliver classes, apply empathetic approaches to teaching and listening, and use the AI accordingly. ?A marketer can use AI tools to create copy and imagery, but the specifics of client demands, the way a product is being used or requested by the target market will shift, and so too will human needs. The same framework of thinking applies to product managers, music makers, finance practitioners, to name only a few. All of whom will find their mix of tools and “when to use what”. Who will succeed is debatable.

A renaissance of human creativity and creative thinking

These are just some of the examples of how AI is augmenting human capabilities in the workplace. But this is not the end of the story. As AI becomes more advanced and ubiquitous, we can expect more and more tasks to be automated or enhanced by AI, creating new opportunities and challenges for human workers. How will we adapt to this new reality? How will we balance the benefits and risks of AI? How will we ensure that human values and ethics are respected and protected?

These are some of the questions that we need to ask ourselves as we enter the era of the corporate cyborg. We believe that this is not a threat, but an opportunity to create a better future for ourselves and our society. By embracing AI as a partner, not a competitor, we can leverage its power to improve our productivity, creativity, and well-being. By being aware of its limitations and pitfalls, we can avoid its misuse and abuse. By collaborating with other office cyborgs, I believe you and I can foster a culture of diversity, inclusion, and innovation as the gap of education, language and experience closes, and the rise in value of human invention and creative thinking increases.

I believe we don’t have much of a choice. Our so called "hard-skills" are becoming commoditised by the next bot or plug-in. There is likely someone doing what you or I do, in their second or third language powered by their favourite AI powered tool, with the ability to scale it globally with a bootstrap budget (even a credit card). There is someone arming themselves with new skills and hacks so that their ideas hit the market first. This is exciting and is more about how we arm ourselves with the relevant tools that expose our strengths, minimise our weaknesses, to generate value quicker - so that we can get on and do more of the things we want and need to. And with the most optimistic foot forward, be given time to become and think more like humans and less like robotic office workers. Thanks, to AI.