GenAI: Facing Our Future

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I've been looking outside the usual institutions we count on for stats around work, focusing on the larger implications, and they're fascinating. Take our feelings about AI. A recent APA Work in America 2023 survey (September 2023) found that 38% of U.S. workers are worried AI will render them either partially or totally obsolete. 46% of those planned to get a jump on the situation by looking for another job.

Do I think we should pull back on the amazing advances AI is bringing to the world of work? Absolutely not. But I do think we need to (1) make sure we communicate clearly on what our plans are regarding AI, and (2) provide plenty of training so employees can leverage new skills to stay relevant. The latter is likely far more important at this point.

AI Resiliency

A third action we can take is to identify the jobs that are AI-resilient. For that, there's a great piece in HBR that drills into AI's potential to "augment high value, intellectually demanding jobs." Researchers found that nearly every job is going to be affected by AI in some form. Yet when it comes to GenAI, the tea leaves don't read replacing employees, but enhancing a host of business functions. In other words, there are some things AI is good at, and some things it isn't. Cognitive and analytical, yes. Creative, not so much.

What I love about this approach is that it's not a blanket embrace or rejection. It's a methodical analysis of data from some 160 million U.S. jobs over 20 industries, including more than 800 actual occupations. The researchers examined how employees use 52 abilities in 41 activities to do their jobs, and how GenAI overlaps — or has the potential to augment.

For instance, they found that legal jobs are 45% likely to be impacted by AI, as opposed to protective services, which are 26% likely to be affected, or food prep and service — just 26% likely to be changed or augmented by AI. Over the whole collection of industries, the researchers estimated that Gen AI-driven tools can boost certain functions by some 32%, and improve productivity across the U.S. economy.

Get Ready

Should this make us anxious? I'd rather see us respond with excitement, facing the inevitable with strategic optimism instead of trepidation. According to IDC, the next few years are going to be exponential: enterprises will invest nearly $16 billion worldwide on Gen AI solutions in 2023 (including GenAI software, related infrastructure hardware, and IT/business services), which will grow to a whopping $143 billion investment in 2027.

So let's prepare to harness the best aspects of AI to make palpable gains. But maybe let's not prepare to cut employees we lean on right now out of the picture, because we may be literally cutting off our teams to spite our productivity.

No question, there will be stories of how employers replaced valuable knowledge workers with AI to cut costs. But big question if the move is shortsighted. Meanwhile, some great talent has shifted to new professions: from content development to dog-walking or bartending, or another employer that realized there's a potential gold mine of experienced, talented knowledge workers being prematurely let go.

My Questions for You

As HR practitioners, this is an extended family of people whose very job is to focus on people. I know many of us are feeling pulled to focus on the implications of AI. But on a very personal level, how is the emergence (and amazement) of GenAI and AI in general affecting you — your career, your current job, your plans for growth? Are you finding you can lean on GenAI in ways that greatly open up your time or increase your reach? Are you staring into a potential wrestling match when it comes to setting policy for how your teams use it? How is it factoring into discussions on workplace mental health, if at all? How do you see it shaping your future in the world of work?

Please let me know in the comments. Let's keep that conversation going, and thanks for being you!

Best,

—MMB

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