Human/Machine teams: What does AI mean for human workers?

In May, I hosted and participated in discussions about artificial intelligence (AI) at the European Business Summit 2019. The theme for this year’s summit, “Tomorrow’s Europe: Inclusive, Innovative, Interconnected,” covered many topics, including the future of education and skills development. This is an essential conversation right now. We are in a time when disruption is changing, if not completely eliminating, the idea of “business as usual.” For every organization that wants to compete, change is the new normal, and those organizations need people who can use technology to help companies change quicker, move faster, and do more.

While companies keep buying the latest technologies, only 3 percent of business leaders say they will invest significantly in training and reskilling programs through 2020, according to a recent Accenture report. That dearth of training and education leaves employees and their organizations at a loss. Who will know how to use these technologies to achieve the business’s goals if companies are not investing in their workers as well as their technologies? Business leaders need to examine how they are adopting technologies, and whether they are reskilling their workforce to keep up with, and create, the change they want.

IMPACT ON WORKERS

Technologies such as 5G, AI, robotics and automation are changing how we do business. They’re also changing the business conversation, particularly regarding how these technologies will affect the workforce. New skills are required to handle new technologies, and we need to help people learn those skills and use them to change their enterprises for the better.

The numbers support this idea. In a recent PwC study, 85% of respondents said AI “will significantly change the way they do business in the next five years.” And according to McKinsey, about half of all the activities we pay people to do across the global workforce could be automated with existing technologies. The time for change is already here.

Given these insights, it’s no surprise that in April the European Commission’s High-Level Group on AI (52 experts from academia, industry, and civil society) created guidelines for companies and governments to develop ethical applications of artificial intelligence, an outcome of the European Commission’s AI strategy of 2018. This is a crucial pursuit: because of the strength and potential of AI, we need to be careful in how we deploy it. AI depends on data. If the data provided to its application is biased, then the outcome—and system—would be biased too, creating profound implications for society. Another potential pitfall is data integrity in AI. As the use of AI increases, so do the risks of cyberattacks on its underlying data. Data integrity and security are vital to creating correct, equitable outcomes. While we need to adopt AI for future-forward practices, we must also bear in mind the harm it can cause when used unsafely and incorrectly.

KEY TOPICS

While the discussions at EBS focused on Europe, the concerns echoed those I’ve heard from people and businesses around the world. Among them were:

• How Europe can stay competitive on AI in the global arena;
• If robots will eliminate jobs;
• How realistic is the idea of creating trustworthy AI;
• Businesses experiencing a disconnect between the technology side—those who are developing AI solutions—and the business strategists, many of whom don’t grasp the full potential of these technologies;
• The possibility of overregulation stifling innovation;
• The need to innovate in an ethical and responsible way, to avoid consumer backlash;
• Policymakers calling for more investment in AI research, as well as development and skills;
• What an EU policy framework on AI should look like.

All of these are real questions that we should not ignore. And I can’t claim to have all the answers. However, I do know that while AI, robotics, and automation may replace many of our day-to-day tasks, they can’t replace humans themselves. Empathy, critical thinking, risk-taking and the ability to manage stakeholders and relationships will be increasingly prized—and no robot will ever replicate those abilities. These used to be called “soft skills,” but they’re now hard skills. They’re human skills. And they’re essential to an organization looking to solidify change as a way forward for the enterprise.

Bots are no substitute for the creative leadership, essential problem-solving and decision making, and innovative mindsets that these professionals bring to an organization. A machine never inspired anyone or displayed leadership, and a machine will never do those things. The level of expertise in these essential “human” skills could be the crucial differentiator, at the worker, project, and organizational level.

FUTURE-PROOFING TALENT AND BUSINESSES

A future-proof talent pool must display all of these qualities. And the future-proof company must develop a culture that supports the development of its workforce and invest in it. The market and workers will demand this, and the business will reap the benefits. For example, instead of employing a scorched-earth strategy of massive firing and hiring, AT&T invested $1 billion in a global program to arm 100,000 employees with the technology and skill sets needed to run the business as it transitioned from the era of hardware and landlines into the age of mobile and cloud. Its workforce—and the company itself—was not left behind.

What does this mean for project management? We must remember that projects are how strategy is implemented and change happens. Project management offers the critical methodology, discipline, and tools. We at PMI recognize that we must raise awareness about project management’s role in navigating disruption, and arm project managers with the necessary skills to succeed in that disruption. Through our Educational Foundation, PMI is helping young people to develop project management skills focused on areas that we know will be in high demand. Our essential mission is to help the experts and the organizations they support to be successful: to prepare for an ever-changing future dominated by digital disruption, artificial intelligence, machine learning and new ways of working. We must equip individuals with the skills they need to be successful—now, and for their careers to come.

The discussions at EBS raised more questions than we could answer. But I came away from the Summit excited and optimistic. We need to think about the potential that disruption presents. For example, AI will free up time for humans to apply their unique skill sets to addressing vital issues like climate change, and can be a powerful tool in finding answers to those challenges.

As we embrace new realities wrought by transformation, I hope you will rely on PMI to keep you informed on how change is affecting business overall, especially project management. I look forward to learning from your insights and experience.