Can technology replace humans – We live in a world where skill makes our daily lives more accessible and manageable. Drones deliver packages, chatbots answer questions online, and car sensors keep us safe. But the era of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics comes at a price: Many workers fear losing their jobs.
However, not all functions can be automated. When it comes to positions that require problem-solving, leadership and initiative, AI can never replace an excellent professional. Let’s look at seven areas where AI can’t bring the same value to the company as a person:
1. EMPATHY AND INVOLVEMENT
There are robot surgeons and even therapist bots if you need psychological support. But nothing can replace the involvement and empathy we humans are capable of. Caregivers, therapists and doctors can indeed show sincerity and kindness towards their patients: this is something a machine cannot do and probably won’t even be able to emulate for a few more years.
2. INITIATIVE
Employees who take the initiative and proactively look for areas of improvement bring priceless value to their companies. They develop processes and train other workers to make the company run more efficiently and effectively. Once they master a professional competency, they keep looking for ways to improve processes even more. Engaged and proactive employees are of enormous value to companies.
AI is efficient at executing instructions and detecting new trends or patterns, but it is not yet capable of identifying and starting new tasks independently.
3. CREATIVITY
The human mind takes information from various external sources and develops new and creative ideas. We can be inspired through music, poetry, art or photography and then channel that inspiration to develop business ideas or new products.
4. TEAMWORK
Employees who work well in teams know how to unite efforts between colleagues and departments to drive the company towards a common goal. When employees perceive that the workplace is collaborative, they become more engaged. A recent Gallup study found that human teams with high engagement rates are 21% more profitable.
Companies need that creative innovation to prosper. An innovative employee helps your company think big and sometimes wholly new ways. It is in this context that new products are created, new initiatives are proposed, and significant advances are made.
Creativity is an area where AI still has a long way to go. A machine can mimic human handiwork more accurately with each new iteration, but creating something new and unique is an ability that remains unique to humans.
An AI program responds to direct feedback but lacks a sense of partnership or collaboration. Therefore, although a company can dispense with humans for some processes, it is impossible to artificially reproduce the perception of teamwork (and the advantages that it entails).
5. ADAPTABILITY
A good employee accepts change and adapts when necessary for the smooth running of the company. When employees take on roles outside the scope of their initial position and quickly adapt to new goals and tasks, they bring immense value to the company, especially in rapidly changing markets.
Machines, on the other hand, are programmed to perform specific functions. If a change in the industry requires an immediate operational shift, the company will have to bear the cost of redesigning or replacing its technology.
6. SOCIAL CONTRIBUTION
To generate revenue, businesses today rely heavily on their local and online social environment. SMEs, above all, thrive in small towns, participating in the local economy. Employees contribute to the local economy, creating jobs, helping the environment and building the community.
Robotics, machine learning and AI do not have that virtue. Companies that eliminate jobs through automation risk becoming alienated from their social environment, leading to difficulties in maintaining supply and demand.
7. UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT
One of the reasons people create more value than AI is because a human understands business factors and circumstances in their real-life context, while a machine doesn’t have that external data. Artificial intelligence has its limit in the data it receives. On the other hand, a person encompasses everything that lies beyond the data, that is, the context.
While it is inevitable that technology will eliminate many jobs, it is clear that it cannot eliminate all of them. The human being’s creativity, ingenuity and empathy are skills that the machine cannot reproduce at the moment. And, without the guidance of humans, AI cannot function.
The impact of AI on society is undeniable: it is leaving its mark, and things are changing very fast. But “smart” technology is still years away from severely damaging the labour market. Take the test: ask the mobile assistant anything more complex than the weather forecast.
