It’s Time to Embrace AI as an Asset, Rather than Fear it

It’s no secret that Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation are widely discussed within businesses — how they can implement the technology or experiment with it. But during a recent client advisory council meeting, one business leader stated that while everyone talks about AI, only about 1 in 20 companies are actually using it. One reason is a lack of understanding of how it all works and how to apply it; but for some it is also based on the fear that AI will eliminate jobs.

I recently read an article Why no one really knows how many jobs automation will replace, and the reality is that researchers are unable to quantify the number of jobs, if any, that will be lost to AI or automation. Factors that contribute to why there isn’t a definitive number include lack of insight to the number of organizations who choose to truly adopt the technology, current data only measures what we know today — which isn’t a lot, and most jobs include a multitude of skills and tasks.

At the same council meeting I attended where AI adoption was discussed, one council member shared his own experience — that employees were initially hesitant to use automation technology. However, once they understood how it works, they viewed it as another tool that would allow them do their jobs better, instead of one that would replace their roles.

In the digital age we are currently in, I think most of us can agree that automation or AI technology isn’t going away, and it’s clear that it remains to be seen whether or not jobs will be lost. Regardless of how you feel about AI or automation, maybe more of us should start viewing the capabilities as an asset to our current roles, rather than a threat. After all, more comes from embracing technology, instead of fearing it.