AI and related automating technologies
Net actively in use + exploring
No action taken
Exploring or piloting
Actively in use
Example of AI-enabled technology or data use case
Candidate competency assessments
29%
39%
32%
71%
Interview scheduling / candidate engagement
29%
39%
31%
71%
Employee self-service (ESS) tools, e.g. smart virtual assistant
29%
40%
31%
71%
Onboarding
36%
38%
26%
64%
Employee career planning, e.g. upskilling assessments, smart job role matching, career pathway planning
32%
43%
25%
68%
Candidate sourcing and initial screening
31%
45%
25%
69%
But, there’s another angle that needs exploring. AI certainly offers intriguing potential, but there are those who worry that their role will be eliminated. In fact, accelerating automation, combined with the pandemic, could actually hit the most vulnerable workers with a two-fold impact. It’s a common debate: • Howmany new jobs will emerge to replace the old? • Howmuch thought are we applying in the creative destruction of jobs? • How will workers make the transition to new job roles? Losses can be offset somewhat by some workers climbing the tech stack ahead of automation to respond to the demand for more innovation. For example, new technologies create the need for support roles and positions emerge.
“AI can be scary,” comments Groth. “Some fear AI will take jobs away, yet it opens opportunities for people to do different work. For example, an RPA programmer is a job that didn’t exist before, but it does now.”
Once the results are shown to be successful, we can expect more resources to be diverted to developing similar technology. But workers will only be equipped to collaborate with teammates — both human and digital —with effective support from L&D. This results in a situation where companies must build not only emerging technology skills but also focus on developing the ability to interpret, explain, adapt, consider other perspectives and align tasks with big-picture goals. To be successful, business leaders need to bring L&D in on key decisions rather than just relying on it as a cost center that trains workers on the features of new technology.
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