Typically, this time of year we look to the future and the future of AI isn’t very bright for people.
Typically, this time of year we look to the future and the future of AI isn’t very bright for people. I participated in a podcast on this topic earlier this month. OpenAI has released their template for AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) and while this makes it more likely we’ll achieve AGI near term, this AGI construct will not be assisting humans to be better but working to replace them. The definition is AGI represents highly autonomous systems that outperform humans at most economically valuable work—benefits all of humanity.
AI In HR
While the last four words appear to attempt to defuse the “outperforms” part of the definition, the conclusion would have to be that AGI will, once it matures, replace us and the “benefit” would be we no longer can work because AGI is doing that work for us autonomously. If we don’t have something like general universal income by that time, there are going to be a lot of very upset homeless unemployable people. The Twilight Zone episode called “The Brain Center at Whipple’s” explored this outcome years ago and it didn’t end well then either.
Let’s talk about where we need to focus AI so that this dire outcome doesn’t become unavoidable in our future.
Staff organizations typically are underfunded, and Human Resources (HR) is generally no exception. HR was conceived as an alternative to Unions which allowed for the care of employees without creating the adversity that Unions are designed to provide. When HR is done well Unions are redundant. However, the recent rise of Unions is just one indication that HR has largely become a compliance organization and has little focus on creating a better place to work where employees know where they stand, understand what it will take to advance, and problems with management are few and largely resolved in a fair and equitable fashion.
AI Digital Assistant
AI could provide a better view to the employee as to their individual importance, and by doing so better inform the employee where their priorities should be if they want to advance. This same AI could also better inform management on employees that are overachieving and point out those that are treading water and taking credit for other’s efforts.
Rather than replacing people, AI could be used to help advance people to be more effective, more loyal, and have both better work and home lives.
Wrapping Up
Much like that old Twilight Zone episode AI is being excessively, in my opinion, focused on providing monetary benefits by replacing rather than assisting or supplementing employees. If this trend continues not only is quality likely to decline but employee problems are likely to increase and the path will, I believe, eventually become unsustainable.
We need to start focusing AI on making employees better and by doing so better assure the quality of the AIs that will be created while also improving the working conditions for everyone. If we don’t do that AIs and workers are going to come into increasing conflict which is likely not going to end well for either the AIs or the people, they displace. People are the foundation for AIs’ future and if we don’t use AIs to improve our people, the future for both employees and AIs is increasingly likely to be catastrophic.
Conclusion
In conclusion, AI has the potential to greatly benefit humanity, but it is crucial that we focus on using it to assist and supplement employees rather than replacing them. By doing so, we can create a better future for everyone involved.
FAQs
Q: What is AGI?
A: AGI represents highly autonomous systems that outperform humans at most economically valuable work—benefits all of humanity.
Q: Why is AI being focused on replacing employees?
A: AI is being focused on replacing employees because it is seen as a way to increase efficiency and reduce costs.
Q: What are the potential consequences of AI replacing employees?
A: The potential consequences of AI replacing employees include increased unemployment, decreased quality of life, and social unrest.
Q: How can we ensure that AI is used to benefit humanity?
A: We can ensure that AI is used to benefit humanity by focusing on using it to assist and supplement employees rather than replacing them.
