The impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) on jobs: an industry perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Placide Poba-Nzaou ◽  
Malatsi Galani ◽  
Sylvestre Uwizeyemungu ◽  
Arnela Ceric

Purpose This paper aims to explore the impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) on jobs. Design/methodology/approach The authors followed rapid review guidelines. The authors collected industry and government reports published prior and up to August 2017 in Google and Google Scholar using combination of key words: “job automation” or “work automation” with technology keywords: “artificial intelligence,” “machine learning,” etc. In total, 11 were included in this research. Findings The use of AI technologies will impact jobs in the near future as some job tasks are automated. AI is likely to substitute both, routine and nonroutine tasks. It is expected that humans and robots would work together in ways never imaginable. Changes in employability skills are expected. Because of the magnitude of these impacts on jobs, consulted reports call for concerted solutions that go beyond organizations’ and industry’s boundaries to include other relevant stakeholders. Moreover, organizations will have to rethink their human resource (HR) function to realign its expertise to the reality of AI. Practical implications In this context, the HR function will have to understand the dynamics that generate the impacts of these technologies in a workplace, to anticipate changes and actively contribute to creating an organizational environment that will facilitate the collaboration between human workers and complex digital agents, while ensuring compliance with labor and employment laws and supporting strategic organizational objectives. Originality/value This paper contributes to the debate on ongoing concerns by providing a synthesis of relevant professional literature.

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shweta Banerjee

PurposeThere are ethical, legal, social and economic arguments surrounding the subject of autonomous vehicles. This paper aims to discuss some of the arguments to communicate one of the current issues in the rising field of artificial intelligence.Design/methodology/approachMaking use of widely available literature that the author has read and summarised showcasing her viewpoints, the author shows that technology is progressing every day. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are at the forefront of technological advancement today. The manufacture and innovation of new machines have revolutionised our lives and resulted in a world where we are becoming increasingly dependent on artificial intelligence.FindingsTechnology might appear to be getting out of hand, but it can be effectively used to transform lives and convenience.Research limitations/implicationsFrom robotics to autonomous vehicles, countless technologies have and will continue to make the lives of individuals much easier. But, with these advancements also comes something called “future shock”.Practical implicationsFuture shock is the state of being unable to keep up with rapid social or technological change. As a result, the topic of artificial intelligence, and thus autonomous cars, is highly debated.Social implicationsThe study will be of interest to researchers, academics and the public in general. It will encourage further thinking.Originality/valueThis is an original piece of writing informed by reading several current pieces. The study has not been submitted elsewhere.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (8) ◽  
pp. 17-19

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings Artificial Intelligence (AI) is enabling companies to perform many functional tasks more efficiently. Some organizations are starting to further utilize its capabilities by combining the rationality of AI with human creativity in order to optimize development of marketing strategies. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Babak Abedin

PurposeResearch into the interpretability and explainability of data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) systems is on the rise. However, most recent studies either solely promote the benefits of explainability or criticize it due to its counterproductive effects. This study addresses this polarized space and aims to identify opposing effects of the explainability of AI and the tensions between them and propose how to manage this tension to optimize AI system performance and trustworthiness.Design/methodology/approachThe author systematically reviews the literature and synthesizes it using a contingency theory lens to develop a framework for managing the opposing effects of AI explainability.FindingsThe author finds five opposing effects of explainability: comprehensibility, conduct, confidentiality, completeness and confidence in AI (5Cs). The author also proposes six perspectives on managing the tensions between the 5Cs: pragmatism in explanation, contextualization of the explanation, cohabitation of human agency and AI agency, metrics and standardization, regulatory and ethical principles, and other emerging solutions (i.e. AI enveloping, blockchain and AI fuzzy systems).Research limitations/implicationsAs in other systematic literature review studies, the results are limited by the content of the selected papers.Practical implicationsThe findings show how AI owners and developers can manage tensions between profitability, prediction accuracy and system performance via visibility, accountability and maintaining the “social goodness” of AI. The results guide practitioners in developing metrics and standards for AI explainability, with the context of AI operation as the focus.Originality/valueThis study addresses polarized beliefs amongst scholars and practitioners about the benefits of AI explainability versus its counterproductive effects. It poses that there is no single best way to maximize AI explainability. Instead, the co-existence of enabling and constraining effects must be managed.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rhiannon Firth ◽  
Andrew Robinson

PurposeThis paper maps utopian theories of technological change. The focus is on debates surrounding emerging industrial technologies which contribute to making the relationship between humans and machines more symbiotic and entangled, such as robotics, automation and artificial intelligence. The aim is to provide a map to navigate complex debates on the potential for technology to be used for emancipatory purposes and to plot the grounds for tactical engagements.Design/methodology/approachThe paper proposes a two-way axis to map theories into to a six-category typology. Axis one contains the parameters humanist–assemblage. Humanists draw on the idea of a human essence of creative labour-power, and treat machines as alienated and exploitative form of this essence. Assemblage theorists draw on posthumanism and poststructuralism, maintaining that humans always exist within assemblages which also contain non-human forces. Axis two contains the parameters utopian/optimist; tactical/processual; and dystopian/pessimist, depending on the construed potential for using new technologies for empowering ends.FindingsThe growing social role of robots portends unknown, and maybe radical, changes, but there is no single human perspective from which this shift is conceived. Approaches cluster in six distinct sets, each with different paradigmatic assumptions.Practical implicationsMapping the categories is useful pedagogically, and makes other political interventions possible, for example interventions between groups and social movements whose practice-based ontologies differ vastly.Originality/valueBringing different approaches into contact and mapping differences in ways which make them more comparable, can help to identify the points of disagreement and the empirical or axiomatic grounds for these. It might facilitate the future identification of criteria to choose among the approaches.


2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 173-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yolanda Ramírez ◽  
Silvia Gordillo

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a model for recognition and measurement of intellectual capital (IC) in Spanish universities. Design/methodology/approach – In this study the authors developed a questionnaire which was sent to members of the social councils of Spanish public universities in order to identify which intangible elements university stakeholders demand most. The study results served as a basis to develop a model of IC measurement for Spanish universities. Findings –The results of the empirical study are used to identify which intangible elements need to be measured and to define a battery of indicators. Practical implications – This paper aims to provide a set of IC indicators to help universities on the path to presenting useful information to their stakeholders, contributing to a greater transparency, accountability and comparability in the higher education sector. Originality/value – Although the scientific and professional literature has provided numerous proposals for measuring and reporting a firm's IC, further research is still needed since there are few empirically supported models for the measurement and reporting of IC in universities. This need is especially relevant when considering empirical supported IC models.


Author(s):  
Ashwani Kumar Upadhyay ◽  
Komal Khandelwal

Purpose This paper aims to discuss the rationale, theoretical foundation, application, and future of artificial intelligence (AI)-based training. Design/methodology/approach A review of relevant research papers, articles and case studies is done to highlight developments in research and practice. Findings AI-based training systems are smart, intelligent and expert in handling queries. These systems can curate content, grade, evaluate, and provide feedback to trainee, thus making learning adaptive and contextual. Practical implications Application of AI is vital in the field of training, as it helps personalization and customization of training programs to increase the effectiveness of training. Originality/value Executives and researchers can save time by reading relevant information on the linkage, and its contribution to AI is discussed and summarized in an easy to read format.


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 238-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastassia Lauterbach

Purpose This paper aims to inform policymakers about key artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, risks and trends in national AI strategies. It suggests a framework of social governance to ensure emergence of safe and beneficial AI. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on approximately 100 interviews with researchers, executives of traditional companies and startups and policymakers in seven countries. The interviews were carried out in January-August 2017. Findings Policymakers still need to develop an informed, scientifically grounded and forward-looking view on what societies and businesses might expect from AI. There is lack of transparency on what key AI risks are and what might be regulatory approaches to handle them. There is no collaborative framework in place involving all important actors to decide on AI technology design principles and governance. Today's technology decisions will have long-term consequences on lives of billions of people and competitiveness of millions of businesses. Research limitations/implications The research did not include a lot of insights from the emerging markets. Practical implications Policymakers will understand the scope of most important AI concepts, risks and national strategies. Social implications AI is progressing at a very fast rate, changing industries, businesses and approaches how companies learn, generate business insights, design products and communicate with their employees and customers. It has a big societal impact, as – if not designed with care – it can scale human bias, increase cybersecurity risk and lead to negative shifts in employment. Like no other invention, it can tighten control by the few over the many, spread false information and propaganda and therewith shape the perception of people, communities and enterprises. Originality/value This paper is a compendium on the most important concepts of AI, bringing clarity into discussions around AI risks and the ways to mitigate them. The breadth of topics is valuable to policymakers, students, practitioners, general executives and board directors alike.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 786-802 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristijan Krkač

Purpose The supposedly radical development of artificial intelligence (AI) has raised questions regarding the moral responsibility of it. In the sphere of business, they are translated into questions about AI and business ethics (BE) and corporate social responsibility (CSR). The purpos of this study is to conceptually reformulate these questions from the point of view of two possible aspect-changes, namely, starting from corporate social irresponsibility (CSI) and starting not from AIs incapability for responsibility but from its ability to imitate human CSR without performing typical human CSI. Design/methodology/approach The author draws upon the literature and his previous works on the relationship between AI and human CSI. This comparison aims to remodel the understanding of human CSI and AIs inability to be CSI. The conceptual remodelling is offered by taking a negative view on the relation. If AI can be made not to perform human-like CSI, then AI is at least less CSI than humans. For this task, it is necessary to remodel human and AI CSR, but AI does not have to be CSR. It is sufficient that it can be less CSI than humans to be more CSR. Findings The previously suggested remodelling of basic concepts in question leads to the conclusion that it is not impossible for AI to act or operate more CSI then humans simply by not making typical human CSIs. Strictly speaking, AI is not CSR because it cannot be responsible as humans can. If it can perform actions with a significantly lesser amount of CSI in comparison to humans, it is certainly less CSI. Research limitations/implications This paper is only a conceptual remodelling and a suggestion of a research hypothesis. As such, it implies particular morality, ethics and the concepts of CSI and AI. Practical implications How this remodelling could be done in practice is an issue of future research. Originality/value The author delivers the paper on comparison between human and AI CSI which is not much discussed in literature.


2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 50-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prashant Shukla ◽  
H. James Wilson ◽  
Allan Alter ◽  
David Lavieri

Purpose The authors explore the potential of machine learning, computers employ that an algorithm to sort data, make decisions and then continuously assess and improve their functionality. They suggest that it be used to power a radical redesign of company processes that they call machine reengineering. Design/methodology/approach The authors interpret a survey of more than a thousand corporate public agency IT professionals on their use of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Findings Companies that embrace machine learning find that it adds value to the work product of their employees and provides companies with new capabilities. Practical implications Working together with an intelligent machine, workers become custodians of powerfully smart tools, tools that personalize work to maximize their most productive ways of working. Originality/value A guide to establishing a culture that empowers employees to thrive alongside intelligent machines.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhumika Gambhir ◽  
Anindita Bhattacharjee

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight how Artificial intelligence (AI) and its subsets are changing the face of the accounting and finance (A&F) profession. Expectations from A&F professionals are changing due to the expeditious changes in technology. This paper proposes new skill set expectations from these professionals. Design/methodology/approach This is a viewpoint paper based on the opinions/views of the employees working in medium and large organizations in A&F in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The employee viewpoints were gathered through an emailed questionnaire. Findings This paper illustrates the need to embrace technology and acquire the necessary skills to work in conjunction with machines. This will help A&F professionals to meet the changing expectations of employers. Practical implications This paper emphasizes the usefulness of training, learning, and development of the skills necessary for A&F professionals to work with AI and its subsets. Originality/value This paper discusses how AI will bring in challenges and opportunities in the future. It suggests how A&F professionals can embrace technology (driven by AI) and understand to work with it.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document