BEERG Newsletter - AI: Impact on the workplace

An OECD survey of employers and workers in the manufacturing and finance sectors of seven countries throws new light on the impact that Artificial Intelligence has on the workplace. The findings suggest that both workers and their employers are generally very positive about the impact of AI on performance and working conditions. 

However, there are also concerns, including about job losses. The surveys also indicate that, while many workers trust their employers when it comes to the implementation of AI in the workplace, more needs be done to improve trust. In particular, the surveys show that both training and appropriate consultation are associated with better outcomes. 

A paper from MIT looks at how AI could impact the workplace in the years immediately ahead. This is well worth a read. A quarter of jobs could soon be automated as a result of breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, according to research by Goldman Sachs which nevertheless says ‘generative’ AI systems such as the ChatGPT chat assistant – which can create writing and other content indistinguishable from that created by a human – could precipitate an economic boom and boost global gross domestic product by 7% in a decade. 

But the investment bank’s report warned the technology would also cause “significant disruption” to employment, with around 300m full-time jobs at risk of being automated. Two-thirds of jobs in the US and Europe could be affected, report authors Joseph Briggs and Devesh Kodnani say. Lawyers and administrative staff are among those at high risk of redundancy, but more complex jobs – such as making court rulings and checking the health of critically-ill patients – are unlikely to be replaced by AI, and physical and outdoor roles such as construction are also unlikely to be affected.

We will be returning to the impact of AI on human resource management and employee relations in our training programs later this year.