Workplace buzzwords like “telecommuting,” “networking,” “flexibility,” and “new digital skills” are just the tip of the iceberg of the many changes in work that have emerged as a result of this pandemic.
A new dynamic between boss and employee is already emerging due to the introduction of AI, automation, and robots into the workplace.
Aspects such as the regulation of the right to disconnect or telework will characterize this new shared space. Still, the worker’s right to be protected from automation by software or hardware is unquestionably the most contentious issue in this emerging consensus.
The effects are far-reaching not only because technological development and its implementation in businesses are accelerating at an exponential rate but also because the absence of worker-protective regulation in this area threatens to push social progress to the background in the face of globalization. Innovations in technology can’t be stopped.
The effects can be severe, leading to a noticeable increase in inequality, particularly for those in lower-paying professions or those whose work can be easily automated.
McKinsey predicts that the combined effects of the coronavirus and robotics automation will wipe out seven million American jobs.
Judges have shown a tendency to side with workers in recent months, protecting them from layoffs in cases where machines have replaced human labor or increased productivity.
The widespread belief that automation will lead to job losses is a significant driving force behind the strong public interest in protecting the labor market.
In reality, however, these socioeconomic remedies may imply a solution of judges’ own volition. Workers have the right not to have their jobs replaced by a machine. However, a proportionality criterion that takes into account the company’s long-term success, the relationship between a robot and the amortization of a job, the company’s size, and other factors (such as whether the company is required to promote the redundancy of employees) may result in a different conclusion.
“Digitalization is leading to polarisation,” a 2019 report by the European Union on digital transformation and its impact on the labor market warned. Low-skilled jobs survive because they can’t be automated and don’t benefit greatly from new technologies. In contrast, medium-skilled jobs are being computerized and digitization increases the productivity of many highly-skilled jobs. The risk, in other words, is an increase in polarization and labor inequality, as all indications point to an uptick in robotization in less qualified and lower-paid jobs while employment in the most qualified and better-paid jobs is maintained or increased.
Among the most demanded jobs reported by World Economic Forum, data analysts and scientists, AI specialists, CEOs, big data specialists, and digital transformation specialists are among the highest. Data entry, accounting and payroll, administrative and executive secretarial work, assembly and factory work, customer information and consumer services are all industries that stand to lose the most due to digitization.
According to his Forbes article, Pascal Bornet offers more than one point of view. He says that AI can help us find ways to improve our productivity. In this vein, consider wearable technology like Fitbit or a smartwatch. Through individualized dashboards, AI can track how we’re doing in terms of work-life balance, stress levels, and professional behavior. Artificial intelligence aids in “taking the pulse” of our work activity. It can suggest separating a day’s worth of meetings with some downtime or automating a tedious but necessary task. Smart platforms do this by tracking our digital behavior across multiple channels (e.g., calendar, apps, messaging) and then making suggestions based on that data.
Artificial intelligence (AI) can automate many mundane but necessary tasks, such as creating a PowerPoint presentation for a weekly meeting or entering invoices into an accounting program. In addition, AI aids in email management (via sorting and intelligent filtering) and meeting optimization (e.g., transcription, coaching, and planners). Artificial intelligence has the potential to identify and automate many mundane and time-consuming tasks, freeing us to devote our attention to more rewarding pursuits.
