Networks Asia, Singapore: Cognizant’s Vice President and Managing Director, Center for the Future of Work, Examines the Influence of AI on the Human Workforce

“Three centuries ago, the first industrial revolution altered society with the introduction of machines that have since become factory fixtures and key instruments in the manufacturing process,” writes Ben Pring. “Today, technology is once again bringing humanity to the precipice of a new era, typified by the rapid digitalization of core operations across sectors.” Excerpts:

“While technologies were mostly relegated to support functions in the recent past, the age of the digital economy redesignates the role of modern technology as a business enabler, with progressive technologies such as blockchain, the Internet-of-Things, Big Data, Virtual Reality, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) quickly altering work paradigms in modern enterprises across a multitude of industries.

Given the capability of machines to think independently, there is very little doubt in the potential of AI to shift paradigms in organizations’ operations and alter the fundamentals that have defined jobs for decades.  

There is a common fear that embracing AI and automation will translate to large-scale job cuts across sectors. While AI will change work as we know it, AI will not completely obliterate jobs requiring human discretion and critical analysis; rather, automation will eliminate and overhaul antiquated business models through more efficient and effective ways of working.  

AI is fast becoming an integral part of the workplace, a development that will impact virtually every industry in the world. Organizations would then do well to anticipate and take essential measures to mitigate the impact of disruption to the status quo. After all, the idea of job enhancement is simply to improve the quality of human work, and not to replace humans.

If the results of the recent studies are any indication, we might be standing on the edge of a new Golden Age of humanity, ushered into the new world by AI, arguably the greatest story of our time. Look forward to the future.”

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