The news cycles in all areas of journalism are awash in news about the artificial intelligence (AI) and what it can mean for the future. In every area of industry, workers around the world are genuinely worried that they are going to be made redundant and their jobs eliminated by a machine that will be able to do it more efficiently around the clock and at far less cost.
According to a news story appearing on the Forbes Magazine website by Bernard Marr, some news sites have seen fit to whip up fear and paranoia. While it is true according to recent studies that it is expected 1 out of every five jobs will be displaced by automation and AI, in Great Britain, this push toward automating jobs has been going on for over 100 years and yet the job market in the UK has continued to grow.
What AI Means for HR Professionals
There is no doubt that the field of human resources will also change. The changes have come in the form of automation of duties that HR staff. Interactive voice response (IVR) and chatbots are now handling questions from employees in the same way that these tools have been used by large companies to respond to customer questions and direct them through the proper channels. Within HR, intelligent assistants can schedule interviews and help HR managers make decisions regarding candidates.
Having some of the lesser tasks that HR professionals regularly perform done through automation can help free them up so that they can focus on more important tasks that help the business run more efficiently and add value to the company’s bottom line.