Five worthy reads is a regular column on five noteworthy items we’ve discovered while researching trending and timeless topics. This week, we look into the emergence of the no-collar workforce.
It’s no secret that people are skeptical of new inventions, and this is especially true for the use of AI and robots. Stephen Hawking once said, “The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race. It would take off on its own, and re-design itself at an ever-increasing rate. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete, and would be superseded.” I, however, beg to differ. Emerging technologies have changed the narrative on AI, creating an entirely new workforce model. Gone are the days when workforce and manpower were considered synonymous.
Today, humans easily understand the advantages machines have to offer. With the rise of AI and automation, companies are realizing that they might need to redefine work roles. A new way of utilizing human resources is emerging, which includes delegating some work functions to humans, some to their digital counterparts, and some to teams that are a hybrid of both. This collaboration between humans and machines is being called the no-collar workforce.
With that said, here are five interesting reads on what a no-collar workforce is and how it can redefine job roles across various industries.
1. No-collar workforce: Humans and machines in one loop—collaborating in roles and new talent models
The way work gets done—the processes, collaborative job roles, and relevance of various technologies—is constantly undergoing change, now more than ever as cognitive technologies, robotics, and AI are on the rise.
2. Blue collar. White collar. Tomorrow’s AI jobs are no-collar
The rise of AI doesn’t necessarily put certain jobs out of the human realm. Rather, it opens up the possibilities for people and machines to specialize in different functions for the same job role, allowing them to work in unison.
3. How to Build a No-Collar Workforce
Automation often makes work swift and efficient. As good as that sounds, when it comes to actually framing and managing an augmented, collaborative workforce model, it can get overwhelming. Here are a few things that you might want to consider as you delve into the process of revamping your HR framework.
4. Humans and Machines Team Up in the No-Collar Workforce
When it comes to employing a no-collar workforce, enterprises need workers who understand how automation can aid or hinder their jobs. AI will increasingly cut down on low-level tasks, opening up employees to work more empathetically in social domains.
5. AI’s impact on the future of work
Although you don’t need to worry about AI taking over your job, there are plenty of other things to consider. For example, when AI is given access to enterprise data, there’s always the issue of AI data ownership and the possibility of dysfunctional outcomes. AI won’t replace humans in the workplace; instead, we can use the advantages machines have to offer to build an efficient and effective hybrid workforce.
It seems like the predictions of AI and automation wiping out swaths of jobs have been overstated. It’s true that AI can dramatically improve productivity, but that just gives us more time to take care of other tasks that require our attention. There’s plenty of potential here, but redesigning legacy models and automating systems can be a challenging task to undertake.
Although the extent of AI adoption is still uncertain, companies have already started moving towards a more collaborative hybrid workforce with an overall mission to improve efficiency.
