“Art imitates reality and artists are visionaries of the future.”
The time has come for business leaders and HR to let go of any remaining resistance to the infiltration of technology into the workplace. Now is also a good time to visit the movie archives and invite yourself to shift your perspective and to fully embrace technology and deliberately create a new technology-centric workplace.
It is time for business leaders and HR to become visionaries of the future. A workplace organized around, rather than optimized by, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR) technology. A work environment that is free from the constraints of artificial structures and instead liberated by the promise of open learning, knowledge exchange, and innovation.
While it’s been suggested that Millennials are the fastest growing group of the workforce, you may have noticed that there is a different (silent majority) taking center stage. That silent majority is evidenced by the collective effect of technology, automation, analytics, artificial intelligence, and now, augmented reality in the workplace; combining to create a matrix within, and upon, which human creativity thrives.
Movies have long projected the interaction between technology and humans, often posed as a classic friend versus foe context. This infographic provides a wonderful cinematic perspective and is worth taking a quick look at if you want to get to the current reality and quickly gain insight to the future. And, don’t blink because the speed with which AI and AR are advancing is accelerating. Rest assured however that the human mind is still the fastest, most random, and least understood processing tool for use at the discretion of human beings.
It is a bit of a conundrum though isn’t it – the least understood is the master, and the student, of the least understood. We’ll save that for a later blog.
The fact is that most of us have a tendency to look externally to technology to bring sense and order and consistency into the day-to-day ‘chaos’ of the workplace.
Here are a few things to consider when embracing and designing your technology centric workplace:
- Context matters and the movies have consistently predicted the future. It is time to place technology as a servant to the client experience. Get beyond using technology to automate processes (who else besides me is tired of the automated phone tree?) and attempt to predict what people will do (are you as irritated by predictive analytics as I am?). AI/AR now invite you to create virtual work environments within which we interact with other humans.
- The AI/AR wave will happen – with or without you. As a result, there is great benefit to stepping back and incorporating a technology element into your business planning and design models. In fact, industry disruptors are doing exactly that. Begin placing technology on the center stage of your Strategic Planning process.
- A shift in perspective opens up new possibilities. It is with this mindset that Tesla, Apple, and Google are disrupting the automotive industry. Rather than thinking of a “car with a computer embedded”, they have shifted perspective to create “computers on wheels”.
- There will always be things that AI/AR cannot replace about humans. Predictions are that AI will replace workers in fields defined by manufacturing, pattern recognition, verbal IQ, calculations, general knowledge (e.g.: Jeopardy) and repeating patterns. However, there is no replacement for art, conversation and writing, true empathy, and non-routine practical jobs. Where is AI headed?
There is one thing that will likely always be true – Human Beings are more random and creative in thought and action than any computer driven technology will likely be able to predict. We create elegant solutions, express through word and action, and the co-creative and collective value of our interactions and relationships can never be replaced.
If you agree with this premise then it stands to reason that artificial intelligence and augmented reality technologies will always be tools for use by humans. The question then becomes, how will you use these tools to serve humanity?
For guidance regarding the effect of AI/AR on your workplace, Strategic Planning, Leadership and Team training and development, and all things “HR and beyond”, The Pendolino Group is here to support you.
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