The rise of automation has allowed us to live a richer, easier life today. We now live in an era when bank transactions through phones in our pockets are nothing short of miracles. We now experience real-time messaging through our laptops, mimicking a window through which we can see the world more vividly.
However, as automation improves and machines increase, employee count decreases. This case has affected every field in the working industry and thus made artificial intelligence a key workforce partner.
Does this mean that technology makes human resources a thing of the past? Should we leave everything in cold computer hands? Or is there a way we can bring out the good in the former while letting humans take the helm? Can the future of work with automation allow for the creation of jobs?
This article will provide reasons why the future of workforce development requires human talent. Further, we will provide specific fields where human talent is both important and necessary.
Why is Human Talent Necessary in a Digital World?
The following points below will discuss why the future of automation in the workplace still needs organic talent. In an age when almost every task can be delegated to machines, human talent is still necessary:
1. To derive meaning from organized data
Autonomous Logistics Information System (ALIS) is a data management system behind the F-35 military aircraft. As the Washington Post stated, ALIS is enough to determine aircraft statuses, such as battle conditions and health maintenance.
However, pilots and mechanics have the last say in whether one aircraft is fit for a military operation. Additionally, even if the system allows for self-diagnosis, service personnel are still charged with the repair and customization to ensure a more user-friendly experience.
2. To confirm and recommend
An AI system was created to help quicken the diagnosis of COVID-19 from X-ray results. In addition, a robot with mechanical hands called Da Vinci is used to performing precise surgery worldwide. Forbes released these articles with the question: can machines replace physicians?
In both these articles, it was proven that the actions and decisions of physicians and other medical professionals are still required to confirm results. From the former article, doctors still determine whether further tests should be done to officially diagnose a COVID-19 patient, not computers alone. In the latter article, though robotic hands operate, surgeons are still behind consoles to direct this machinery where to go and what to do.
3. To connect with fellow humans
An article from The Brookings Institution has stated every good effect of technology on education, from easier accessibility with blended learning to data-driven and personalized study guides.
However, this article states that acquiring screen time higher than medical institutions intended can lead to disrupted brain development. This can even be associated with lower grades (an effect automation is supposed to combat) or, worse, illnesses.
True, technology can be integrated into teaching practices and materials. Yet human instructors and teachers are still indispensable. Moreover, the connection and social interaction between teachers and students make education more holistic and effective.
Where and How Is Human Talent Needed?
Transportation, medicine, and education have given reasons why humans are needed more now that automation has flourished. But what does that mean for those who want to be in the technology field? What are the positive impacts of automation on employment? And how is it integrated into our lives today? Below are some examples.
1. Software Development
The creation of artificial intelligence and its ability to write code may lead some to think that software developers can be easily replaced. But this cannot be farther from the truth.
The New York Times stated in their article that while Codex (a programming AI) can generate different programming languages, it cannot replace software developers as AI is not perfect. A data scientist interviewed in Wired, as AI writes codes as faulty as humans can.
Further, Upskilled stated that programming applications cannot produce original program concepts and still needs input from humans. As a result, according to several studies, software developers are expected to increase by 27.7 million in 2023 and 28.7 million in 2024. This number increases because while automation improves, it can only complement human talent.
2. Cybersecurity Engineering
A McKinsey article reported that 3.12 million vacant positions in cybersecurity are still left unfilled in 2021. This supports the fact that many institutions need cybersecurity experts because most organizations are at moderate or high risk of experiencing cybersecurity attacks, according to a study from the University of San Diego.
Cybersecurity engineers are in demand even with an increase in automation technologies because they are still needed to oversee AI programs and methods before proceeding. MIT research tackles the collaboration between man and machine as a defense against cybersecurity attacks is better than when engineers or AI do it alone.
3. UX Design
Statistics show that 70 percent of online consumers leave shopping websites due to bad user experience (UX). This calls for a greater demand for UX designers, no wonder why the US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a three percent growth in UX designers by 2028.
Although artificial intelligence allows for useful designs, creative decisions are still made by the human UX designer. According to LinkedIn, AI can only perform little tasks such as repetitive autofill data. The collaboration between it and UX designers are still needed to produce a more personalized user experience.
4. Data Science
From finding employment gaps to understanding customer behavior, professionals use data science to achieve better outcomes. This demand has allowed the US Bureau of Labor Statistics to predict a 27.9 percent increase in data scientists’ employment by 2026.
This prediction defeats the notion that AI can replace human labor in data science. This is backed by the fact that AI may have uncanny accuracy but does not have soft skills such as common sense and prioritization of customers’ needs – skills that humans and employers look for. While data science systems are useful, humans are still needed to interpret the next necessary action according to the collected data.
Who Will Continue to Run The Digital World? Human Talent.
While machine learning and artificial intelligence can perform almost perfectly, the wonders of human talent are still a must in the field of technology.
Devices can only go so far without human workers’ direction. It’s still through your level-headed leadership and conscience-driven decisions that technology thrives. You don’t have to worry about losing positions in the virtual world. The digital world was made by people, and most certainly, for people.
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