The equilibrium of humans and machines in future workplaces

By Tech Wire Asia | 29 March, 2019

FUTURE workplaces will be manned by both humans and machines. That’s a hard fact.
The rise of workplace technology is rapidly repurposing the roles of humans as machines take over repetitive tasks.

Unfortunately, the outlook is usually rather bleak with worries relating to technological unemployment and tasks displaced by machines.

That is the same train of thoughts that ran through news when computers were first introduced to the mass market. Two decades on, it’s hard to imagine a workplace without a computer being our machine counterpart.

Every technological advancement will bring about a recalibration.

What businesses should focus on is the other side of the same coin instead. This means to say, businesses should explore the new opportunities that technologies can create.

All businesses can effectively benefit from the inrush of artificial intelligence (AI) use in operations, processes, and workflows.

Though, the digital transformation will not happen without pressing focus on the equilibrium of humans and machines in future workplaces.

So, technologists should make it a priority in their digital transformation agenda.

The rise of the machines in Asia

Asia is accountable for more than one-third of the world’s economic output.

According to a new report, the economic value AI will bring to Asia alone is north of US$1.8 trillion per annum by 2030.

Evidently, the benefits of technology will outweigh the short-term disruption.

The region is also a welcoming hotbed of AI adoption with strong regulatory backing as well as growing new-age talents.

The business competitive edge of AI is expansive.

Which is all the more why more attention should be put on the human-machine collaboration to ensure a smooth transition.

Not only does the collaboration amplify productivity but it also boosts the bottom line.

For example, Singapore’s DBS Bankuses AI technology to screen through job applicants for its wealth management business.

The financial services firm claimed to save up to 40 man hours per month per recruiter.
As a result, recruiters are able to fine-tune the interview process as well as upskilling existing employees.

Also, Malaysia’s Hong Leong Bank analyzes customers’ emotions with AI. This is to equip customer care personnel with all the right data and information that is specific to each caller.

The human-machine collaboration will repurpose what humans can and will do in line with a business goal. How well a business uses AI and how much more profit AI can bolster are unique to each business model. Whether we like or not, machines will be a part of future workplaces in all forms of technologies.

Though, the key takeaway here is that we must first find the common ground. This is to prepare us for when the coin flips.