According to a study out of Oxford University, 47 percent of U.S. jobs are at risk of becoming completely automated within the next 15 years. However, American small business owners can reassure their employees they won’t be replaced by machines anytime soon. Here are three reasons why.
AI isn’t as good as real people
While personal digital assistants like Alexa and Siri are great at setting dates and looking up information, they aren’t as good handling basic tasks like taking dictation, executing projects across multiple platforms, following chain commands or indexing incoming phone and web traffic. Human traits like intuition and non-linear thinking are extremely difficult to replicate. As such, the mission-critical roles currently fulfilled by human employees like receptionists, salespeople, logistics specialists and project managers aren’t likely to be replaced by digital equivalents any time soon.
Future workers will just be more efficient
As this Entrepreneur article points out, the future doesn’t belong to robots as much as it does to multifaceted software. Whereas hardware is typically used to replace human labor, software is used to augment it. As any founder who uses project management programs, CRM applications and automated payroll services knows, tech tools free up a lot of time that would otherwise be spent on busy work. Consequently, as technology companies develop new products that will automate an increasing number of organizational functions, future employees will be able to dedicate more of their time and energy toward developing innovative marketing strategies, products and services that will help your company thrive and grow.
Stressed out workers aren’t productive
A Global Benefits Attitudes survey found that more than half of its respondents that were employed in stressful workplaces had higher absentee rates and worse productivity than their less anxious counterparts. As time marches on, more and more major corporations are going to make automating their operations a priority. The media will likely begin producing more content addressing the situation, which will, in turn, make American workers more fearful about their futures and less productive. To avoid becoming part of that vicious cycle, small business owners need to be proactive in reassuring their employees of their commitment to maintaining a human workforce.