As a leader, you might think AI job losses are only a future problem, but your team might be already thinking about them now. With real headline news of organisations replacing people with AI – even those known for valuing their employees – your team might be quietly worried, wondering if they are next. That’s why you must acknowledge those concerns, start open conversations, and help your people build the skills they will need to remain valuable and relevant.
https://swiy.co/go-ai-coming-for-your-job
As a leader, do you know whether your people in your team are worried about AI taking their job? You should be!
In the last few months, you might have seen stories about organisations – of different sizes and in different sectors – who fired people and replaced them with AI. So yes, AI is replacing jobs – or at least, replacing enough of a person’s role that makes it unprofitable to keep them.
Some of these stories are about high-profile organisations – such as Australian company Atlassian, well known for its positive attitudes to work, workers, and the workplace. Even they recently let some of their staff go because they could use AI instead.
We’re not seeing mass layoffs yet. But for your team members who have seen these stories, they might be looking over their shoulder nervously, wondering whether they will be next to lose their job. Not from an AI robot, but from their boss telling them, “Sorry. We can’t afford to keep you anymore”.
In the last three years, some AI commentators have said something like this:
“You won’t lose your job to AI – you will lose it to somebody else using AI better than you.”
I’ve never said that – because I don’t think it’s true.
Well, it’s partly true – the second part, which urges you to keep learning about AI, so you can use it as part of your job. I firmly believe that.
But the first part – about not losing your job to AI – is not true.
The reality is: AI is already taking jobs, and will continue to take jobs.
Whether or not you think it’s true, there might be people in your team who are worried about the prospect of AI taking their job.
So what can you do about it?
Keep learning about AI, learning how to use it, and ensuring you education your team as well.
It’s even more important to have open, meaningful conversations with your team about the impact of AI.
Understand their feelings and fears – whether you think they are well-founded or not – so you know they issues they are facing. Remember, this is about their job, their livelihood, their family, and their future.
Also, register for my free online presentation soon, where I will share what has changed in the AI space in the last 6-12 months, and explain what that means for you as a leader. The changes are not just about the technology; they are also about the impact on people.
And feel free to invite other leaders and other team members in your organisation and in your network as well.
Register for the virtual masterclass:
https://swiy.co/go-ai-coming-for-your-job
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.