In my 2 Vistage presentations in Cleveland this week, we had a really interesting conversation about the possible effects of AI on the workforce shortage we will experience for the next decade. I’d like to share my thoughts on that topic here.
There is little question that AI will have significant impact on employment in limited areas like law firms, the tech space and marketing organizations. The thing to remember is that there are 29,000 different job titles in America and only about 15% of them can be significantly influenced by AI. Instead of worrying about the dire predictions that are on television, take a look at what’s going on right in front of you. How many jobs in your scope of business connections have you noticed that AI has completely eliminated so far?
In the CEO group today, about 1000 total employees were represented. I surveyed the group and 3 positions out of those 1000 had been completely eliminated by AI. That’s 3/10 of 1% of the population of 1000 employees across a dozen industries.
So let’s pay attention to what’s actually going on right in front of us in our daily lives instead of relying on some sensationalized news report without vetting the facts.
Remember, when machines came into manufacturing, the prediction was that most manual labor jobs would go away… until they didn’t. When computers came into being, the prediction was that accounting and billing work was going to go away “en masse”…. until they didn’t. When the internet came to be, the projections were that customer service and sales functions were going to be taken over and people were going to be laid off by the thousands… until they weren’t.
Is AI going to be a useful tool going forward? Absolutely, without question… just like the computer, just like manufacturing automation and just like the internet. But if you think it’s going to solve the labor shortage of our nation, please come talk to me when AI replaces the dental hygienist, or the person repairing your car at the body shop or the police officer down the street.
Don’t agree? I would love to hear other opinions with a different point of view.
If you are looking for insight or specific action steps to grow a process within your organization to Win the War for Talent, please reach out. It’s my passion to help companies solve their talent issues, whether that is finding the right talent or retaining and developing that talent. With the right processes in place, your organization can grow and thrive even more!
