Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve, with more organizations and employees choosing to integrate AI tools into their workplaces. Recently, AI technology has taken yet another leap forward in a new form, generative AI, with the potential to completely transform the way we work.
Workplace disruptions caused by great leaps and advancements in technology are not a new phenomenon. The digital revolution in the 1990s brought the internet into the workplace and relegated countless jobs to the history books in the process, like telephone operators and retail bankers. Other roles became more automated or digitized, like data entry clerks and warehouse jobs.
Now, we’re experiencing a new revolution, where smart machines can both simplify and potentially replace human jobs, and the rate of change feels even more rapid than before. In the long term, generative AI can increase productivity, taking over repetitive or menial tasks and allowing a human employee to focus more time on strategic, creative, or more complex responsibilities. In the short term, it can completely transform the way we work, in ways that may not always be comfortable or welcome.
