The growth and development of AI have come with both optimism and pessimism from different sides. The major reason for the difference is because of how people are affected by it and the many myths surrounding this technology.
There is no doubt that AI will cause a lot of transformation in the workplace. But these are mainly positive changes. But the fear and lack of knowledge of this technology have led to the creation of the many myths surrounding it.
Here are 10 such myths about AI in the workplace.
1. Artificial Intelligence will take over people’s jobs
There are legitimate reasons for people to be scared of this. The truth is, the introduction of any technology at work will revolutionize labor and many tasks will be handled by this machine or technology. This might lead to some people being displaced (people handling the jobs the technology is taking over). However, for AI, it will go both ways. A study into the impact of AI shows that 1.8 million jobs will be displaced but it will create 2.3 million jobs as well. It will only work as an assistant and increase productivity.
2. Manual and unskilled workers will be replaced
This is another unfounded myth. AI, will in no way be able to replace human labor. As a matter of fact, AI is currently used to handle works meant for professionals and skilled workers like doctors and lawyers, and not manual workers. The role of AI is to reduce repetitive works which are needed more in the professional setting.
3. Incoming AI disaster
There are fears from some quarters that at some point machines will become so smart that they will overtake the world. Yet again, this is an unfounded myth. Something like this is more likely to happen in movies than in reality. Secondly, there is not a single evidence to support the possibility of this happening. Do not forget that it is humans who are in control of the machines and not the other way round.
4. AI machines will outsmart humans in completing any task
There are two categories of AI applications: the specialized category and the generalized category. Specialized AI devices are made to handle specific tasks related to a particular field. For instance, AI tools for lawyers are specialized for legal tasks, designed to efficiently complete these specific tasks. This specialization is, in fact, the most effective way to utilize AI in the legal field. However, generalized devices are designed to handle different tasks from different fields. These machines are not as efficient at a field as specialized AI. So, they really are not as generalized as humans.
5. Cognitive thoughts of AI is similar to humans
The fact that AI machines are efficient at handling complex data executing tasks does not in any way mean that they can think like humans. That is just impossible. As a matter of fact, this technology is only able to follow the dataset and logic that humans design for it to follow when executing a task.
6. Embracing AI technology is complex
This is blatantly untrue! By 2025, the estimation is that the AI software market will reach up to $118.6 billion. As a matter of fact, many experts believe that there will be more brands performing better with revenue increasing by 38%. That is how powerful AI is. However, it is not as complex as many think it to be. Google, for instance, already uses AI technology and it’s able to detect overheating in data centers and automatically activate the cooling system.
7. Machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data mining are the same
You might find it hard to differentiate between these three if you are not so much into tech. But they are not the same. AI is the machine’s ability to break down mined data so that it can make smarter decisions than humans. But machine learning is what drives artificial intelligence, and they work together in processing data and making smart decisions.
8. Artificial intelligence is the same thing as robots
You would not be totally wrong to view robots as being artificially intelligent. But to think that AI is the same as robots is wrong. They are very different. One major difference is how they function. Robots are able to handle repetitive, precise, and physical processes – something like the way traffic light works. But AI technologies do not work like that. They mainly do background work and provide help that is not easy to detect for a layman. An example is how product recommendation works on amazon.
9. AI and humans can’t work effectively together
This particular myth will be easily believed by people who already think that AI is here to displace people completely from their jobs and replace them. The truth is, in order to use AI technology to its maximum, it has to be combined with the intelligence from humans. AI technology is only an assistant, to help humans finish their tasks faster so that they can save time and be more productive.
10. AI will cause more productivity in companies and less employment
The first part of this is true. AI will increase profit for organizations. However, this is good news for everyone. This will allow the organizations to pay their staff more while also reducing the price on consumers. According to the law of demand and supply, a reduction in price will lead to an increase in demand. This increasing demand will definitely lead to more employment opportunities.
Conclusion
There is no denying that AI is growing at a rampant pace, and there are many people with fears about this technology. These fears are leading to more myths about artificial intelligence technology. However, as a business organization, you need to look beyond the myths and adopt AI as soon as possible in order to remain competitive, boost your productivity, and increase revenue.
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Author’s Bio: Serena Dorf has been working as an editor, copywriter and essay writer at a research paper writing service in London for 3 years where she provides dissertation writing service. She is also a professional content writer and journalist in such topics as inspiration, productivity, education, and technologies.