Hey Siri. How do I survive the impact of AI?

Technology changed our lives. Fast.

In the past 20 to 25 years, we started doing things that once felt like science fiction.

We:

• communicate online instead of writing letters and postcards
• buy things in webshops without touching them first
• listen to music without buying an album

Convenience went up. So did the consequences.

Customers changed too

Customers now expect companies to be:

• faster
• cheaper
• more transparent
• more honest

And also:

• reachable
• responsive
• 24/7

Meanwhile, companies deal with real-life friction: flu epidemics, labor strikes, and understaffed customer service teams.

So the tempting idea appears:

What if we had workers who do the same job as humans, but faster and more accurate, and who never complain, never get sick, and never ask for a raise?

We have dreamed about artificial intelligence for a long time

Humans have been imagining “thinking machines” for decades.

Who remembers Rosie (The Jetsons) or KITT (Knight Rider)?

Today, products like these are no longer just fiction:

• self-driving cars
• AI personal assistants
• smart devices that reorder things automatically

The future we fantasized about is here.

But what if machines become… too human?

Humans are capable of brilliance.

And also of being selfish, jealous, dishonest, and cruel.

The human mind is a double-edged knife.

So if we build machines that copy humans, we have to ask: are we also copying the worst parts?

Automation is not picky

According to a study by McKinsey & Co., 30% of tasks in 60% of current occupations can be automated with existing technology.

Automation does not care about education level.

Accountants and legal assistants can be as replaceable as cashiers and taxi drivers.

And the threat is not only for employees.

Disruptive business models challenge companies more than ever. Think about the waves Airbnb and Uber created.

Final words

We are still processing the impact of artificial intelligence. The full impact has not yet been acknowledged.

But one thing is clear.

“Taking action” means more than implementing technology to create customer value or competitive advantage.

For example, replacing a large part of customer service with chatbots.

Because humans are emotional beings, the real challenge is dealing with the emotions of the people who remain.

The colleagues they used to work with are gone.

And human contact at work gets thinner.

That emotional impact is the part we cannot automate away.