Artificial Intelligence & the Future of the Workplace

Smart technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) are rapidly changing the way we live, work, and play. According to the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), Singapore will see key developments in four frontier technologies over the next few years:

• Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• Cyber Security

• Immersive Media

• The Internet of Things (IoT)

In fact, we are already experiencing the use of AI in our everyday lives. With its own National AI Strategy, the Singapore government is looking to make further, fundamental changes to our transport and logistics, healthcare, education, as well as safety and security industries.

Thankfully, with disruption comes opportunity. While some jobs risk being automated out of existence, more new roles will spring up in fields not just related to technology, but across all areas, including healthcare, finance, manufacturing, and retail.

So what does this mean for the future workplace, and how will AI affect you as an employee?

AI will help us overcome diversity challenges in the workplace 

Human Resource (HR) professionals will be able to leverage AI for better insights related to human capital, talent recruitment, and employee development. This helps eliminate the more mundane tasks of human resource management and free up time for HR managers to focus on higher strategic priorities, like building employee engagement and implementing frameworks for compliance.

HR will also use AI and machine learning to root out instances of bias in the workplace, allowing them to act on these issues faster and more effectively.

With AI-powered recruitment processes and evaluations focused on fact-based parameters, job-seekers and employees will be able to shine better based on their accomplishments, contributing to a more fair and diverse future workplace.

One key thing job-seekers can do to stand out is to ensure that they are equipped with the emerging skills currently in demand by Singapore employers. 

AI will accelerate our creativity

An estimated 40% of worker hours are spent on repetitive tasks, including information-heavy processes that require logging, organising, and analysis of data.

With AI and automation replacing these processes, employees can refocus their energies on more high-value tasks, like ensuring better quality customer service and solving inefficiencies in current processes.

This means more time can be spent on critical-thinking and human-relations tasks, such as coming up with better strategies, services, and solutions. Consequently, employees that wish to succeed in the future workplace will need to have skills related to innovation and problem-solving to add value to their organisations.

AI will become a necessity, not an option, in future business strategies

Future-ready companies are continuously anticipating, learning, and adapting to new trends—and AI is one of them.

Companies will see AI as necessary to building a more agile and competitive business, which means that workplaces and workflows will inevitably be affected by AI technologies.

For the workforce at large, this means embracing AI and understanding how to use it to your advantage. Employees who are keen to thrive will also pick up additional complementary digital skills related to their fields, whether that means blockchain or coding.

Remember that AI is only a tool and that its aim is not to replace humans, but to enable them to make better, faster, smarter decisions. Successful employees of the future are those who offer other skills, like creativity, innovation, and human relations, that cannot be replaced by machines.

Inspired to pick up an AI-related skill? Check out these SkillsFuture Credit-eligible courses on Artificial Intelligence, including some which are available for e-learning, such as:

• Artificial Intelligence: A Layman's Approach

• NTU Short Courses Series: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning