AI was ushered into business operations with excitement and innovative visions, but for some—including many in the content creation industry—it also brought fears that the revolutionary new tech would be making their mortal skills obsolete and taking their jobs. While this fear still lingers, new research from IT professional resourcing and services firm Experis presents a more uplifting outlook from employers around the world.
The firm’s newly released report, The Future is Now: AI, the Metaverse, & the World of Work, finds that a majority of global employers are optimistic that emerging technologies like AI, as well as machine learning, virtual/augmented reality, blockchain, and others, won’t eliminate workers, but will actually create more jobs.
“The integration of AI, machine learning, VR/AR, and other emerging technologies is rapidly transforming industries and driving the need for an adaptable workforce,” said Ger Doyle, Experis senior vice president, in a news release. “We are seeing companies embrace these new technologies with many seeking to hire or upskill existing talent to take advantage of potential productivity gains. Smart employers know that embracing digitization and nurturing human talent will enhance their readiness to succeed in this era of rapid technological advancement.”
With many companies already having difficulty hiring the talent they need with the skills they seek, an increasing number of companies are either adopting or planning to adopt the use of emerging technologies in their recruiting processes, including: AI (35 percent have adopted it, 36 percent plan to), conversational AI (35 percent adopted, 36 percent plan to), machine learning (38 percent adopted, 34 percent plan to), and VR (30 percent adopted, 35 percent plan to).
“So far, the signs are no different from what we have seen with earlier versions of AI or tech innovation. Generative AI can be expected to mostly automate tasks and skills within jobs rather than [perform] entire jobs. We should relish the opportunity to outsource these mundane tasks—freeing up our time for more creative and intellectually sophisticated endeavors,” said Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, chief innovation officer at Experis parent company ManpowerGroup, in the release. “This isn’t about us vs. AI or humans vs. machines. Instead, it’s about how we can leverage these tools to augment and upgrade our uniquely human skills and lead a more human-centric life.”
Additionally, the latest Experis Tech Talent Outlook finds the rise of new tech has also shifted the hiring priorities and focus for employers. The top five staffing priorities reported are:
- Cybersecurity (34 percent)
- Technical support (32 percent)
- Customer or user experience (31 percent)
- Database management (27 percent)
- Customer relationship management systems (25 percent)
To address these technology-related challenges, employers shared they are implementing the following approaches:
- Training and upskilling the current workforce (50 percent)
- Hiring new workers with the required skills (46 percent)
- Investing more in automation (39 percent)
- Reskilling workers and transitioning them into IT roles (39 percent)
- Hiring short-term staff (freelancers, contract workers, etc.) to fill skills gaps (38 percent)
The survey results are from a combination of LinkedIn (n= 2,000) and online (n= 100) surveys of employers and candidates fielded in March-April 2023.
