When innovation emerges, fear is the first reaction. Prosperity is the long term consequence.
It has been that way for millennia. Socrates warned putting quill to parchment would “create forgetfulness in the learners’ souls, because they will not use their memories.” (We are glad Plato ignored this Socratic skepticism and scribbled down some words.)
Today it is the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) that has humankind in knots. Physicist Stephen Hawking has warned AI “could spell the end of the human race.” With all due respect to Mr. Hawking, history is full of examples of new technologies unlocking huge benefits. AI is unlikely to be any different.
Employers in particular should ignore all the Socratic skepticism. Indeed, to guarantee an ecosystem where AI empowers humanity, business leaders must engage with it, not be afraid of it. As one of the primary consumers of AI, employers have the power to demand technology that is ethical, transparent, more human centered, and protective of our data sovereignty, intellectual property, and privacy.
There is too much to gain from AI for employers to remain passive. Take, for example, three sectors where burnout is rampant: health care, education, and retail. In these industries, AI can improve outcomes for workers and the patients, students, and consumers they serve.
An American Nurses Foundation survey found 56 percent of U.S. nurses are burnt out. Even before the pandemic, a third of nurses who left health care said they did so because they were worn down. Health care should be one of the most purpose-filled sectors, but the job comes with mountains of paperwork that sap caregivers and take them away from their primary mission: to care for, even cure, patients. Accenture estimates AI can perform up to 30% of nurses’ administrative tasks, freeing them to fulfill their core mission.
Teachers also are fleeing their jobs due to burnout. Like nurses, educators spend an increasing amount of time on clerical tasks and less with students. AI can ease this burden while helping teachers develop personalized learning plans that will light the spark of learning. And, for teachers, seeing the smile of recognition spread across a student’s face is an incredible antidote to burnout.
For the retail sector, Escalate is using AI to create pathways for advancement for frontline workers. The organization has been working with CVS to help the company fill middle skill jobs such as store manager. The chance to advance out of a frontline job into one that pays better and is more personally fulfilling will keep more people in this sector while ensuring workers are in the right roles and able to create more value for the company.
More broadly, AI can help employers address job gaps by giving them tools to discover new talent sources. As Opportunity@Work CEO Byron Auguste argues, the promise for overlooked populations, such as people without college degrees, is significant.
The GitLab Foundation’s AI for Economic Opportunity Fund provides grants to scale innovations that will help people advance up the income ladder through AI. One grantee, CareerVillage’s COACH, uses artificial intelligence to help individuals explore career paths, find learning opportunities that will prepare them for that work, and construct resumes that will get noticed.
AI is also a tool for development. For younger learners, the AI Education Project is ensuring labor readiness and creating equitable learning experiences that build foundational AI literacy. It is still early in terms of AI products that facilitate learning, but there is clear whitespace for B2C and B2B products that enable workers to find a career they will love and then access the requisite training for that job.
For employers who want to shape AI in a way that will benefit both their businesses and their people, there are opportunities. JFFLab’s Center for Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work convenes stakeholdersacross sectors who want to ensure AI accelerates access to quality jobs. In the fall of 2024, the Human Potential Summit brought together employers, educators, investors, nonprofits, and policymakers to identify AI-based tools and programs that will ensure a more prosperous and fulfilled future for all Americans.
We live in a world focused on productivity. As CKF Partner and Burning Glass Institute President Matt Sigelman has explained, productivity is output over cost. Historically, we have mostly focused on reducing the denominator, the cost. If we use AI to elevate people and unlock their unique talents and motivation to fulfill a mission that matters to them, we can improve the numerator.
Workers who have used AI are seeing these benefits and abandoning their Socratic skepticism as a result. A recent Morning Consult survey found that, of the 44 percent of employed U.S. adults who have used AI at work, more believed it had a positive impact than a negative one.
AI has the potential to dramatically transform and improve how companies conduct business, while also lifting entire segments of the workforce to higher income levels and improving their well-being by helping them find jobs that match their skills and desire to contribute. It is time employers embrace this tool and, by voting with their feet, shape the tools that could hold so much promise for humanity.