UK standards body says early-stage workers at most risk from AI
Almost half of businesses expect to cut junior roles, replacing them with artificial intelligence (AI), according to a new survey by the British Standards Institution (BSI).
Early career workers are at the greatest risk: some 43% of business leaders expect to reduce junior roles due to AI efficiencies in the next year, it said, while some 56% also say they count themselves lucky to have started their career before AI transformed their role or industry.
The findings, published in the research report Evolving together: Flourishing in the AI Workforce, and based on polling of more than 850 business leaders in 123 companies across eight countries including Australia, Britain, China, France, Germany, Japan and the US, also said that the growing importance of AI raises the spectre of business continuity issues.
“After all, if the AI tools have replaced a human, there may be no human to then step back in,” noting rapid adoption of the technology,” it said.
“In just two years, generative AI has gone from being a technology used in select pockets to something that is increasingly business critical. Only one in two business leaders express confidence that if generative AI tools were unavailable for a period of time their entire business could continue operating uninterrupted (48%) – and 17% explicitly acknowledge that in this situation parts of their business would be unable to operate,” the report said.
BSI chief executive Susan Taylor Martin said: “AI represents an enormous opportunity for businesses globally, but as they chase greater productivity and efficiency, we must not lose sight of the fact that it is ultimately people who power progress.”
The BSI’s findings are broadly in line with expectations in Ireland.
In July, Morgan McKinley’s quarterly Ireland Employment Monitor noted the “significant impact” of AI and automation, particularly in accountancy and finance.
“The notable reduction in graduate hiring by major firms, driven by AI capabilities, highlights potential challenges ahead,” the Monitor said.
At the time, Trayc Keevans, global director at Morgan McKinley Ireland, said that the accounting and finance sector was experiencing a significant shift towards data analytics and AI-driven roles.
“A notable trend driven by automation is the reduction in graduate-level hiring, raising concerns about potential shortages of experienced mid-level professionals, which could impact future business operations and growth,” she said at the time.
While the BSI report paints a mixed picture, one clear message is that organisations that fail to think “beyond just its [AI’s] short-term advantages” are inviting future risk.
Peter Rose, Group CIO of Tekenable, said that the BSI’s survey is not particularly surprising – but not because it is necessarily a straightforward reflection of reality.
“We’ve been here with every novel technology. It’s only natural that people are concerned, and, at least as far as most office workers go, AI is a new technology,” he told TechCentral.
However, how ‘new’ AI actually is depends on the specific technology being spoken of – and how and where it is being used.
“First of all, AI is not new. True, large language models are relatively new, and we don’t yet know what their impact will be on the workforce in the long term. Where AI is really shining is in areas like medical diagnostics, and no-one is suggesting replacing radiologists with computers,” Rose said.
However, this does not mean that the workforce will not see changes, he said.
“What we are seeing is, yes, AI is being used to create efficiencies, but that word need not be interpreted as ‘layoffs’. The BSI report has found that entry level roles are being replaced with AI, and that is certain to cause anxiety. However, it also found that it is being used to bridge skill gaps, and that is interesting precisely because those gaps are worth investigating and certainly something I would suggest students and job-seekers consider.”
Rose said that while AI has clear productive uses, businesses need to understand that skimping on recruitment could store up problems for the future.
“Finding out what the gaps are will tell us what today’s opportunities are – and tomorrow’s. Companies must hire junior employees otherwise companies will have no mid- to senior staff in five to ten years’ time but AI is changing their job description.” he said.
Jason Walsh
Subscribers 0
Fans 0
Followers 0
Followers