The issue of Artificial Intelligence is a hot topic not only on the innovation front but on the debate of how far we should take it. The human brain might have a real challenger very soon and it’s a very complex topic…. One thing is for sure is that it’s going to happen in one way or another.
Let’s talk about how AI can be used for good like getting rid of mindless tasks. It was already quoted by some U.S. Presidents that the jobs shipped overseas were the jobs they didn’t want anyway. But what happens when these overseas workers actually don’t want those boring, repetitive jobs anymore? Hmm… it’s like a trickle effect of being spoiled by technology and a management mindset. Mind and management is where most workers aspire to reach in their careers but there is surely a large percentage of workers that like a stable and repetitive work day on a production line as long as it’s not frustrating. Maybe AI can improve the production process without replacing it totally making it less painful and more enjoyable to work day to day. Amazon has heavily invested in robotics in its warehouses but there is still a lot of human intervention making it a real co-working space between man and machine. I’m sure all workers would agree that they are happy they don’t have to run from one side of the warehouse to the other picking and packing stock as it comes in and as it goes out.
This brings us to the formula of increase in efficiency = better work environment but = less security. Everyone is scared of being hacked, and data privacy is a real concern for businesses and individuals in the new digital world. Regulations such as GDPR in Europe have made it mandatory to really get into the nitty gritty of how to keep personal data safe and compliance is a real concern as businesses move forward to an increasingly e-commerce environment. A post Covid world is proving to be anything but predictable but one thing is sure, is that businesses need to offer more convenience and digital solutions to their customers. An example of this concern is when a company uses its own servers and infrastructure to serve their clients with speed and convenience. But even if the business is GDPR compliant, there will always be some clients who will want to control everything on their end. In the photo editing industry there are some players such as https://slazzer.com/ that remove image backgrounds automatically with AI. They are GDPR compliant using pseudonymization and deleting all images after 60 minutes but they have adapted to some of their client requests to offer an “on premise” solution that is 100% offline. With no internet connection, their clients can now edit all images on their own servers eliminating all data concerns. It does involve heavy customization though and takes some time to install.
In the end, Artificial Intelligence is opening up endless possibilities to move societies forward. We don’t want to use the word “progressive” but this really is the definition of lifting all workers to another level of consciousness and getting rid of the drag of certain tasks for good. The security aspect will need to be monitored closely but companies are already adapting and being creative to adjust. Where there is a will, there’s a way.