Artificial intelligence tools are reshaping workplaces and what gets done inside them. Workplace technology experts and lawmakers are grappling with what extent job displacement might impact the future of work in the US and how or if to address it.
Policymakers and wonks gathered on Thursday at an event hosted by Axios and TechNet in Washington, DC, to map out the impact of AI on the workplace, and the effects the technology may bring with it to the workforce.
“The introduction of any new technology forces us to adapt and to change, and AI is no different,” said John Sampson, head of US public policy at Workday. “We are not cynics about this. We do not believe that it is a threat. It amplifies the importance of the human role at work.”
Really a job killer? In 2023 Goldman Sachs reported an estimated 300 million jobs could be lost due to AI. An alarming figure no doubt, but the report also noted automation spurs innovation, which can lead to new, unknown types of jobs of the future.
But rather than eliminating jobs outright, the consensus on Thursday was that the technology is expected to augment human work, allowing employees to focus on tasks that require creativity and human interaction.
“Is the rote work, the repetitive drudgery of work, why people enjoy their jobs? No; it’s the human connection. It’s the judgments that only humans can make: the ethical considerations, the human connections, the…relationships," Sampson said. “AI doesn't replace any of that, but what it does do is…buys us more space to focus on that, because we can get the other parts of our work done more efficiently.”
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA), who cochaired the House Bipartisan Task Force on Artificial Intelligence with Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA), said he is excited to see AI’s potential to impact those who may not have technical skills.
Lieu recalled the rise of word processors, which eliminated some secretarial roles but also gave individuals with limited spelling skills a game changing tool with Spellcheck. He expects AI to similarly level the playing field for technical applications, enabling laypeople to perform complex digital tasks.
“My sense is the folks that AI is really going to help are maybe a bunch of non-technical folks that never could have done these amazing technical things in the past, but now get to do them because of AI,” he said.
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Still scary. Despite AI’s potential, fears of job displacement remain. A Pew Research study, also released Thursday, found 32% of workers believe workplace AI use will lead to fewer job opportunities; only 6% said it will lead to more.
“We haven’t observed it," said Josh Kallmer, global head of public policy and government relations at Zoom, on AI-related job loss. “AI tools are about tasks rather than jobs. They are removing a subset of activities…that are sapping their productivity.”
Kallmer urged workers to engage with AI rather than fear it.
“Try not to be afraid of it. Just really dig in and play with these tools, because…a lot of companies in different industries are doing a nice job…ensuring you don’t have to have a computer science degree to benefit from these tools,” he said. “I would say, as a threshold matter, just get in there, use the tools, and you will find—as I have found—that they really can save a lot of time and make you more productive.”
Uncle Sam? Rep. Erin Houchin (R-IN) downplayed the need for any new federal programs to support workers who may be displaced by the technology, noting that companies should be able to retrain and organize their workforce to capitalize on the productivity gains in ways that work best for the company and its employees.
“There’s some uncertainty, probably primarily from the workforce, about what AI is going to do to the workforce, and will it disappoint people?” she said. “I don’t see it that way. I think it will just make us overall more productive, turning these technologies internally to find efficiencies.”
Houchin believes that the needed upskilling and reskilling should fall to the private sector.
“The government’s role is to provide responsible guardrails, maybe create a sandbox for new technologies to be tested before they’re unleashed,” she said. “But overall, I think I would leave it to American citizens and their business counterparts to study what they think will work best for them.”
She also dismissed the idea of new federal safety-net programs designed specifically for workers displaced by AI.
“We already have a safety net for that in our unemployment programs,” she said. “There’s a number of those programs that exist already, that are already focused on a changing workforce and helping our communities adapt. I wouldn’t expect to reinvent the wheel.”