In the Harvard Business Review, Gretchen Gavett writes that "AI is often touted as a way to handle busy work to free people up for tasks that matter. But in the race to add automation to pretty much every job, it’s rare that people question what, exactly, people are being freed from, and which tasks actually matter. This interview with sociologist Allison J. Pugh explores what she calls “connective labor,” why it’s under threat from automation, who will be most affected, and what we’ll lose as humans if it disappears."
This article is behind the HBR firewall but provides interesting insights into the unintended consequences of automation, especially AI-enabled automation, in the workplace. The final takeaway of the article is that "The ideal future is one where we welcome AI and technological development in all sorts of domains, from inventing new antibiotics to decoding sperm whale speech to predicting earthquakes. But in that future, we cordon it off from human connection, applying a “connection criterion” to its deployment. Right now, our unregulated environment means that AI is being sold as an appropriate tool for automating teachers, physicians, therapists, lawyers, and a host of other connective jobs. When we are inventing a new hammer, we need to remind ourselves that not everything is a nail."
Here is the link to the entire article at HBR.ORG.
Login
New User? Signup
Reset Password
Signup
Existing User? Login here
Login here
Reset Password
Please enter your registered email address. You will recieve a link to reset your password via email.
New User? Signup
Currency Exchange Graph