Humans vs. AI: Is There a Point to Upskilling?

The conversations between human intelligence and artificial intelligence (AI) are as prevalent as ever due to 77% of companies now either using or exploring the use of AI for their business.

As we continue to see technology and AI evolve, now being utilised to streamline both mundane and creative tasks, we as human beings are shifting our focus on the elements that make us indispensable to employers, such as portraying a sense of empathy and togetherness.

But these shifts beg the question: with AI seemingly taking over, is there a point to upskilling at work?

In this blog, we discuss human vs AI intelligence, the advantages and disadvantages of both and most importantly, if there is a requirement for individuals to upskill and develop in the age of AI.

What is Human Intelligence?

Human intelligence is described as the mental ability “to learn from experience, adapt to new situations, understand and handle abstract concepts and use knowledge to manipulate one’s environments”.

In other words, human intelligence is about being able to learn, understand, adapt and reason.

Human intelligence is said to be tracked back to a distinctive blend of an individual’s upbringing, genetics and their exposure to various environments and situations. Human intelligence also allows for uniqueness and, in most cases, depends on an individual’s liberty to shape their habitats on new and up-to-date information. In any business environment, this is a skill that is highly valued.

The Pros of Human Intelligence 

As human beings, we are incredibly dynamic and, as such, we have a great number of positive traits that help us to be successful. These include:

Empathy

Unlike AI, we can genuinely understand and relate to the feelings of others, having also likely experienced similar experiences ourselves.

Judgement and Intuition

To be able to act intuitively and, in turn, make judgements based on real-life circumstances, emotions, and past experiences is something that human intelligence has over artificial intelligence.

Subtle (but effective) communication

As human beings we give off subtle cues allowing us to read body language, facial cues and environments much better than AI. In a workplace setting, for example, this can help us to know when to dial back or speak up in a meeting or talking to a colleague.

Decision-making

Human intelligence allows us to make a choice based on more than data or numbers. We also take into consideration additional factors that may influence a company resolution, such as employee morale or employer brand.

It’s also important to note that we tend to use moral and ethical reasoning in our decision-making both at work and in life. While AI might grasp the mere concept of these types of reasoning, it’s unlikely that AI would be helpful when these values conflict.

The Cons of Human Intelligence

In the way that scientists can further develop AI, consistently making it better over time, it’s fair to say that the same cannot be done when it comes to the human brain.

This means that cons of human intelligence exist, and they are:

Limited attention span

With constant distractions, technology and busy day to day lives, the current attention span of an average individual is currently recorded as only 8.25 seconds, which isn’t necessarily ideal when it comes to working and collaborating effectively.

Poor problem-solving skills

As humans, we’re only able to retain a certain amount of information at once, making it more likely that we’ll rely on emotions and our own biased judgements when making decisions, rather than facts or logic.

Cognitive bias

Speaking of bias, as a way of trying to make sense of a situation or reach a decision, cognitive bias appears when your brain subconsciously tries to simplify or process information. This can sometimes be a detriment when making rational decisions at work or in life.

Rest and recouperation

It’s no secret that we all require restoration and healing to be able to work to our highest capacity, and even then, it’s impossible for us to function at 100%, one hundred percent of the time.

What is Artificial Intelligence?

McKinsey & Company state that, “artificial intelligence is a machine’s ability to perform some cognitive functions we usually associate with human minds”.

Surprisingly, AI originates back to 1957, in a much simpler form but just as revolutionary. This moment in time saw machines and computers begin to collectively hold more information and become faster, more accessible and affordable to customers.

Fast forward over six decades and artificial intelligence and the use of data is all-consuming, with data being collected by AI at great speed.

Data is also commonly being used to create more efficient processes and personalised user experiences, and even entertainment. Collected in several different ways, data can be found through:

1. Smart devices such as our phones, TVs gadgets and appliances.
2. Admitting our personal information when we’re making an online account or signing up to a newsletter.
3. Crowdsourcing, which is when third parties collect their data through organisations, intermediaries and online platforms.
4. Web scaping and crawling, which collects and analyses the website content consumed by an individual.

AI is revolutionising the way we learn, reason and solve problems, all capabilities previously associated with human beings.

The Pros of AI

AI cleverly has been designed by humans and therefore relies on the information in which individuals give it. As technology transforms and data becomes more comprehensive, so will AI. Right now, pros include but are certainly not limited to:

Accessibility

AI apps, like virtual assistants, have now been used in households for over a decade, assisting individuals who need additional help in their daily lives. This includes everyone but is particularly helpful for those living with disabilities or the elderly.

Installing Alexa controlled light bulbs in your grandmother’s house, for example, would enable her to turn her light switches on and off on a timer or by the click of a button.

Improved safety in the workplace

AI generated tools can be utilised to take on tasks deemed unsafe for humans in the workplace, like analysing roof tops using drones or hazard monitoring and equipment control through advanced technologies.

Increased innovative inventions

AI has enabled doctors to create better diagnostic processes, specifically through the use of data. Trends and patterns can first be identified, and then personalised treatments plans can be created for patients based on these results.

Additionally, AI has allowed the creation of self-driving cars, which through a lack of heavy breaking and acceleration, has reduced fuel waste and positively impacted the environment.

Reduction of human error

Due to advanced technologies, AI can undertake tasks and procedures formally undertaken by humans but can do so with the elimination of human error. An example of this would be using AI-driven simulations and virtual assistants to train new staff.

Traditionally, onboarding individuals would require time, resources, in depth workshops and sessions. Now, however, AI-driven simulations work in both a time and cost-efficient way to train employees using realistic scenarios.

The Cons of AI

The development of AI is still undergoing, and currently only works with the information provided to it by humans. This means that pitfalls can still occur. Some to look out for include:

A lack of emotional range

Although developing at a fast pace, AI is currently unable to 100% fully understand human emotion. This means that even though AI can identify between happy and sad, these emotions can present across individuals in several different ways, and this is something that AI can’t recognise yet. AI is still based on general patterns and won’t pick up on personal expression or sarcasm.

Data and privacy worries

AI requires large amounts of data to function correctly, and this data is often collected on human beings. There have been many controversies over the last few years as to what the safe and ethical amount of data collected on an average human being should be.

Reliability and dependency

You’ve likely heard the phrase, “technology is only good when it works”, and with AI relying heavily on technology, data and software, issues can and do occur when something malfunctions or breaks down. This can sometimes make for detrimental impacts to organisations and businesses that depend on AI from day-to-day.

A potential to reduce employment

While AI has the capability to create future jobs, it can also replace a lot of the repetitive and mundane workplace tasks currently completed by humans. For instance, for a long while cashiers have been replaced with self-checkouts by various retailers around the world.

Humans vs. AI:  Is There a Point to Upskilling?

Having explored both human intelligence and artificial intelligence, considering both the advantages and disadvantages of both, research confirms that while AI may reduce the number of manual jobs in the years to come, it will also create up to 97 million new ones.

This means that upskilling and closing the literacy gap is vital. We need to leverage AI appropriately and continue to develop the skills and characteristics that differentiate us from AI, such as our leadership qualities, emotional intelligence, creativity and collaboration.

After all, it's these qualities that currently allow human beings to work seamlessly alongside artificial intelligence.

AI isn’t going anywhere, however, it’s still riddled with imperfection and is currently only able to analyse and perform based on the data that humans provide it with.

This means that while AI can continue to automate and take the place of repetitive tasks with ease, it's up to us to make sense of the feedback it provides.

How can HR ensure AI literacy among employees?

The Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, known as CIPD, are the leading professional body in human resources and people management. CIPD themselves believe that to gain a competitive advantage in the AI era, a workforce not only needs to be well trained, but brimming with the right knowledge to allow them to develop inventive ideas, act innovatively and quickly adapt to changing trends.  

With an additional focus on maintaining employer retention, upskilling also ensures that employees stay committed, happy and motivated to contribute to the bigger picture, as it’s their combined uniqueness that sets businesses apart, creating a workplace environment that facilitates and encourages ongoing learning.

Advance your career with HR training that delivers. Enrol on a 100% online CIPD qualification.