Watch out managers – AI might be coming for your jobs too

New research from investment banking firm Jefferies (via The Register) found nearly half of US office workers are concerned that artificial intelligence may replace their jobs.

Already hailed as the technology that can revolutionize time-consuming, repetitive and mundane tasks, a new study found that even managers may have cause to worry about AI.

In fact, two researchers from the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin advocate for the integration of AI in managing research projects, claiming that it can boost efficiency and extend the scale of research.

AI potential to replace even more human jobs

In the paper, Maximilian Koehler and Henry Sauermann posit that AI could not only be considered a ‘worker’, but also a tool to ‘manage human workers.’

The researchers reveal initial evidence supporting the fact that AI can accelerate literature reviews, identify research questions, help process large volumes of data and predict new drug compounds. However, despite the potentially game-changing benefits of artificial intelligence, the study also recognizes that human expertise remains irreplaceable. 

Despite these benefits, the introduction of what the researchers describe as algorithmic management certainly raises ethical and legal concerns

The report also calls for further research in several fields, including how algorithmic management affects the reproducibility of science and how it affects productivity and efficiency.

While there is a positive outlook on AI’s involvement with research management, it prompts broader discussions around the future of work, autonomy and ethics. Long-term effects on managers remain to be seen, but the study’s early findings and the call for so much more research certainly confirms that managers should not have to worry about being replaced just yet.

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