F
FRONT OF HOUSE
Questions to unlock change
conversations
• What do we talk about but never resolve?
• What do we not talk about that we need to talk about?
• What does the space look like in our organisation where
we can have those conversations?
• If we had those conversations, what could be different in
three years?
How is machine learning
transforming the future
of work?
Machine learning – whereby computers are fed data
and learn things they weren’t explicitly programmed
to do – is not new, pointed out Saïd professor of
operations management Matthias Holweg; what
has transformed it is today’s abundant computing
power and the sheer quantity of available data.
Naturally this is disrupting every facet of society
and introducing ethical issues around privacy,
replication of results and algorithmic bias.
“Technology has displaced humans from the
workforce every time it has been introduced; but
it has also created opportunities,” said Holweg.
“So the interesting question is not whether it will
displace human labour, but in what form and what
opportunities may arise; what will be its net effect?”
He believes that “virtually all professions
will be augmented by artificial intelligence
(AI); for example, using machine-learning
Questions for your change
journey
• What are we going to leave behind?
• What are we going to take with us?
• What do we need to do to transform?
• What is our purpose?
“Virtually all professions
will be augmented by AI”
tools to go through evidence in court cases;
or image-recognition technology in medical
diagnostics. However, three human qualities
remain challenging to automate: complex social
interaction, creativity, plus sensory perception and
basic physical manipulation.
“Those are the three areas where the human
has an advantage,” he said.
This means that today’s leaders need not fear a
takeover by the machines, concluded Holweg, but
he cited the famous words of American computer
scientist Roy Amara: “We tend to overestimate
the effect of technology in the short run, and
underestimate the effect in the long run.” FT
22 //
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