Dive Brief:
- Five major technology companies said last week that they had created an organization to set the ground rules for protecting people and their jobs in the face of rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI), according to the New York Times.
- The "Partnership on AI" brings together Amazon, Facebook, Google, IBM and Microsoft, with the common goal of easing public fears of machines that are learning to think for themselves, the Times reports.
- The group's formation comes at a time of serious debate about the AI technologies built into robots and other such intelligent systems, like self-driving cars and workplace automation. As part of its mission, the quintet of technology giants put forth some agreed-upon ethical standards for engineering development and scientific research, according to the Times.
Dive Insight:
Those five companies are the arguably the most powerful tech entities today, but they cautioned that they are not positioning themselves as the AI police. The group's goal, the Times reports, is to foster “public understanding” and set “best practices” for work in artificial intelligence.
The timing is good, because computer scientists and other thinkers in the U.S. have warned that even with all of their potential for good in terms of productivity, etc., the rise of AI and robots in the workplace could potentially cause high unemployment and troubled economies.
While it's premature for HR leaders to be overly concerned about the negative impact of AI and robots in the workplace, there are some positive emerging trends in areas such as learning, talent recruitment and diversity. As complicated as some HR processes are, it's probably a relief to industry leaders that AI will likely be integrated in order to help simplify areas like workforce reporting. In light of the buzz around emerging AI technology, perhaps it's best for HR pros to remember that bots should help fix broken workplace processes - instead of replacing the humans who operate, utilize and benefit from those processes.
