The Art of AI-Human Collaboration
Since the release of ChatGPT, Midjourney, and other AI tools, there’s been a lot of discussion on where our place as humans stands now that technology has come so far. People are not unwise to fear for their careers, AI has truly come an outstanding way, and to fear the unknown is natural. But this doesn’t have to be a matter of replacement, it can be a matter of synergy. We stand on the precipice of untold capacity for evolution, and it is now that we can begin shaping the narrative of our own future.
It’s important to acknowledge that automation can lead to dependency and hinder our creative thought, but the idea is not to use AI as a crutch, rather to complement the human hand by delegating simpler tasks that allow focus for more intricate work.
For instance, in recent weeks I’ve been playing around with chatbots. I wanted to see their efficiency, how accurate and quick they’d be at resolving issues. Well, to no one’s surprise, they were pretty darn good. So, I delved into a rabbit hole and found a Live Chat Benchmark Report from 2022 that explains how the adoption of chatbots has significantly lowered waiting time for customers, and that well-built chatbots can manage over 80% of requests without need for human intervention. They can handle an unlimited number of chats at the same time.
I don’t know about you, but I’m a really introverted person. My worst nightmare is having to dial a number because I need customer support, so if live chat or tickets are an option, I always take it. For instance, I’ve done it each time I’ve had issues with my bank, but I was always forced to call anyway because they’d take days just to get back to me, hours if I was lucky. And when they did and I responded back, it’d be the same process again. Instead, when I was playing around with these chatbots, they responded immediately, and solved my query in no time.
“But wait,” you might think. “You just said it’s a matter of synergy, not replacing human work!”
Yes, I did. But chatbots are an answer to repetitive inquiries that tire support agents (trust me, I’ve been one) and deflect business focus, not replacing the agent in their entirety. Automating responses to common issues allows agents to focus on different work, while the customer saves time. 68% of agents report feeling overwhelmed while 60% of customers prefer to resolve issues on their own.
When it comes to shopping online, we saw a marked increase in the number of customers who prefer to solve issues themselves without having to talk to a service representative. With most inquiries relating to shipping updates and questions on returns, brands that can deliver this information automatically will not only make for more satisfied customers, but benefit from a more efficient use of their agents’ time. — Gladly
Of course, these statistics aren’t a one-size-fits-all, but in intervening years we’ve seen progressive statistics that show it’s on its way to become a trend.
It’s important to remember we still need the warmth of human touch, and that’s where the synergy comes in. Technology is fantastic for enhancing efficiency, for saving time, and humans are perfect for making customers feel understood, respected, and cared for.
Similar developments can be observed in other fields. Office workers are now embracing AI, 61% from a study of 400 claimed the adoption of AI has led to increased productivity.
And, of course, AI collaboration isn’t limited to online use. AI-powered robots are improving safety in manufacturing environments by reducing human exposure to hazardous tasks. Collaborative robots have been used to assist production workers since as early as 2013, with BMW as an example. Here, the AI-human synergy encompasses the strength and mechanical accuracy of robots that perfectly complements humans’ flexibility, intelligence, and sensitivity.
People will need to continue working alongside machines to produce the growth in per capita GDP to which countries around the world aspire. Our productivity estimates assume that people displaced by automation will find other employment. The anticipated shift in the activities in the labor force is of a similar order of magnitude as the long-term shift away from agriculture and decreases in manufacturing share of employment in the United States, both of which were accompanied by the creation of new types of work not foreseen at the time. — McKinsey & Company
It’s natural and understandable to grow afraid as technology progresses. It’s because of this precise fear, however, that we must learn to grow alongside it. Utilising AI to its full potential is the best way to unleash our own, but striking a balance is how we will accomplish it. Did the abacus hinder Mesopotamians in its inception? Has the calculator debilitated us? What of the plough in agriculture, or the wheel? AI is more potent than these developments, of course, but with responsible use, AI is just another of the many tools in our ever-expanding kit.
