As a part of the curtain raiser of Tech HR 2017 hosted by People Matters, a round table was arranged on the challenges of talent management in the age of cognification.  Anchored by Carol Talbot, an International Speaker, master trainer and respected authority on NLP, the discussion was tailored around the challenges of choosing the blue and the red pill in this new world of cognification. 

Cognification is a process of making any object smarter by connecting and integrating sensors, software and artificial intelligence (AI) around it. With the advent of AI, though our systems and process have become much more integrated; but as per the Industry HR experts, is it taking away the human connect? Ashish Vidyarthi, the veteran actor of Bollywood industry rightly says, “Why does efficiency need to supersede experience?” A blend of the right mix is what needs to be addressed. 

The discussion was centered around these 3 top challenges of Talent management with respect to AI:

1. Fear of the unknown

“Robots will soon take our jobs” is the buzzword all around.

Humans have always been scared of the unknown. Understanding AI in a true sense is still not known to many. Different people have different interpretations of AI from their own perspectives, with some being totally off track. The scare of the unknown on what it may bring for us is taking over people more than what should actually be. In fact, the future workplace of talent management seems to be a hybrid human-AI one with the right mix, which we all will need to wait to watch.

2. Fading of Human touch

Though AI is the definitive technology of the 21st century, people still will always prefer the familiarity of the human touch over a faceless machine when given the option. 

AI works well when it comes to automating and executing particular tasks. It can ease the process of talent management. But human gut feeling, empathy, emotional connect and many other relevant areas of talent management can only be addressed and accomplished by the power of human connect. Human Intelligence – the sync between the brain and the heart will always supersede any technology when it comes to managing team and employees.

3. Using AI in real sense

“Which stage has AI technology reached so far? Is the arrival of machine intelligence a blessing or a curse?” Industry and academia are all talking a lot about all these technological advancements and its impact in today’s way of doing work. But how many of them have actually implemented AI in their corporate or Institutes? That’s the catch! AI is currently struggling to discern facts from fiction. Hence, in order to better understand the realities of AI in business, it is important to define phases and prerequisite of AI deployments in large businesses.

Wrap Up

To conclude, “Neither blue nor red pill, but we need a purple pill”, says Carol. AI, technology, and cognification are important as it enhances efficiency and accuracy.  It is an enabler and will help us in many ways. AI may displace people with routine jobs but “it won’t and can never” replace humans completely. And as a community together we “must be equipped to these changes in a planned manner and cautious of its wrong use” upon AI’s true arrival. The practical way to look at artificial intelligence is to have machines and humans work in tandem, rather than trying to mimic each other.