In the next five-years, apps’ ability to use AI will be more important that their mobile or cloud capabilities.
According to a Gartner report entitled “Conversational AI: Shake Up Your Technical & Business Worlds”, authors Tom Austin, Mark Hung and Magnus Revang claim that artificial intelligence will become so embedded in the workforce that AI integration by 2021 will be essential. Gartner clients can access the full report.
Instead of relying on individual apps, businesses will use conversational artificial intelligence (think virtual personal advisors in the vein Amazon Alexa or Siri) to make decisions. They write:
Instead of relying on hundreds or even thousands of apps (often dependent on 4-to-6 apps per day), we expect [business] owners to rely upon multiple agents that learn their needs and preferences, do their bidding and provide proactive, context-sensitive support almost everywhere.
I was excited when I first read the report. It could help me integrate all my systems into one and provide different support depending on changing contexts.
According to project managers, communication is the most common reason projects fail. It makes sense to have systems communicate effectively with each other, translate by an AI, then communicate to the end user.
Despite its potential benefits, artificial intelligence is still a major concern in the workplace. Oliver Yarbrough, a PMP from the NCMA, wrote recently on LinkedIn that “AI” can analyze larger data sets and provide faster, more precise analyses than humans. This is the result: good-paying project management jobs are being increasingly replaced by more efficient machines.
Andrew Hill, writing for Financial Times adds, “Most managers will have to learn specialist skills, whether they are creative or technical that machines cannot yet master.”
Project managers who aren’t able to specialize (in their humanity, which I explain later), will have trouble keeping their jobs.
While machines may not be able display the same intuition as humans, AI is here to stay. It will undoubtedly change the way we do business today, and that’s not a bad thing.
Artificial intelligence at work
This article will provide information on artificial intelligence and its derivatives. It will also discuss how project managers will be affected by it.
This guide on artificial intelligence in the workplace will help you understand and prepare for any changes in project management. There is no way to stop AI disrupting the status-quo. In fact, by the end of this article you might not even wish to.
What is artificial intelligence?
Artificial intelligence is a broad term that describes technology that goes beyond routine calculations to deep levels of analysis that only humans can do.
Science fiction is a big source of confusion about AI. We think that AI will evolve to be “intelligent” but it hasn’t.
These are the three main problems when you think about AI in human terms.
Ava of Ex Machina, Andrew of Bicentennial Man, and Hal 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey won’t be visiting your office soon.
How can businesses use artificial intelligence at work?
Both consumers and enterprises have used artificial intelligence for decades. Consider everyday tools like:
I bet you don’t even think about them.
The quiet infiltration of AI into everyday life has huge implications for both consumers and businesses. Businesses that don’t invest in artificial intelligence have a huge competitive advantage.