- AI has well-documented productivity benefits, but automating entry-level roles is a bad idea
- The absence of Gen Z workers means no on-the-job learning from the start, hence no future talent.
- Younger workers are also more likely to drive AI adoption in the first place
Andrew McAfee, a researcher at MIT, warned that companies could risk harming their future workforce if they replaced entry-level workers with AI today.
By giving AI some of the lowest pay levels, Gen Z workers will not only find themselves unemployed, but they will also lack the experience needed to be able to move into higher-paying jobs, ultimately leading to a major disruption in the talent pipeline.
McAfee praised junior roles for offering on-the-job learning and learning by carrying out routine tasks alongside more experienced staff, but automation would completely remove this.
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Why replacing entry-level workers with AI is a bad idea
In addition to causing disruption in talent supply in the long term (and we’ve already seen the countless reports of the current talent shortage), companies could also lose access to expert AI talent. Gen Z workers are among the most frequent users of AI, making them a critical part of enterprise AI adoption. With fewer young people hired, companies would ultimately end up with fewer “power users” of AI.
That being said, McAfee fully recognizes the short-term efficiency gains that drive so many businesses to automate many of their entry-level functions.
However, reducing Gen Z input could slow down their AI transformation efforts and leave them in a difficult position with insufficient AI and insufficient numbers of human workers.
Despite advice from MIT’s McAfee, entry-level job postings are down from last year and even lower from pre-pandemic levels, according to Handshake data. Monster also notes that 89% of this year’s graduates fear their jobs will be taken by AI.
This is not a general trend, however: some companies, particularly in the technology sector, have increased the recruitment of graduates to strengthen their AI capabilities from the start.
Ultimately, McAfee’s comments demonstrate that the AI boom is not simply about automating as many roles as possible, but rather about scaling appropriately with the help of AI.
Via Fortune
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