In 2018, Amazon abandoned a “state-of-the-art” recruiting AI tech project. After teaching itself to follow flawed reasoning in sorting resumes, this AI algorithm began to favor male applicants over female, resulted from the biased past data it was fed. This is a good example of what can go wrong with AI as a management tool, but it also shows us what can go right.
In the example of poor quality recruiting tech, Amazon’s project may have bungled the big picture, but the algorithm behind it is not entirely useless and can in fact be hugely beneficial to managers. Screening algorithms, like Amazon’s scraped project, can work infinitely harder and longer than a human being, sorting out good (and bad) fits for any position. But the hiring comes down to a real person. Machines can’t exactly get a personal feel for a candidate in an interview, that requires the human touch of an organic hiring manager.
One of the best places to augment with AI tech is for managerial work. The predictable tasks and heavy data demands of management positions in payroll, property and real estate, and administrative services are ripe for automation. Seriously approaching the professional tech question takes a hard look inward. For business leaders, this means looking at their own daily responsibilities, the daily operations of business, and delegation of employees responsibilities. Choosing the right tech (and the right people) to manage your business can give everyone the freedom to focus on the work that really matters.
Recommended for You
All told, it’s unlikely for a manager to be completely replaced with an AI tool, and instead we are more likely to see automation working in tandem with managers; AI picking up the slack on mundane and repeatable tasks. This infographic details the growing options for AI in business and how it’s changing the manager’s tools of trade.
Infographic source: MBA Central
