Managing The Human/Machine Transition To A Hybrid Workforce

This article was originally posted on Forbes.com, October 2024.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the new force in work, and there is no stopping it. Many companies are embracing AI to help them automate repetitive tasks, and many are already on transitional journeys to this new world, freeing up people to focus on more strategic tasks. With this shift, a whole new set of skills centered on collaboration and change management will be needed on the job.

The Role Of Machines

For example, one of my company’s customers, a global leader in sustainable construction, turned to us because they needed process automation that is scalable and sustainable, efficient and effective. This company wanted to increase the speed of work, improve data quality, reduce costs and maintain better control by reducing mistakes.

In the past, it was difficult for them to move beyond a certain accuracy rate because manually inserted data was often inconsistent or inaccurate. They needed a solution that works seamlessly with a minimal number of touchpoints.

This is where AI agents or assistants can take over tasks with superhuman speed and accuracy. Keep in mind, AI agents are simply software operators that can autonomously perform business tasks like accounts payable. With limited instruction provided in a human-like manner through prompting instead of coding, AI agents can independently generate new outputs from existing inputs in a process called agentic AI. They recognize different types of activity and can help connect the dots for humans.

This company currently processes roughly 2,100,000 invoices per year globally, an arduous process with people keying in basic information by hand, potentially leading to delays and errors. The team operates in 14 different languages, which meant data entry clerks were relying on Google Translate to process key information.

Using AI agents, the company was able to extend its shared services, delivering top performance globally without increasing costs. Automation allowed it to upskill 20 full-time employees from data entry to data mastery roles, proving it could add value above and beyond anything the company already had in place.

AI helped the company address the challenges of volume and language and also helped them get better use out of their workforce. While a recruit may need up to six months to get up to speed, upskilling an employee who is already adept in the manual process only takes about six weeks, reducing hiring and training costs. Not only did they retain talent, but the project helped show employees the benefits of acquiring new skills that can be applied across different functions.

It also highlighted the role of managers in ensuring a smooth transition. Their job was to make sure staff had the right training to get the best value out of the tools and make sure that existing human expertise and knowledge were retained.

The Role Of Humans

Companies like this one are keenly aware that the rapidly changing work environment requires more successful human/machine interaction as well as a different approach to training and upskilling the workforce.

This example is a perfect proof point to a recent discussion I had on a webinar featuring my company and SAP. Andreas Hahn, member of the SAP Supervisory Board, explained how the software giant is transforming its workplace by reinforcing the role of management in delivering training at all levels of the organization.

At SAP, the new managerial role is focused on coaching humans while training AI agents to learn and increase productivity together. Like many other companies, SAP offshores jobs that don’t require a high skill set. What they found was that automation still requires human supervision. With the use of new tools, the workforce at all locations is performing more complex tasks, which means people must be permanently upskilled to keep up with the advanced capabilities of technology.

Hahn explained that increasing productivity and efficiency with AI tools will only happen if staff and AI agents are properly trained, opening entirely new possibilities for the workforce. He also highlighted the fact that because AI is radically changing the way people work, managers must build trust with employees, so they understand the benefits the new tools bring to the workplace.

Agentic AI is still in its early stages. Adoption still remains low as there are many applications still in development, but I believe there will soon be an explosion in this space. Both the discussion with Hahn and the example of our customer in the construction industry reinforce my view that AI agents will soon be performing all low-level administrative tasks. At the same time, managing the transitional period is clearly the task of human beings.

I’m very excited about the possibilities ahead as we forge a new, hybrid workplace where AI makes the work of humans more efficient and productive.

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