Artificial intelligence will replace jobs in the future. This is one of the statements that most frightens current society. The rise of AI and all the possibilities it opens up makes us think that, at some point, jobs will no longer be for us humans. The opinion of experts, however, does not give credence to this argument and assures that there will be a paradigm shift, new jobs will exist and others will die, as has always happened in history. However, beyond the tranquility of human permanence in jobs, the experts themselves also assure that training, understanding, and a lot of ethics are needed to correctly integrate AI into the world of work.
The BNEW, a congress organized by the Consorci de la Zona Franca, has dedicated an entire vertical of the three days of the event to artificial intelligence. Worrying or not, it must be taken into account that this new technology is designed to change the world and advances at such a rapid pace that the human mind can no longer follow it. That is why it is a topic of conversations, debates, and training on how it should be implemented in life, but above all, in the business world. Anna Golsa is the CEO of Eurofirms, the first Spanish multinational in talent management and human resources. For her, AI is a key tool, but it must be controlled. She clings to the idea that humans must control it, keep it close, but remain as the master and not the other way around. "We must only demand low value-added tasks from AI," said the expert.
Golsa's voice is one of the guests to speak about the effect of AI on the world of work and humanization, a BNEW talk called Huma+IA: the future of work. "How AI is redefining work, skills, and employability." The CEO of Eurofirms shared a table with Alexander Phimister, founder and director of Phimister Business School, and Daniel Furlan, vice president of the Pimec Foundation, in a three-way reflection moderated by José María Santos, Head of Business for Institutions at Ibercaja. The latter wanted to start with a fact: in 2030, 22% of jobs will change; 170 million will be created and 92 million will be destroyed. "Who is responsible for these people being prepared?" asked Santos.
For the three experts, training schools for young people, but also for adults, are extremely important. But, beyond the obvious need to teach these new processes to staff, Glosa speaks of "business adaptation", that is, the strategy that companies need to integrate AI with "a certain sense". Thus, the challenge is for companies to be able to adapt, modify processes and, even, change the business model. "The key involves combining AI and people," explained the expert. This is a complicated point, according to Furlan, who recalled that in a fabric like the Catalan one, where 8 out of 10 companies are SMEs, technological transformation can be especially complex. Not only because of the cost of training or personnel, but also because of the opportunity cost involved in changing or training a person within a small company.
The barrier for juniors
Talking about AI also implies talking about changes in the world of work. Experts rule out a massive substitution and, for Santos, "the balance is positive with the data in hand." However, there are reticence about the current model: the tasks now entrusted to AI are the same ones traditionally assigned to juniors when they entered a company. "We lack patience," lamented Golsa in a conversation with The New Barcelona Post. In her opinion, the current immediacy has meant that younger profiles are no longer seen as an investment, and if business models do not change and AI is not integrated with criteria, these jobs could disappear.
Phimister believes that the model is already changing, especially in talent acquisition. From his training school, he advocates emphasizing adaptability rather than just training in specific tasks or technologies. Golsa disagrees: "We need to foster critical thinking and common sense." To maintain decent jobs and share space with AI, she concludes, "we must analyze a lot and reflect."
Productivity in the future
AI in companies is inevitable and for Furlan, the productivity that can be achieved with it will be at the center of the issue. Thus, according to the expert from the Pimec Foundation, the facilities that these technological tools provide to companies will be taken very much into account. Golsa agrees, but has insisted again that no matter how much AI is everywhere, "it won't solve everything." For the CEO of Eurofirms, the incorporation of AI will be a long process and will need to be closely monitored, because at some point "it will stop being a tool and will become an executive and there we will have to be prepared," the expert reflected.
In short, the challenge of AI is not just about learning to use a new tool, but about adapting companies, processes, and people's skills to a new labor reality. In this process, SMEs start from a particularly complex situation due to their size and resources, while the incorporation of AI also raises questions about the entry of young people into the labor market, the future of senior talent, productivity, and ethics. Therefore, the implementation of AI in companies must be gradual and the result of deep reflection. As Golsa concludes, "the foundation, after all, must always be human."