![The A.I. revolution will also be a gender revolution as disruption revaluates women’s skills The A.I. revolution will also be a gender revolution as disruption revaluates women’s skills](https://i0.wp.com/content.fortune.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/GettyImages-1091918678-e1693304841416.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1)
As the momentum for continued advances in artificial intelligence continues to gather momentum, so too do the alarmist voices predicting that it will destroy countless jobs. There is no denying that recent moves by companies to streamline operations through artificial intelligence paint a grim picture for the labor market. Big tech companies will cut more than 150,000 jobs in 2022 alone, including Goldman Sachs predict AI will eventually cause 300 million jobs to disappear or degenerate. Yet while the dangers of AI devaluing professional skills have been well described, little attention has been paid to the equally important career opportunities that such upheaval will generate.
An analysis of international workforce data shows that jobs that require abstract thinking and people skills are the least likely to be threatened by the introduction of artificial intelligence. As artificial intelligence cripples existing products, innovative workers will be key to developing new products if companies are to remain competitive. Services and Sources of Income.Equally important is empathetic leader They have the ability to foster a workplace culture that enables these innovators to excel.
Strikingly, these soft skills contain attributes that have traditionally been described as ‘feminine’. Aside from clumsy stereotypes, this association of women with specific occupational characteristics is well documented in labor market statistics and academic research.In fact, from a very young age, girls has been discovered Shows a greater preference for content-rich work of the brain and people than boys.This trend continues into the workplace, with US and UK employment data showing that women 31% and 57% More likely than male colleagues to choose people-centred jobs.
Therefore, the advantages that AI offers these jobs are expected to shake up the labor market in a number of ways. Not only will there be huge differences in the type and number of jobs in the workforce, but we should also see an increase in the representation of women in senior leadership positions. As skills traditionally associated with women become increasingly important to ensuring AI success, this dramatic shift provides a strong incentive for companies to commit to mutually beneficial advances in gender representation in the workplace.
As with the introduction of any disruptive technology, the AI revolution will lead to a competitive, winner-takes-all economy that rewards “superstar” players handsomely. To achieve this success, companies must develop a culture where diverse employees can challenge each other to drive innovation. Previously, companies such as Amazon interpreted this dynamic as highly individualistic and combative. However, any success achieved through this toxic strategy comes at a price: a monocultural workforce, limited innovation, and eye-popping turnover rates. In 2020, Amazon has just 3 women on its senior leadership team, compared to 19 men, up from 10% last year disclose Amazon has an annual employee turnover rate of 150%. Even before you calculate the cost of missed opportunities to disrupt markets with new perspectives, this staggering churn alone costs shareholders $8 billion a year.
For more sustainable growth, innovation must be built on a collaborative vision of success, not cutthroat competition or tribalism. This inclusive dynamic must be driven by empathetic leaders who encourage open dialogue among diverse and potentially dissenting voices within the organization, actively combat confirmation bias, and promote more agile decision-making. As disruptive technologies demand an equally radical approach from businesses, the temptation to justify clinging to the status quo by seeking biased evidence can be fatal.
The case for an innovative and supportive culture is stronger than ever. This model of inclusive innovation will benefit women, who are often penalized for displaying the same confidence that male leaders laud as evidence of their “courage” and “innovation.” As companies reward and motivate empathetic leaders through raises and promotions, women will eventually be rewarded for traits that have traditionally been viewed as weaknesses (and thus barriers to advancement) in professional settings.
The new automated workplace will empower and reward women as an increasingly urgent business performance strategy. As early as 2019, McKinsey Analysis The study found that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on their executive teams were 25 percent more profitable than those in the fourth quartile. This difference will only become more pronounced as AI changes the way businesses operate.
AI’s restructuring of the labor market must be reimagined as an opportunity to finally deliver on the promise of corporate diversity to the benefit of profits, rather than a doomsday vision of mass layoffs. Now more than ever, the future of feminism is in sight for successful businesses.
Grace LordanPh.D., Associate Professor of Behavioral Sciences, also inclusive initiative at the London School of Economics.
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