For 89% of companies, robots and artificial intelligence can never completely replace people’s work. On the contrary, they will increasingly have a positive impact on the living conditions of many of us. However, manual work and low professional content will be at great risk. All data in the first Aidp-Lablow 2018 report elaborated by Doxa on robots, IA and work in Italy.
61% of Italian companies are ready to introduce artificial intelligence systems and robots into their organizations. Only 11% declare to be totally against. Among the main reasons that push companies to introduce such systems is the belief that their use makes the work of people less tiring and safer (93%), increases efficiency and productivity (90%) and has brought to discoveries and results that were once unthinkable (85%). These are just some of the data emerged from the First Report AIDP-LABLAW 2018 by DOXA on Robot, Artificial Intelligence and work in Italy. Companies and managers are convinced by an overwhelming majority (89%) that robots and artificial intelligence (AI) can never completely replace people’s work and that will have a positive impact on the world of work and companies. More: the AI will allow to create roles, functions and job positions that were not there before (77%); stimulate the development of new skills and professionalism (77%); it will allow people to work less and better (76%). The other side of the coin is that it will have a very strong impact on jobs with lower professional content, by favoring the replacement of manual work with concept activities (for 81% of the sample). In fact, managers and entrepreneurs believe that, beyond the benefits in terms of organization, the introduction of these technologies can have negative effects on employment and the exclusion from the labor market of those who are less educated and qualified. In this light, the negative data on the consequences in terms of job losses indicated by 75% of the interviewees should be read.
A ROBOT FOR “COLLEAGUE” – A very interesting fact concerns the ways in which artificial intelligence systems and robots have “integrated” into company life. For 56% of companies, the use of these technologies has been in support of people, proving that these are to be considered primarily an extension of human activities and not a substitution of them. Moreover, for 33%, these systems have been used to carry out new activities never previously carried out. For 42% of companies, however, the AI and robots have replaced jobs previously performed by employees. These data confirm the ongoing revolution in the labor organizations and in the activities of guiding these processes that the personnel managers will be called upon to perform and this is one of the main reasons that pushed the AIDP to invest in the annual realization of a relationship that provide data and information to better understand the future of work in the age of robots and artificial intelligence. In general, artificial intelligence and robots improve many aspects of employee work because they favor greater flexibility of working hours in and out (38%); the reorganization of work spaces / offices (35%); the promotion of welfare and welfare services for workers (31%); distance working and smart working (26%); and even the reduction of working hours (22%).
IN FAVOUR VS. AGAINST – The AIDP-LABLAW 2018 Report, carried out by Doxa, has also compared the opinion of companies that have already introduced systems of robots and artificial intelligence with those that have not yet done so. The main differences that emerge are the attitude of the ruling class towards new technologies: very positive from robotic companies (75%), less positive from non-robotized ones (47%). In general, companies that have not introduced Robot and AI systems tend to “overestimate” the negative consequences that the experience of robotic companies in the field denies with the facts. There is, therefore, a theme of perception of the critical issues related to the introduction of these technologies excessively high compared to the real consequences.