Artificial Intelligence (AI) has proved to be a two-faced companion for those toiling in white-collar roles, as outlined in a recent exploration by Harvard Business School. The study, which took centre stage in a New York Times piece, focused on the impact of ChatGPT, an AI tool birthed by OpenAI, on a pool of over 750 business consultants. What it uncovered was a Pandora’s box of outcomes on their professional output.
ChatGPT emerged as a trailblazer in the realm of brainstorming, where it fine-tuned the speed and quality of the consultants’ output. However, it also worked as a pesky distraction during more analytical tasks, casting a shadow over its overall utility in the workplace.
Fascinatingly, the consultants’ responses to ChatGPT ran the gamut. While one likened the tool to Prometheus purloining fire from the gods, another saw it as junk food – easy and enjoyable, but ultimately harmful.
Maryam Alavi, a professor at the Scheller College of Business at the Georgia Institute of Technology, lauded the study, stressing the need for further exploration in this burgeoning field. She noted that the research put a spotlight on significant gaps in understanding concerning the impact of new digital technology on the workforce and business operations.
The consultants were put through their paces in the study, which included tasks such as brainstorming and formulating a business plan for a novel type of shoe, along with penning compelling arguments in its favour. The outcomes revealed that the use of ChatGPT resulted in work that earned higher marks from objective assessors.
However, when it came to tasks demanding evidence-based reasoning, ChatGPT fell short. Consultants who analysed spreadsheet data and linked it to simulated executive interviews sans the AI’s aid ended up atop the scoring chart.
This study comes in the aftermath of unsettling revelations from a ResumeBuilder survey, divulging that nearly 40% of business leaders employing AI have already swapped out human employees for AI this year. Furthermore, 44% foresee impending layoffs by 2024 due to AI’s efficacy.
Recent examinations have consistently showcased the growing dependence of business bigwigs on AI technology, particularly to streamline and modernise archaic and manual business-to-business payment protocols. The potential of generative AI to fashion a more customer-centric and predictive landscape has fostered widespread optimism among 84% of business leaders.
As the discourse swells regarding whether ChatGPT is a godsend or a curse for white-collar workers, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that AI’s sway in the workplace is at once transformative and disruptive. Will the coming years be steered by the seamless fusion of AI, or will we bear witness to the replacement of human workers in its turbulent wake? Only time will tell.
