AI For The New Augmented Human Workforce

I don’t like Monday’s by The Boomtown Rats, says it all. Released way back in 1979 before millennials had become, well millennials, the song epitomised how we all felt about the start of a new working week. The excesses and freedoms of the weekend replaced by the predictability of work.  Millennials now represent more than 50% of the workforce in western economies, predicted to rise to 75% by 2030.  They’ve reaped the benefit of all the workplace innovations introduced over the past 40 years by the generation x-ers and baby boomers who preceded them. Monday’s are so different now; the Boomtown Rats’ song must surely be an anachronism.

Or is it? How has the office environment changed in the past 40 years? What innovations have been introduced to the workplace? We’ve now got email, which makes it so much more efficient to send and receive memos and documents, often to and from people we’ve never met. No more having to write things out in long-hand. We’ve got spreadsheets to help us manage and track orders and inventories. We can pretty much replicate every piece of paper ever invented using our word processors, and we do, with reckless abandon. Life is so much better with all of this technology, all of it accessible from our desktop computers. Better still, we can take it home with us on our mobile ‘phones.

Ok, you’ve detected a hint of cynicism here. Has the office environment really changed that much over the past 40 years – or longer? Do people feel happier now about coming into work than they did back in the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s? Are they more empowered? Do they feel more in control of their lives? Yes, there have been many technical innovations, but have these given knowledge workers more time, or have they merely increased the volume of what can be done (or expected to be done) during the working day?

The fact is, workplace technology has – until recently – been reliant on persistent, routine and predictable human activity to make it work. Processing invoices requires a human to go through a set of routine processes. There may now be a sophisticated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system in place, but the underlying processes involved have changed very little from the pre-computer age.

Humans are still required to read, interpret and extract data from unstructured content such as emails. That’s what the daily ‘inbox’ grind is really all about.

Over the past 40 years or more, we’ve created layer upon layer of non-optimised processes, which knowledge workers have accepted because there hasn’t been any other choice. The human provides the link between systems that don’t (or can’t) talk to each other, sometimes entering the same information to multiple machine interfaces.

The fact is, we’ve got used to office systems that have been designed to function and rely on human interaction, with very little care being given to separating routine, robotic processes from higher cognitive tasks, such as exception handling and decisions making. Until now.

Welcome to the era of ‘Artificial Intelligence’ and ‘Intelligent Automation’.

What’s the difference between Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Automation?

A main point of the difference between artificial intelligence and intelligent automation is that while artificial intelligence is about autonomous digital workers capable of mimicking human cognitive functions, intelligent automation is all about building better workers, both human and digital, by embracing and working alongside intelligent technologies.

AI is a brain-style construct that learns about why things behave a certain way, how to respond to questions, queries and comments, and how best to optimise the workflow. AI and particularly machine learning is geared towards righting the wrongs in a company, through fact checking, error checking, consistency of performance and so forth. AI technology is perceived as the equivalent of a competent employee who performs a task and thinks about the reasons why the task is being undertaken.

Intelligent automation has the potential to free up individuals from mundane tasks, scale up operations and reduce costs. But this is not just about cost reduction and efficiency. It is about the redeployment of those individuals to drive innovation through intelligent automation that will make the real difference.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) as opposed to AI – is technology used to automate routine tasks. The primary focus of RPA is to have software bots complete routine, monotonous tasks, freeing up humans to complete tasks that require emotional intelligence, reasoning, judgment, and a higher level of care and interaction with customers. It is not meant for continuous improvement and incremental optimisation, but is less costly to implement than AI.

RPA deployments will bring efficiency gains, but not transformation, unless the RPA initiative includes the optimisation of the process rather than just automating an existing process. Unlike AI, RPA doesn’t have the ability to understand past behaviour, but it is conducive to the implementation of AI technology in the future.

RPA and AI technology can work in unison if need be. However, for many businesses, RPA technology will suffice, and AI is not required. As the complexity of operations increases and real-life challenges are brought to bear, AI technology can certainly lighten the load for customer service departments, billing and invoicing, and associated systems.

AI implementation works best when a functional structure is already in place. RPA performs that function and can be infused with AI technology at a later stage. Some vendors are positioning AI as the cognitive component of RPA.

This fusion – known as Cognitive Robotic Process Automation (CRPA) is capable of performing judgement-based activities via natural language processing, speech recognition, and machine learning. This is the next step and will prove to be a quantum leap for businesses once it is fully developed.

The augmented workforce

If you take out the mundane; if you take out the boring; and if you take out the stuff that you can automate, you’re left with the things computers can’t do: being creative, being empathetic, being entrepreneurial, being sociable, handling exceptions and making decisions. All of these make life more interesting and challenging.

The more innovative organisations are moving away from whole jobs done by people to deconstruction of job roles into skills, with some skills done by humans and some skills done by software.  Humans and machines working together in a symbiotic relationship to complete a task or process. An augmented workplace is one in which humans and technology come together to create something better, faster, more accurate, than can be done independently. Organisations that grasp this are using technology to extend and enhance human capabilities in ways which make knowledge workers more productive.

Having personally witnessed the many technology innovations that were meant to revolutionise the workplace, including (but not limited to) Content Management Systems (to fix data management issues), knowledge management systems (to fix knowledge capture issues) and enterprise social networks (to fix communication and collaboration issues) it’s no wonder that it’s taken the best part of 40 years to finally revolutionise the workplace.

It sounds simple, and it is. It’s recognising what machines are good at (speed, repetition, analysis, pattern matching) and what humans are good at (exception handling, decision making, innovation) and designing processes that enable machines to augment human capabilities. Taking the robot out of the human is a surely a mantra for the 21st century workplace.

This theme will be explored in detail at the forthcoming Innovation Network Summer Workshop scheduled for the 19th June. We have an excellent line-up of speakers and topics including:

• Dr Chris Brauer, Goldsmiths University of London: Insights and learnings from his research into the "Augmented Human Enterprise" .

• Cleary Ahern, Occupation Psychologist: The human impact and workplace psychology that will accompany the introduction of intelligent automation. 

• Caroline Mitten, Experian: How Experian have empowered people to add value from intelligent automation. 

• Sam Thornton, Barringa Ltd: Severn Trent Water Case Study - choosing the right process to automate.

• Lucy Standing, The Association of Business Psychology: What drives performance and engagement at work.

• James Dening, Automation Anywhere: How the Automation Anywhere Enterprise platform is delivering massive productivity improvements to their clients.

I'm certain we have enough knowledge and experience amongst this group of speakers to give us the insights to change the way we work and consign that Monday morning feeling to the dim and distant past! KIN members should have received an invitation to the workshop - if not, contact your KIN key contact, or email Kat at kin@wbs.ac.uk.  

The Innovation Network Spring Workshop summary - 'Work in 2030 - It may not be what you think'

'Thought provoking and challenging'
'First-rate speakers'
'Excellent venue'
'Superb agenda, as usual for KIN'

...This is just some of the feedback from participants in the Innovation Network Spring Workshop, held at the Shard on 28th March.
Innovation Network members can see all the presenters materials, videos plus much more research on the future of work at the event page.
All of the presenters facilitated 'table group discussions' to stimulate thinking about how to apply what we have learned.


A few highlights:


Ed Houghton from CIPD started us off with some scenarios of what work in 2030 might look and feel like. Each table discussed these scenarios and decided on whether they were likely or unlikely. The conclusions led to much debate. Despite much press about the future being about millennials, CIPD believe that a more important factor is how we manage an ageing workforce. The pressure from 'never off' and flexible working will have a serious impact on workers wellbeing, especially stress. Organisations that are proactive in this area will ultimately succeed and attract quality, skilled staff. Splits in the workforce between highly skilled and unskilled will grow, leading to further inequality.


Eliza Easton from NESTA followed with research findings on what skills will be needed to succeed in 2030. Eliza reiterated the need to tap into the wealth of experience from an ageing and retiring workforce. She challenged us to think about what it is that we are training workers for; skills needed for today or 11 years time will be quite different. Are schools teaching judgement, fluency of ideas, originality, deductive reasoning and problem solving? As AI and machine learning take much of the drudgery of transactional work away, these are the skills that organisations should be retraining workers in. Eliza called these 'transversal skills'.


Kevin McCullough of PLAN shared his view on how tech and automation will impact future work. His nicely optimistic view contrast vastly with the doom-monger predictions in the press of job losses. He calls this 'the human / machine interlace'. He gave many examples from history where technology has led to an increase in both job numbers and workers' satisfaction. One of the most memorable was when bible printers in 1470 Augsberg feared that the printing press would put them out of work. Their hand printing skills were indeed obsolete, but the vastly increased demand for machine-printed bibles meant a huge demand for printers.


Kerstin Sailer from Brainybirdz is both an architect and social scientist. Kerstin gave us some statistics to show how much we need to improve the working environment. 58% of staff say their 'workspace enables them to work productively', yet 85% of workplace design is spent on people-related costs. The physical space can bring us together or keep us apart - who would have thought that a Palladian Villa of 1580 would be a more effective office of the 1990s? She showed us how we might rethink the working environment, using an evidence-based approach.


Finally, Amanda Dickens and Jas Sidhu of PwC showed us their technique for identifying potential 'disruptors' to established organisations. Firstly, they posited that there were 8 significant technology innovations that will disrupt many organisations: AI, Augmented Reality, Blockchain, Drones, Internet of Things, Robotics, Virtual Reality and 3D Printing. Jas and Amanda then demonstrated their 'Core City' virtual reality tool that they use to help clients reveal their own disruptors. Finally (and for me, more effectively) they ran an exercise using case-studies from Retail and Airlines. Participants in groups were given a set of 'disruptor' cards for each scenario and asked to plot them on a likelyhood/ timeline matrix. During the feedback walkabout, a very lively discussion ensued!

This was followed by a drinks and networking reception, where everyone enjoyed a spectacular sunset over the Thames from the 17th floor of the Shard.


KIN members who couldn't participate can see the presenter videos and slides (scroll down to the event library) on the event page. How well will your organisation cope and thrive in 2030?

Hard work: sleeping on the job and picking up a paper clip

I read a fascinating  article today about what a humanoid robot would have to do in an office environment. It neatly shows (with video) how simple movements are actually extremely complex. It's going to be a long time before a robot could do what we do constantly, without even thinking about the micro-motor controls involved. 

There's also an item on 'Sleeping on the job: the cultures of sleep and napping around the world'. Apparently, in Japan taking a nap at your desk or during a meeting is a sign of hard work. So now you know how to respond to your boss when you doze off during the next budget review. But seriously, the benefits of taking a nap during the day, especially for creativity, are proven in many studies.

These articles come from Insight, the magazine published by Mark Eltringham. I highly recommend subscribing to the curated content of Insight for topical items on People/Places/Tech in the workplace. Incidentally, mark will be coming to the Innovation Network's Spring Workshop 'Work 2030 - it may not be what you think'. 

Favourite resources from a KM researcher and facilitator

The Innovation Network is a non-profit practitioners" network of large, predominantly blue-chip, organisations that share innovation and organisational learning practice.

As one of three facilitators for the network, my role is to look at how various emergent and innovative technologies are changing the way that work is done. This research is presented to the network in the form of masterclasses, roundtables, webinars and quarterly workshops. These are some of the sources I use: 

• Essentials - The Future of Work: This is one of the weekly newsletters from Faveeo.com, which uses an AI-driven curation tool to find and follow the most trusted and valuable sources. I like the convenience of having an intelligent bot do the heavy lifting for me, with the results presented in a structured and well-designed newsletter. It covers blockchain, digital transformation, smart contracts, smart assets, industry 4.0, security and more.

• Essentials - AI & ML: Another Faveeo newsletter, this covers AI and machine learning news, automation, robotics, AI in business, and data science. Other Faveeo newsletters include Future of Mobility, Future of Money, Future of News & Journalism, Future of Energy and Future of Food.

• National Geographic - The future of medicine: I've been a paid subscriber to National Geographic magazine for over 30 years. It covers an enormous spectrum of topics but if there is a common theme it is human endeavour and innovation, which neatly fits in with my work for Warwick Business School. This article describes 12 innovations that will revolutionise the future of medicine, from bionics to virtual reality consultations.

• CognitionX: This (free) subscription daily curated news service covers all things AI. It's a useful resource for keeping updated on technology, services and products in this fast-moving domain. It provides filters for topics, industry sectors, products, technologies and use-cases. It's part of my "must read" list at the start of each day.

For fun:

• Josh Bernoff's writing: His blog has a slightly irreverent title but I enjoy the no-nonsense style of blogger and author Josh Bernoff at Without Bullshit. Josh and Charlene Li co-authored the best-selling book "Groundswell". Josh is a fairly acerbic critic of poor writing style, particularly corporate communications and marketing messages that use passive voice and jargon. His blog includes some useful tips to improve customer communication and detect fake news. 

An article in Jinfo I found particularly interesting:

• Given my current interest and research into all things AI, I was drawn to the article by James Mullan on "How technology is transforming the legal sector". Though the title refers specifically to legal, the article was broader, looking at the role of the information professional for identifying the most appropriate information and tasks to apply to AI tools, and training users on how to effectively utilise these tools. I wonder how many information professionals recognise the important role they can play in the successful adoption of AI?

I hope you find some of these resources useful to you in your search for knowledge. The world of work is changing....very quickly! 

Steve Dale

KIN Facilitator

Is your CV fit for 2030?

Many years ago I recall a business coach advising me to keep my typed CV to no more than two pages, preferably one. It comes as no surprise that the CV in that form is long dead, in favour of a host of social media and online searches.
However there may still be a place for a more formal or structured resume. Michael Page has put together a useful interactive tool
'to see what a typical CV in your sector looked like in 2000, what it looked like in 2018, and what it may look like in 2030'.

It's rather ironic that the typeface for '2030' looks like it's from Back to the Future'. Anyway, choose your sector, then your decade to see what skills you will need to drive your career into 2030.


The next KIN members' Quarterly workshop 'Work in 2030 - It may not be what you think' will be held on 28th March 2019 at The Shard London.

*Thanks to Steve Dale for suggesting this item