Topic: AI development in the workplace

Academic English Class 2

Group 4
Phan Thanh Luan - 31231021804
Vo Huy Hoang - 31231022908
Doan Nguyen Hanh Nguyen - 31231021250
Doan Hai Thanh - 31231022436
Nguyen Minh Thu - 31231024099
Huynh Bach Dan Nhi - 31231020533

AI tools and devices will gradually replace humans in the workplace. The
future of employment will be dependent upon machines and computers.
How far do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Introduction
This outline will argue that AI won't be able to replace humans in the workplace
soon. A number of reasons will be given to support this. Firstly, the major
drawbacks of AI efficiency are thought to be the absence of emotion and a lack
of critical thinking. Secondly, due to human instinct and creativity, they possess
superior qualitative insights and intuition. Thirdly, AI has sparked worries and
apprehensions about its potential economic and social impacts. An argument for
this topic is that AI surpasses humans in data processing, enabling companies to
enhance their overall productivity. Nevertheless, the response is still
controversial between AI and the increase in productivity.

Definitions & Background

Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to the simulation of human intelligence by
software-coded heuristics (Frankenfield, 2023). Generative AI, which includes
chatbots such as ChatGPT that can reorganize and classify data, is set to add up
to $4.4 trillion of value to the global economy annually, according to a report
from McKinsey Global Institute (Chui et al., 2023). Concerning the ASEAN
economy, the US-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC Holds Artificial Intelligence
Session of ASEAN-US Digital Policy Consultative Forum, 2023) states that AI
could add $1 trillion to the GDP of Southeast Asia by 2030, an 18 percent
increase. One-third of that growth is expected to come in Indonesia, the largest
economy in ASEAN.
Body
Firstly, It is believed that lack of emotion and critical thinking are the biggest
disadvantages of AI efficiency. According to UNESCO's research (Nast, 2022), it
was shown that AI technologies, particularly emotional AI, heavily depend on
algorithms to understand and respond to human emotions. These algorithms are
based on scientific experiments, but they may have their shortcomings.
Moreover, based on a report by Harvard University (Knutsen, 2023), emotion is a
crucial element of human connection and communication. Therefore, AI systems
are incapable of considering emotional aspects in any other context. As a result,
this obstacle prevents AI from giving high-quality services to customers and AI
cannot solve unpredicted situations out of data that they have been provided.

Secondly, compared to AI, humans have higher qualitative insights and intuition
due to their instinct and creative thinking skills. Those instincts are of utmost
importance, especially in many factors like marketing, leadership, and strategic
planning. According to the scientific report (Journal of Innovation & Knowledge,
2023), AI lacks judgment and intensive knowledge. In order to work effectively, AI
needs humans to maintain and update it. As mentioned earlier, even though AI
machines can be programmed to respond to humans, they cannot make their
own judgments and emotional intelligence. With these skills, humans can
cooperate, deal with high-pressure circumstances, and of course, find the best
solutions to satisfy customers and foster their loyalty and trust for business.
According to a CGS survey of 1,000 US consumers (Forbes, 2019), up to 86%
would instead communicate with human agents, and 71% stated they would be
less inclined to use a brand that does not offer human customer service
representatives. Instead, AI needs supervision from humans to direct them about
core values to ensure thoughtful and logical algorithms are aligned with the
goals and values of the organization.

Thirdly, concerns have been raised about the potential economic and social
impacts of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Some experts predict that AI could result in
job displacement, unemployment, and economic upheaval. According to
research by Frank et al. (2019) and Osborne (2013), it's estimated that up to 47%
of the total US employment is at risk of automation within the next decade (The
Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Growth and Employment, 2023). The extent to
which new jobs will offset those lost remains uncertain. It's crucial to
comprehend these possible economic and social consequences to minimize
negative effects and maximize positive ones. Brynjolfsson believes that while
mass unemployment may not occur, we will witness significant disruption, with
wages for some jobs falling and for others rising, requiring labor reallocation and
reskilling (Skandul, 2023).

An argument for the topic is that AI is superior to humans in terms of data

processing, which can boost firm productivity. Research indicates that, given the
increasingly growing amount of digital data in modern days, conventional
man-made data processing techniques soon encounter difficulties in coping
with this gigantic amount, leading to a situation where the development of new
tools and analytic methods are required to learn patterns in big datasets. Thanks
to various big data frameworks, a lot of data is distributed and analyzed
effectively (Oussous et al., 2018). Another research also indicates that different
types of AI today can deliver faster and more precise results for large data
analytics, reducing many risks and mistakes inherent in totally man-made
manners (Rahmani et al., 2021). With its increased efficiency and precision, AI
therefore will boost the firm’s aggregate productivity and soon replace human
labor in many domains.

However, a response to this is that there is a paradox between AI development

and firm productivity. In fact, whether AI is actually a new driver for productivity
growth is still controversially debatable, and many scholars are still skeptical
about its potential. Contrary to the popular aforementioned expectation for AI,
even though artificial intelligence-powered systems are outperforming humans
in an increasing number of domains, over the last ten years, measured
productivity growth has decreased by half (Syverson, 2018). In another research
(Ključnikov et al., 2023), the authors also conclude that the key determinant
behind firm efficiency is the availability of human resources rather than
technology and we are yet to ensure that AI can significantly improve aggregate
productivity growth.

Conclusion
This outline has shown that we disagree with the given statement. To begin, the
primary disadvantages of AI efficiency are believed to be the lack of emotional
capabilities and a deficiency in critical thinking. Moreover, humans, with their
instinct and creativity, exhibit superior qualitative insights and intuition.
Additionally, concerns and apprehensions have been raised regarding the
potential economic and social impacts of AI. Although a counterargument is that
AI outperforms humans in processing vast data, and gives businesses a lot of
new opportunities, the response depicts that humans will not be replaced by AI
in the workplace in the foreseeable future.

References
Ključnikov, A., Popkova, E. G., & Sergi, B. S. (2023). Global labor markets and
workplaces in the age of intelligent machines. Journal of Innovation &
Knowledge.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2444569X23001038?f bcli
d=IwAR0Y8WMeurN0s1MKjSwRDwTCl3uwlBY8ua791BSFOymBUXerPEOA0Qc9P
PQ

Chui, M., Hazan, E., Roberts, R., Singla, A., Smaje, K., Sukharevsky, A., Yee, L., &
Zemmel, R. (2023, June 14). The economic potential of generative AI: The next
productivity frontier. McKinsey & Company.
https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/the-ec
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Frankenfield, J. (2023, April 25). Artificial Intelligence: What It Is and How It Is

Used. Investopedia.
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/artificial-intelligence-ai.asp

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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2023.100407

Knutsen T. (2023, March 2). AI Lacks Empathy: The Risk That It Poses. (2023,
March 22). Ai consequences.
https://aiconsequences.com/ai-lacks-empathy/

Nast, C, & W. (2022, December 31). Emotional AI Is No Substitute for Empathy.

WIRED UK.
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/empathy-artificial-intelligence

Oussous, A., Benjelloun, F. Z., Lahcen, A. A., & Belfkih, S. (2018, October 1). Big
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Rahmani, A. M., Azhir, E., Ali, S., Mohammadi, M., Ahmed, O. H., Ghafour, M. Y.,
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Skandul, E. (2023, August 14). AI is going to eliminate way more jobs than anyone
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Syverson, E. B. D. R. C. (2018). Artificial Intelligence and the Modern Productivity

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