AI Chatbots Are Taking Over the Workplace – Is Your Job Safe?

The growing use of AI in the workplace is causing anxiety about job security. In this article, we’ll discuss what jobs AI can replace, the risks associated, and the way forward.

AI chatbots use machine learning and NLP to simulate human conversations. They are smarter than rule-based bots since they can generate responses by themselves.  They are currently being used as virtual agents to improve customer experiences for various types of businesses.

These chatbots are trained on large amounts of business content and data in order to generate coherent responses to human text and voice input. They can generate content, analyze sentiment, assist customer service agents, guide customers on purchases, recommend help articles, etc.

AI chatbots are capable of assisting with several tasks. It can provide guidance on how to accomplish certain duties.  They can create content such as written text, audio files, images and art, and video content. They can also help to think creatively, explore new ideas and perform research.

Many people are afraid that AI and automation tools will take their jobs sooner or later. According to a study from the UK’s Department of Education, 10-30% of occupations can be automated by AI and most of them are white-collar jobs. However, physical or manual labor jobs like sports and trade occupations are one of the least affected by AI.

AI chatbots can work around the clock, perform routine and repetitive tasks, and interact with many customers at the same time. Since they are more efficient than humans, several jobs are at risk of becoming obsolete. The jobs at risk include professional jobs that are mostly associated with clerical work in finance, law, and management roles.

The specific roles that are likely to be taken over by AI are psychologists, financial managers, management consultants, business analysts, accountants, purchasing managers, educational advisers, market research interviewers, human resource admins, bookkeepers, payroll managers, teachers, and telephone salespersons.

AI chatbots can be grouped into different categories based on their specific use case. They include customer support chatbots, content generation, entertainment, education, research, conversation, coding, social media, translator, web browser, HR and recruitment, data collection, analysis and visualization, graphics, task handling, marketing, sales

Some examples of AI chatbots in the above categories are Zendesk, ChatGPT, Replika, Socratic by Google, You.com, Claude, Amazon CodeWhisperer, My AI, Bard, Bing, Ideal, Rose AI, ChatSonic, ChatSpot, Certainly, etc. Companies can add AI chatbots to their internal workflow and use them to make certain processes more efficient.

AI-based applications have certain risks that companies need to know and take proper precautions of. First, there are concerns about data security when using chatbots to collect data and interact with customers. Many companies may also expose internal data if they use external AI tools.

Secondly, the reliance on AI may lead to reduced critical thinking and problem-solving skills in human workers. AI may provide inaccurate or misleading information at some point. Lastly, AI-generated content may attract legal risks around intellectual property due to copyright or plagiarism.

Although AI and automation tools can perform some tasks in the workplace, they shouldn’t replace human workers.

Rather, they should help humans to become more efficient and productive. For example, AI can complete mundane tasks so employees can concentrate on complex tasks.

When it comes to customer service, customers may want an AI chatbot to answer their simple queries and suggest articles. However, they still desire the option of contacting a human customer service agent whenever they need to.

The same goes for other administrative or clerical roles that are most threatened by AI and automation. They may be able to perform these business tasks effortlessly but customers would still want to interact with human staff.

AI-powered chatbots can serve as virtual assistants to employees in the workplace. They are particularly useful in repetitive low-value tasks, which can allow workers to focus on higher-value activities. AI chatbots help workers perform research, update their skills, embrace newer technology, solve problems quickly, and so much more. Instead of replacing human workers, AI can help them become more valuable, productive, and results-driven.