Will robots and artificial intelligence become much more intertwined as part of our lives and impact jobs and our work? While many project a future in which robots will take away jobs from human workers, it may actually create more jobs than it displaces. According to a study by Citrix, Work 2035, the two-part research that sought to imagine work in the year 2035, seventy-seven percent of all surveyed professionals believe that AI will significantly speed up their decision-making process. A majority of respondents agree that in the future, tech interfaces will increase human productivity and performance. The study also finds (83%) that technologies such as AI and robots will automate low-value tasks, freeing workers to focus on meaningful work.

“I really do think, we will need more data scientists and privacy and trust managers. In 15 years, we may be applying for jobs that don’t even exist today,” says Donna Kimmel EVP, Chief People Officer, Citrix at our TechHR SEA 2021 event. That’s the reason, HR and IT leaders will need to work together more than ever, Donna adds.

Robots and AI don’t guarantee productivity

Robots will not replace us, but they will become our new co-workers while making us smarter, states Donna, in conversation with Meerah Rajavel, Chief Information Officer, Citrix. Even though more than half of professionals surveyed (51 percent) believe technology will make workers at least twice as productive by 2035, robots and AI don’t guarantee productivity. So, we need to stay focused on employee experience and make sure your workers are truly engaged and giving their best.

“Meerah echoes the same sentiment that technology alone does not promise productivity. In fact, the irony is technology can complicate lives. Researches show that knowledge workers use up to 35 applications per day and they may need to switch to four different applications just to accomplish a single task, adds Meerah. We want integrated and intuitive tools for workers to stay focused on their work while leveraging technologies such as AI and machine learning to organize, guide, and automate work.

In the future, jobs will be completed by man and machine together. However, we will need to be continually assessing the types of resources needed for the type of work – both human and technological, believes Donna. Organizations with the most sophisticated human and technology integration and the most adaptable workers perform best. 

With the pandemic accelerating the remote work trend, it’s important that we really focus on the “experience” of workers and design work that enables workers to stay engaged and feel good about their work. Workers enjoy more meaningful work, and integrated technology improves their performance. “Employee experience is really the intersection of a company’s culture, its physical space, and its technology space. But understanding how employees interact with your physical and digital space makes the difference in how they feel about the company and the work they do,” says Donna. 

So moving forward, the key for organizations would be to ensure high employee engagement and productivity that will definitely help make your customers happy and in turn, help your business succeed. “At Citrix, we are focused on making the future of work better for our employees and this means collaboration across teams including the HR and IT,” concludes, Donna. 

To sum up, technology needs to deliver, not demand, argues Meerah. The success of any business depends on its people and the future is about how you empower your workers with the right tools and technologies while continuing to adapt to changing times.