- AI has well-documented productivity benefits, but automating entry-level roles is a bad idea
- The absence of Gen Z workers means there will be no on-the-job learning from the start and therefore no future talent.
- Younger workers are also more likely to drive AI adoption in the first place.
MIT researcher Andrew McAfee warned that companies could risk harming their future workforce if they replace entry-level workers with AI today.
By filling some of the lower wage levels with AI, Gen Z workers will not only be left unemployed, but they will also not have the experience to progress to higher-paying jobs, ultimately causing significant disruption across the entire talent pipeline.
McAfee praised junior roles for providing an on-the-job learning and learning style by performing routine tasks alongside more experienced staff, but automation would eliminate this entirely.
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Why replacing entry-level workers with AI is a bad idea
In addition to causing disruptions to talent supply in the future (and we’ve already seen countless reports about current talent shortages), companies could also lose access to AI-savvy talent. Generation Z workers are among the most frequent users of AI, making them an integral part of enterprise AI adoption. With fewer young employees, companies would ultimately end up with fewer AI ‘power users’.
All that said, McAfee fully recognized the short-term efficiency gains that attract so many companies to automate many of their core functions.
However, reducing Gen Z consumption could slow down their AI transformation efforts and leave them in an awkward position with insufficient AI and insufficient human workers.
Despite advice from companies like MIT’s McAfee, entry-level job openings are down from last year and even more down from pre-pandemic levels, according to Handshake data. Monster also notes that 89% of this year’s graduates fear AI will take over their jobs.
However, that is not a widespread trend: some companies, particularly in the technology sector, have been increasing their hiring of graduates to develop AI capabilities from the beginning.
Ultimately, McAfee’s comments demonstrate that the rise of AI is not simply about automating as many roles as possible, but about scaling appropriately with the help of AI.
Through Fortune
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