Triangle Talk: The Impact of AI, XR, and ChatGPT on the future of HR

AI has been a part of our daily lives for a long time. Kenneth takes the keyboard of our smartphone as an example. This is a simple example of AI that we have been using daily for a very long time. He explains: "The keyboard of your smartphone predicts what you are going to type based on the first two letters you type. This is a computer that thinks with you and appears to be reasoning on its own. Based on knowledge it has gained in the past, AI can process new input. In this example, the computer has learned which words exist and what follows a particular word. Based on that knowledge, it’s going to try to help you in your daily life.

XR is another category of technology. It’s about blending reality with what we see and know now. "For example, XR glasses would give extra information about the person you are talking to," Kenneth explains. It gives interactive information about our environment. "It's a hot topic now because Apple is going to capitalize on this in the coming months."

 

Julie reassures us and says not to worry just yet. There’s a shift in the job market, though: "New jobs and profiles are emerging steadily. There are about five hundred vacancies for data scientists in Belgium right now. The demand for knowledge of new technologies such as machine learning, deep learning and cloud is rising very fast." Many companies are anticipating this by upskilling. She adds that "robots still need to be programmed, data still needs to be analyzed and interpreted, so we won’t lose our jobs any time soon!"

 

AI won't be writing articles for journalists, or at least not all of them? Kenneth explains that AI could write articles that journalists don’t like to write. "Only the big bulk of articles of which you can easily collect information on. AI will be able to write these and make us save time." In the media, AI is mostly looked at in that context. "It leaves more time to focus on bigger stories." Reports also no longer have to be made with expensive equipment and a full team. "You can keep those for bigger stories," Kenneth said. "Undercover reports can perfectly be shot with a smartphone. New cameras and other equipment all have AI integrated systems. They can interpret light and recognize faces." Julie adds that it’s a gain in productivity and very cost-saving in many sectors.

 

Julie doesn’t use AI for CV screenings; they all go through her own hands first. Kenneth raised the following concern: "What about people who don't have the required technical skills but can work with AI? To what extent is even the IT sector reacting too slowly, since the productivity of someone using AI is much higher? " Julie replies that it’s an upcoming danger we need to prepare for. “There’s an AI tool called GitHub Copilot, for programmers who are less technically strong but still want to program.” This makes jobs like programming accessible to anyone who knows how to use AI very well.

 

One thing we know is that AI is not completely bug-free yet. Julie believes that using AI for initial CV screenings should be okay if the next steps involve humans. In journalism, AI is already being used more regularly, and since a month they’ve also incorporated a rule: transparency. All source citations clearly explain that AI was used so the reader is aware of this.

In recruitment, AI can be used for automatic CV screening, but Kenneth explains that, just like in journalism, it must be clearly communicated to the applicant. “If you apply with an 'atypical' CV or haven't worked for a long time due to illness, AI may declare your CV as unsuitable. When applicants know that AI was used, they can appeal this decision and have their CV reviewed by a real recruiter."

According to Kenneth, certain profiles are disadvantaged in the current algorithms. This is because of the very visible bias of AI, which will be gone in the coming years. It’s the niche discrimination that’s difficult to detect. More time will be needed to make everything free of bias, discrimination, … The current algorithms are making us miss great candidates.
In her job as a recruiter, Julie prefers to take a route with less risks: "we can already use ChatGPT to write our job postings". She’s also waiting for Microsoft's new applications where she will automatically receive a report of her Teams meetings. "These are tools that will help improve my work as a recruiter," she says.

 

We can't imagine a life without AI anymore. The evolution is happening extremely fast, which makes it scary. "Even the younger generation can’t keep up. Young graduates looking for a job are not optimally prepared for the new job market," Kenneth says. He gives the example of entry-level journalists who don’t know how to make a report using their smartphone. "They’re still taught how to make these with very expensive equipment." With the advancement of AI, it would be much better to teach this in school already. "In the long run, these AI developments will be essential in the devices we use. And we need to embrace this. Because we can't stop it anyway," Kenneth said.

 

The rise of virtual reality was heavily overestimated in the past and now it’s being underestimated, according to Kenneth. Many companies look at mixed reality as something fun but "it's not worth a real investment yet" according to most companies. Belgian companies are not really keeping up with the new VR and XR trends, according to Julie. Kenneth agrees, adding that "they do it for the fun marketing, so they can send out press releases to show how trendy they are." Both tech specialists agree that there’s an increased demand for professionals in XR and VR.

 

People who have had serious injuries on construction sites can keep their jobs and control bulldozers remotely thanks to XR. "With this new way of working, you can also avoid serious work injuries and prioritize your employees’ safety by taking them away from those dangerous construction sites. Thanks to VR, some jobs will be more accessible," says Kenneth.

 

Making sure employees learn new skills while continuing to use their old ones thanks to upskilling is the solution for the future, according to Julie. Kenneth believes that your degree doesn’t really matter: "a school education isn’t enough to have a long career in technology. It's more of a mindset thing, to never want to stop learning new skills. Employers should make sure employees have access to mixed reality setups because they’re expensive. Keep employees stimulated and educated!" is Kenneth's advice.

 

If you enjoyed this recap, you can listen to the full episode here (in Dutch). Subscribe to Triangle Talk on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify for more inspiring stories. Don’t forget to leave us a review!

 

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