Australian Managers Declare AI Readyness is a must for new employees

In Australia, four out of five managers are echoing the call for AI-ready recruits, Microsoft reveals. This statistic is a testament to the growing need to surf the wave of emergent AI technologies.

The latest Work Trend Index from Microsoft, which synthesizes insights from 31,000 global respondents (including 1,000 Aussies), reported that an impressive 85% of Australian business leaders are banking on new employees to harness the dynamism of AI. Interestingly, this figure is slightly above the global average, demonstrating a resounding ‘yes’ for AI integration in the Land of Oz.

The evolving business ecosystem, marked by the proliferation of text-based platforms like ChatGPT, and potent data-crunching systems, could be the magic boomerang causing this notable uptick in AI’s desirability. About 31% of managers expect AI to be the knight in shining armor, slaying the dragon of mundane tasks and boosting efficiency at work.

However, amidst this optimism, there’s a cautionary tale. Although managers see AI proficiency as a critical criterion for new hires, existing workers are not entirely on board. There’s a significant 46% of the workforce fretting over AI potentially stealing their livelihoods. But it’s not all doom and gloom – 64% are ready to delegate parts of their workload to AI, allowing them to focus more on the ‘human’ aspects of their jobs.

While there’s a bit of a “roo-d awakening” with 14% of Australian managers forecasting AI tools to cause workforce reductions, there’s a sunny side to this AI tale. A separate study, led by Professor Andreas Leibbrandt from Monash University, suggests that AI could be the silver lining in enhancing workplace diversity and reducing hiring biases.

In this study, job applicants were informed that an AI chat process, developed by Victorian startup Sapia.ai, would evaluate their applications. Surprisingly, this led to a 33% increase in completed applications from women. Moreover, a subsequent experiment showed that the gender gap in final scores could be tied to evaluators being aware of applicants’ genders, not the AI system’s initial scoring.

According to Sapia.ai’s CEO, Barb Hyman, this revelation was a shocker but served as a solid example of how AI can support employees, especially those from traditionally overlooked backgrounds. The key takeaway here is: “You don’t want to solve for AI, you want to solve for what the business needs.” AI isn’t a silver bullet, but the managers who leverage and understand AI will have the upper hand. So folks, it’s time to say G’dAI to a new era of AI empowerment.