Managers Are Here to Stay, and AI Is Going To Make Their Job Easier

The fear of new technology causing job losses has been prevalent since the Industrial Revolution. Today, advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and the advent of generative AI tools such as ChatGpt have sparked fresh debate on the topic. Not just clerical roles but even managers are asking if their role will still be relevant. Turns out the answer is an astounding yes, as AI may not be able to replace managers and leadership roles in the near future. 

History of Tech-Induced Fear of Losing Jobs

In the 1980s, the arrival of computers and accounting software such as Microsoft Excel sparked fears over the death of accountancy and job losses.

However, the disruption created millions of new jobs and various roles ranging from financial managers and management analysts between 1987 and 2000, according to Morgan Stanley. Similarly, artificial intelligence is expected to augment human workers, especially managers.

Here’s Why AI Will Not Replace Managers

According to a Harvard Business Review report, out of all the tools managers use to lead their businesses, thinking is the most important. Especially, the two distinct ways of processing information, intuitive and conscious, are vital.

However, research has shown that AI has excelled in both of these types of thinking as developers have a plethora of ways to train AI models and mimic the thinking patterns of humans. Luckily, the report points out one cognitive ability where people still have the edge, which is ‘reframing’ by thinking slowly.

This is the process by which humans and leaders reexamine the parameters, objectives, and assumptions used to make decisions. It is not about solving the problem with either intuition or conscious reasoning but about analyzing and defining what exactly is the problem to be solved.

This isn’t easy and can be time-consuming as such decisions can be deeply entrenched in industry norms, organizational history, and education and experience. The report points out that reframing is crucial as groundbreaking innovations often result when companies break away from established ideas and reframe their position. Thus, when market dynamics change, such a skill can be critical.

Here's How AI Will Augment the Role of Managers

As tech tools and AI continue to evolve, they will play a more significant role in administrative responsibilities. This includes "the ability to collect data on how people are doing, how well managers' soft skills are being received and how to get better can now be done electronically," Seckin Secilmis, founder and CEO of 5fn, a workplace training platform told EBN.

Thus, managers who had to physically walk around to understand how their team is doing can do so faster, without moving.

According to Secilmis, this will make the work of managers easier as they now have a larger role in supporting an employee’s mental health and improving the cultural work experience. The added responsibilities that mostly came after the pandemic left over 50% of managers feeling burned out at work in 2023, according to a Harvard Business Review study. Thus, with the help of AI, managers can work better to improve working conditions faster and with less effort on data collection and mood analysis.