Do you have FOBO?

What is FOBO, you ask? Fear of Becoming Obsolete.

With all of the AI in the news – including the fears it will “take over,” Gallup polled college-educated employees and found that one in five are worried their job will become obsolete because of technology. This is quite a jump from one in ten in 2017.

But is the worry justified? Think back to the onset of ATMs in banking; there were fears about the roles of bank tellers going away. While it may be true that there may be fewer tellers today, there are certainly more bank locations, and many of their employees are now doing higher-level tasks and letting the ATMs do the more routine tasks. AI will likely have the same effect on a variety of industries and roles, automate routine tasks, and allow higher-level tasks to be done by employees.

Instead of FOBO, let’s focus on the ways AI will help you increase your productivity and the relationships you build. Think of the tasks that are routine in your workday. Can you utilize an AI tool to do some of those? I have seen AI systems that take notes in meetings, schedule meetings, help start brainstorming – and even produce headshots.

In the case of recruiting or talent, AI should be helpful in reviewing resumes (calculating years of experience or cataloging skills, for example), scheduling and communication touchpoints (reminders, next steps, rejections, etc.), or answering routine questions for candidates (chatbot).

Removing these tasks will allow your recruiting team to build stronger relationships with candidates, dig more deeply into motivations, and sell the opportunities to the various candidates.

Let’s leave FOBO at the gate and embrace the changes and advantages that AI will bring instead.