Apprentices’ perspectives on AI at work
Recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) have taken the world by storm, 让企业和公众获得几年前只能梦想的能力.
But what do those on the frontline make of the changes? 我们采访了现在和以前的数字学徒，听听他们如何使用这项技术，并探索人工智能驱动的未来前景.
AI in today’s workplace
与我们交谈过的大多数学徒都将人工智能视为一种助手，可以增强他们的能力. "I use AI for debugging code I've written. It’s a really good way to save some time while maintaining oversight of the task," explains Jamie Kavanagh, 牛津郡议会的见解分析师和前数据分析师学徒.
He also uses AI to test ideas and suggest solutions to problems. At the same time, 杰米承认，这项技术还不能完成一件作品.
Elle Neal, 英国BPA质量数据科学家和人工智能数据专家学徒, sees AI as a co-pilot that complements her own abilities. "As someone with ADHD, it gives me access to capabilities I don't have. For example, before I would have had to ask someone for help when making sense of large texts, but now I can ask the AI, so it's lending me an extra skill.她同意杰米的观点，并补充说，这项技术还不能为你做所有的事情.
Lawrence Parkin, a former Digital Marketer apprentice, 作为BCS的营销经理，他给出了自己的观点:“人工智能意味着每个人现在都可以使用自己的私人助理——它可以成为你的SEO专家, your content writer, your social media manager… it can even write you a pretty good marketing plan.”
But like the others, he’s quick to flag AI’s limitations in the workplace. “问题是，许多人工智能工具使用相同的语言模型，所以输出非常相似. This is where it becomes important to differentiate yourself as a professional."
The future of AI at work
As an AI app developer in her spare time, Elle is excited by the technology’s transformative potential. "AI allows people to do more with less, and to speed up time-consuming work." With AI by their side, she says, 专业人士终于可以将平凡的任务委派给那些能为组织带来真正价值的任务. 在更大的范围内，公司可以利用它来重新审视尚未解决的挑战，并找到新的解决方案.
But for Elle, the impact goes further than individual business success. “人工智能让我们能够从事更多有激情的项目，这些项目可以帮助改变世界——一些以前无法想象的、可能花费数千美元去做的事情，现在对普通人来说是可能的。.”
Lawrence also recognises AI’s potential to revolutionise the way we work. “如果生成式人工智能能够生产出与公司的声音和品牌完全一致的东西, you could write an article, design an advert, and post on social media in under an hour. 然后你就有更多的时间来考虑你的角色的战略方面……现在, most of us are just trying to keep pace with our required output.”
Can AI replace humans?
While most of the group see AI as a force for good, they also point out the disastrous consequences of overestimating its abilities.
Jamie urges realistic expectations from employers, explaining that "AI hasn’t yet mastered essential skills, and it can’t carry out more intellectual tasks. For example, 如果没有熟练的数据分析师的输入，它无法自己创造出突破性的代码, coder, or programmer.”
他强调在引导人工智能时需要人类的智慧，并主张培训员工接受人工智能，而不是用人工智能取代他们. According to Jamie, BCS等机构可以在向组织展示如何可持续和包容地采用人工智能方面发挥至关重要的作用.
Elle sides with Jamie in warning against laying off employees, 鼓励组织评估人工智能对其员工的道德和社会影响. Despite this, 她表示，任何被这项技术取代的人都将能够进入新的工作领域，比如开发和评估人工智能工具:“人工智能为企业带来了全新的机会, and they will need people and expertise to take advantage of these. It requires people with subject matter expertise in all areas, 以及那些有创造力和善于沟通的人——与人工智能合作远远超出了技术技能.”
Liz Elliott, business systems analyst at BCS and former Business Analyst apprentice, “有很多工作是人工智能无法取代的，因为它不具备独立思考或逻辑的能力.”
She suggests that while AI will change the nature of work over time, 采用率取决于人们使用它的舒适程度:“会有人愿意尝试一下，看看它能做什么, and people who will fear it.”
Navigating the risks
As digital specialists, 与我们交谈过的人都深谙快速采用新技术的风险.
Jamie emphasises the need to handle sensitive data securely, 并警告不要根据有偏见的数据训练人工智能:“你必须遵循一个明确的过程，并对你如何训练模型的行为保持真正的透明. If we’re not careful, AI could perpetuate biases, when it should instead be used to improve inclusion.”
他提出了一种平衡的方法，在把握机遇的同时制定一些基本规则:“虽然我们不应该害怕科技, we need to use it wisely rather than running full steam ahead, and it needs to be properly regulated.”
Elle建议训练人工智能来解释自己的决定，以避免偏见，帮助企业透明运营. 她还强调，人工智能的创造者有必要承担责任，告知用户人工智能的局限性, such as including medical disclaimers on tools like ChatGPT.
Lawrence echoes the need for a balance between efficiency and safety, 他建议为人工智能工具引入国际标准，并为使用这些工具的组织制定强有力的公司政策和培训. He cites some of the alarming prejudices AI has displayed so far, 面部识别软件导致警察不成比例地逮捕黑人, to political bias inherent in ChatGPT. Despite the setbacks, he’s optimistic we can eliminate such biases in time.
Equipping professionals for the AI era
Taking all of this into account, 帮助专业人士在避开人工智能陷阱的同时充分利用人工智能的最佳方法是什么? 杰米主张通过针对不同行业和角色的个人需求量身定制的培训来提高劳动力的技能.
For Elle, 这一切都是十大网博靠谱平台让AI变得有趣和可访问:“一旦你开始将AI交到人们手中, 想法涌现出来，他们想出了奇妙的破解方法，这些方法针对他们的角色和他们每天面临的问题.
“给人们机会是打破变革障碍的第一步，因为它把一个未知的东西变成了每个人都能创造和兴奋的东西.”
Liz reiterates Jamie’s call for education, 并用一个引人注目的比喻提醒我们人工智能的危险:“人工智能提示的内容不一定准确或真实. When driving a car, you have to be responsible behind the wheel and remain alert, and AI is no different.”
