CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Organizations
believe that pairing humans alongside machine intelligence will
create a more effective, engaged, and meritocratic workforce,
according to a new global study released by Pegasystems Inc.
(NASDAQ: PEGA), the software company empowering customer engagement
at the world's leading enterprises. Pega surveyed 845 senior
executives working globally across key industry sectors, including
financial services, insurance, manufacturing, retail,
telecommunications and media, and government, on the increased role
artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic automation will play in
the workplace of the future.
The survey uncovered widespread belief that machine intelligence
will work ubiquitously alongside humans over time – so much so that
seven out of 10 respondents (69 percent) believe the term
'workforce' will evolve to encapsulate both humans and machine
intelligence. They also expect AI-augmented employees to generate
tangible business returns such as more efficiency (73 percent
agree) and better customer service (62 percent). But the effects
may extend even deeper as AI transforms the way people work, are
managed, and rewarded.
Empowering employees with more autonomy
By augmenting their work with machine intelligence, human
employees will be empowered with more autonomy and a greater sense
of job satisfaction, according to the survey:
- AI and robotic automation will allow staff to make more
informed decisions and lead to a flattening of traditional
management hierarchies, according 8 out of 10 respondents (78
percent).
- AI will help suggest next best actions for most customer
service agents within the next five years, according to more than
three quarters (77 percent) of respondents.
- While 88 percent are comfortable working together with
machines, they are less enthusiastic about being managed by
them: four out of five (79 percent) say they would not be
comfortable with an AI-powered boss.
Establishing a more transparent, meritocratic
workplace
As organizations increasingly come under scrutiny on equal pay
for equal work issues, the study found the use of unbiased machine
intelligence to analyze employee effectiveness could be the key to
leveling the playing field:
- Two thirds (66 percent) believe the widespread use of AI will
give rise to a more transparent meritocracy in the workplace.
- Almost three quarters (74 percent) think that within 10 years,
AI will become standard practice for evaluating employee
performance, while 72 percent predict it will be commonly used to
set appropriate rewards and compensation.
- Eighty-four percent agree it will be commonplace for AI to
calculate the true value added by each worker within a decade,
while 44 percent see this happening within five years.
Leveraging machine intelligence to manage the gig
economy
Respondents expect the number of permanent employees at Fortune
500 companies to be cut in half by 2030. But while this shift to
the so-called gig economy brings new flexibility to employers to
hire on demand, it also opens new challenges:
- Eighty-five percent expect the use of more flexible, freelance
customer service staff will make it easier to provide customers
with 24/7 service, while 82 percent forecast faster response times
as a direct result.
- Conversely, 81 percent believe this shift toward temporary
staff will make it harder to cultivate an ongoing culture of
customer centricity.
- The gig economy makes it more
important to pair humans with AI to ensure consistent quality
service. For example, nine out of 10 will use analytics to ensure
customers receive the same level of personalization from one worker
to another.
To see the complete data from the study, download "The Future of
Work" report at: www.pega.com/marketforce-future-of-work.
Quotes & Commentary
"AI and automation
technologies have generated tremendous hype, but the potential
within the enterprise remains largely untapped," said Don Schuerman, chief technology officer and vice
president, product marketing, Pegasystems. "Organizations must
augment their human intelligence with AI across the entire
organization in order to move beyond basic efficiency improvements.
By deploying AI and automation with an end-to-end view in mind,
businesses can move closer to fulfilling their customer centric
vision."
About Pegasystems
Pegasystems Inc. is the leader in
software for customer engagement and operational excellence. Pega's
adaptive, cloud-architected software – built on its unified Pega®
Platform – empowers people to rapidly deploy, and easily extend and
change applications to meet strategic business needs. Over its
30-year history, Pega has delivered award-winning capabilities in
CRM and BPM, powered by advanced artificial intelligence and
robotic automation, to help the world's leading brands achieve
breakthrough business results. For more information on Pegasystems
(NASDAQ: PEGA) visit www.pega.com.
Press Contact:
Sean
Audet
Pegasystems Inc.
sean.audet@pega.com
(617) 528-5230
Twitter: @pega
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SOURCE Pegasystems Inc.