Canadian HR Reporter

20 www.hrreporter.com F E A T U R E S THE World Economic Forum fore- casts that individuals in some 375 million jobs will be rotated out of their jobs as a result of the infusion of artificial intelligence (AI) in workplaces across the world. Consulting firm McKinsey says 60 to 90 per cent of all jobs now in place will be affected by artificial intelligence. If the sole purpose of AI is to displace employees to cut costs, then it will not only cheapen the cost of producing goods and services, it will also cheapen our way life. "AI and genomics will force us to challenge our cherished views of what it means to be human," says Alan Bernstein, CEO of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. Unless employers and governments prepare for this revolution by retraining workers, creating replacement jobs that demand distinctly human traits progress must be guarded by the clear- eyed recognition of the risk of unintended consequences relating to its impact on the employment and employability of people. In this respect, in the 2019 report Mental Health in the Era of Artificial Intelligence, we called on business and government to: • establish a clear set of values for the introduction of AI into the workplace • invest billions of dollars in re-skilling and developing employees and employers in preparation for the impact of artificial intelligence, noting that complex problem-solving, crit- ical thinking, creativity, judgment, decision-making, service orientation and cognitive flexibility, teamwork and co-ordination will be the distinctly human attributes that the digital economy will demand in the years ahead. The report calls for the "human capitalization" of the AI workplace and digital economy to help balance the huge investments in machines with AI USED FOR WIDE RANGE OF ACTIVITIES apps are also being developed to help people better manage their depression and anxiety disorders — and even to prevent suicidal risk. Artificial intelligence is being expanded into a variety of areas, including the more effective diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia, the modelling of psychiatric illness to test new methods of treatment and improved understanding of autism. A new discipline — computational psychiatry — will also be able to help physicians to access and treat their patients more quickly. And, of course, telemedicine — driven to the fore by the COVID-19 pandemic — is being facilitated on a grand new scale by AI. 'Human capitalization' of artificial intelligence Inevitably, though, celebrating the advent of AI as a positive force through scientific 60% Percentage of employers that expect AI to be used in up to 30 per cent of their business processes in three years' time 60% Percentage of manufacturers and pharma companies using AI to improve product quality 47% Percentage of retail and consumer firms leveraging AI in customer care 50% Percentage of energy firms leveraging AI for monitoring and diagnostics 58% Percentage of financial firms leveraging AI for fraud detection 52% Percentage of tech firms leveraging AI to strengthen cybersecurity 'BRAIN CAPITAL' IN THE ERA OF AI Unless we prepare for the tech revolution by retraining workers, creating replacement jobs and forging new education and career models, AI could trigger a superstorm of chronic workforce stress, says Bill Wilkerson of Mental Health International and forging new education and career models, AI could trigger a superstorm of chronic workforce stress. AI uses for mental health Deep, chronic stress can move us toward depression and be the trigger for 90 per cent of suicides, now the leading cause of violent death. In 2018, suicides in the United States skyrocketed by 18 per cent, while globally, suicide took the lives of nearly three million people, according to the Economist. In a recent study, the heralded Canadian scientist-psychiatrist Roger McIntyre found that a one-per-cent rise in unemployment precipitated a one- per-cent rise in the loss of life due to suicide. On a promising note, just as AI may increase the stress-borne burden producing mental dis tress and increasing the risks of mental illness, AI Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) F O C U S O N : M E N TA L H E A LT H

• Cover