{"id":5997,"date":"2024-12-14T22:15:37","date_gmt":"2024-12-14T22:15:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.horsesforsources.com\/?p=5997"},"modified":"2024-12-14T22:15:37","modified_gmt":"2024-12-14T22:15:37","slug":"people-arent-stupid_121424","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.horsesforsources.com\/people-arent-stupid_121424\/","title":{"rendered":"People aren\u2019t stupid. Pretending your bots are human will make you fail"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When HFS announced the onset of robotic process automation (RPA) to the world in 2012<\/a>, the rhetoric about software bots replacing white-collar workers in the workplace had begun in earnest.<\/p>\n This early wave of RPA firms targeted repetitive low-risk jobs in areas where large amounts of human effort could be replaced with script-driven process recorders, screen scraping, and document scanning. Marketing slogans such as \u201cautomating the enterprise\u201d and \u201ca bot for every employee\u201d fueled feverish excitement among many operations executives eager to have automation expertise on their CVs. The whole concept of mimicking human tasks with software bots had been born.<\/p>\n Rather than exciting smart enterprise leaders that they could refocus their talent on more creative, value-add, human-centric, and non-automatable<\/em> activities, many quickly leaped at the prospect of slashing headcount costs either within their own companies or replacing the costs of their contracted outsourced labor with much cheaper software licenses.\u00a0 Nothing excites cost-cutting CFOs and Wall Street investors more than software that drives immediate productivity improvements via workforce reduction, and many people got very wealthy off the hype.<\/p>\n The problem with RPA was that without enterprise executives actually addressing their processes and data, you can\u2019t simply lob work into software scripts when the software itself was brittle and very hard to scale, not to mention the security and compliance risks that needed addressing.\u00a0 The other big problem with RPA was that it was focused on mundane, low-value work, and the only real incentive to deploy it was if there were enough easy cost savings on offer.\u00a0 The actual deployment of RPA was not sexy or exciting, and it quickly got dropped on lower-level processes and IT staff to fix, which is where most overhyped software solutions go to die.<\/p>\n Fast forward to today\u2019s world, and we suddenly have software that can impressively mimic not only human work but also human faces, voices, and expressions.\u00a0 Not only that, Agentic AI<\/em> advancements are already proven to replicate human tasks, activities, and behaviors into real value-added work such as marketing functions, customer and employee experiences, supply chain operations, and sales processes.\u00a0 Agents are suddenly offering value far, far beyond mundane back-office efficiency\u2026 they are promising an injection of fake humanity<\/em> into your enterprise.<\/p>\n Click to Enlarge<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n The meteoric rise of Agentic AI is fundamentally reshaping workplace dynamics as these systems evolve from basic automation tools into autonomous digital workers that can execute complex tasks, make decisions, and even mimic human collaboration patterns.\u00a0 In short, after all the noise about bots replacing workers in the workplace over the past decade-plus, we now have technology that is still being positioned by many tech vendors to do just that.<\/p>\n This evolution poses a double-edged challenge for enterprise leaders. While Agentic AI promises to unlock massive productivity gains and operational efficiencies, it also threatens to erode the human elements<\/em> that drive innovation and organizational resilience. Meanwhile, employees face growing pressures to compete with tireless digital counterparts and productivity-obsessed work environments, further straining workplace culture.<\/p>\n The stakes are clear: without a thoughtful balance, organizations risk creating a “post-human” workplace\u2014where efficiency wins, but humanity is lost. \u00a0Moreover, in order to create effective agentic workflows, you need to encourage your workforce to create them for you with a positive mindset, not one where they are in fear of their jobs.\u00a0 Simply put, you are asking your people to trust<\/em> you to replicate their day-to-day work functions into software programs and engage<\/em> with those programs while expanding their own activities and capabilities.\u00a0 This will likely be the most challenging exercise in change management many workplaces have experienced, especially when you consider that close to half of workers are resistant or worried about the impact AI is having on their jobs:<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Click to Enlarge<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n The enterprise technology market is charging full speed toward a controversial goal: creating machines that not only match human intelligence but render it obsolete. This isn’t just about better algorithms or smarter chatbots. From IBM Watson to today’s GPT models, every breakthrough in AI development has been driven by our relentless pursuit to recreate and then surpass human cognitive capabilities digitally.<\/p>\n We’ve always had a peculiar habit of humanizing our tools\u2014from ancient myths to Alexa’s friendly voice. But today’s push toward Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) — and potentially ASI — represents something far more ambitious. These aren’t just tools; they’re attempts to build digital beings that can outthink, outwork, and outperform their creators across every cognitive domain.<\/p>\n This obsession with creating human digital intelligence reveals an uncomfortable truth about the enterprise AI market: we’re not just building better tools\u2014we’re trying to rebuild ourselves<\/em>.<\/p>\n The latest wave of Agentic AI vendors has perfected the art of anthropomorphic marketing, transforming what should be straightforward automation tools into “digital employees,” complete with names, personalities, and backstories.<\/p>\n Take startups like Artisan, Newo.ai, Knovva.ai, 11x, and Roots Automation, which don\u2019t just offer automation but pitch “Elijah in customer support” or “Helen, the HR Rep.” Even tech giants like Microsoft are following suit, introducing AI agents with specific job titles like “Facilitator” for meeting management and “Project Manager” for task execution. These aren\u2019t faceless algorithms\u2014they\u2019re marketed as perpetual team members<\/em>, creating the illusion of a collaborative peer.<\/p>\n This humanization appeals to buyers and users alike. AI framed as a “coworker” is easier to justify in budgets, align with workflows, and trust decision-making. For example, an AI agent with a friendly voice or personalized responses creates a sense of collaboration.<\/p>\n The anthropomorphic framing also makes it easier for managers to justify budgets and evaluate performance, aligning AI agents with familiar job functions. In some cases, this can be used to make the replacement of traditional roles and functions more palatable to a workforce that may otherwise fear this technology. Given that 45% of employees (see above) are either concerned about job loss or resistant to GenAI, it makes sense to make these bots more human-like (See above).<\/p>\n The rise of Agentic AI coincides with an enterprise-wide obsession with productivity, where every role is scrutinized for its efficiency. This shift is exacerbated by a workplace obsessed with productivity gains through AI. An HFS study<\/a> found that the top driver of GenAI adoption was productivity, yet 52% <\/strong>of leaders also admitted that a singular focus on productivity could erode employee morale and trust.<\/p>\nRPA failed, but the concept of a Post-Human organization was conceived<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
We\u2019ve evolved from task-centric bots to dynamic agents that perform tasks on behalf of your workers<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Enterprise leaders are rushing headlong into a new era where AI doesn’t just assist\u2014it acts.<\/span> <\/strong><\/h3>\n
Your agentic strategy will fail if you de-humanize your work culture<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
At the heart of modern AI development lies a relentless pursuit to replicate and eventually surpass human intelligence<\/span><\/h3>\n
Silicon Valley wants you to believe your next teammate is a software agent<\/span><\/h3>\n
As bots are humanized, human workers face growing pressures to compete with their tireless, hyper-efficient digital counterparts<\/span><\/h3>\n