People professionals should not be afraid to experiment and open their minds to different possibilities to benefit the future of work, but should be mindful of the ‘disruptive’ power of technology, CIPD chief executive Peter Cheese has warned.
Delivering his opening keynote at the CIPD Festival of Work 2023, Cheese said the working world is at an inflection point and is being disrupted by advances in technology and uncertainty across the economy.
He said the “disruptive power of technology”, including the recent waves being made by artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT, has brought opportunities for organisations, but also risks and potentially the need for more regulation.
“We’ve still got a lot to learn, but there is an opportunity to [use AI to] free us up from mundane tasks,” he said.
There is still a need to think about what “good work” is, he urged delegates at the event at Kensington Olympia, including fairness, transparency, work-life balance and sustainability.
Employees are also seeking more purposeful work, and are beginning to hold organisations to account, demanding to know what they stand for.
Despite the predictions of widespread job losses resulting from greater adoption of AI, Cheese said the future of work will not be shaped by any one thing. He said HR alone cannot manage the opportunities and risks, and will need to work with other functions to plan for the future.
“We shouldn’t be afraid to experiment and open our minds to possibilities. We need to keep innovating, learning and sharing ideas,” he said.
The CIPD Festival of Work 2023 continues today (8 June).
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