Why AI Shouldn't Solely Decide Promotions and Raises
At the recent Fortune Global Forum held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, discussions centered not only on economics and geopolitical issues but also on the evolving workforce and workplace dynamics. Kristin Stoller, an editorial director at Fortune, focuses on expanding Fortune's C-suite communities and shared insights from the event.
Economic Dependency on a Small Workforce Segment
Legendary hedge fund manager Ray Dalio highlighted a growing reliance in America on a very small, high-level segment of workers, particularly in technology. He addressed my colleague Diane Brady onstage, noting the limited number of people driving key sectors.
“If you’re looking at, let’s say, the AI world, and really what amounts to about 3 million people—1% of the population—leading, and then … the 5% or 10% around them, you have one world that the whole world is dependent on. And then you have the bottom 60% of the population.”
Balancing AI and Human Collaboration
In discussions about AI's role in the workforce, the importance of combining human workers with AI agents was emphasized. The goal is to create a tech-savvy workforce prepared for the future, ensuring productivity through collaboration rather than replacement.
Key Focus
- Building a future-ready workforce that integrates technology smoothly
- Making sure AI supports human decision-making, especially in critical areas like promotions and raises
- Addressing workforce segmentation to avoid neglecting large population groups
Summary: The forum underscored the risks of over-relying on AI for personnel decisions and highlighted the need for balanced human-AI cooperation in creating a workforce ready for technological change.