Recruitment experts predicted that Artificial Intelligence technology will make uniquely human soft skills like EI ( Emotional Intelligence) and create more highly prized in the workplace.
Dr. Jamie Gloor, Senior Lecturer in Management at the University of Exeter Business School commented that robots may have some of these soft skills, thought to be vital for successful leadership as they enable leaders to encourage, motivate, and unite their employees. There are many examples of that, Sophia an AI-powered humanoid robot that can observe and understand human emotion which had the audience in stitches as a guest on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Another humorous robot data, an AI stand-up comedian who responds to audience feedback, and the irony bot, skilled at dishing out original sarcasm.
Delivering negative feedback with humour
Dr. Gloor mentioned that the irony bot’s German designers armed their robot creation with criticism to make it more likable so individuals would react more positively to its delivering negative feedback, a difficult task even for human leaders.
The authors add that if robots can master humour it would improve people’s enthusiasm to work with robots as well as led by machines, as research shows that leaders who use humour well are viewed as more effective and leader-like.
Pros and cons of robot leaders
There are many advantages of boto leader and one of the benefits could be making less use of human leaders to-do lists by taking on the less-desirable tasks. Robots could help managers who perform badly as well as helping humans confront the mistakes they make at work by being more ready to admit their shortfalls. Robot leaders are more transparent and fair than humans, in terms of gender and race-based biases.
Disadvantages of Robot leaders are in some areas robot leaders could make human leaders obsolete. And this makes human leaders may prove to be a source of social support mainly during the COVID-19 pandemic where that robot leaders cannot entirely replace.
Researchers mentioned unless the robots can learn and improve by themselves as ML rather than pre-programmed AI there is a risk their jokes will fall flat over time.
