You know those manager types who sit somewhere in middle management, paid to spend all day in meetings where they either nod agreeably or criticise something while remaining untouchable and aloof. They’re perpetually stressed, rushing from one meeting to the next.
Between meetings, there’s barely time to read anything or learn, because they’re constantly dealing with their staff. So what happens to them when artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent?
Will middle management be spared, or will they be the first to tumble?
Human Connection as Strength
I reckon the sandwich managers will stay put in their positions. They can do something the AI intelligence beasts still lack: handle human relationships.
As long as there are enough employees who need managing, managers will stick to their seats. Though it’s possible we’ll need fewer staff and more intelligent digital interns. Eventually, it might not be worth having someone sitting in between who just slows things down without bringing measurable value.
But that’s still a while away, if it happens at all.
Adaptability as the Key
The highly-paid chair warmers (sorry if you’re one of them) can breathe easy for now. But here’s the thing: if they don’t grasp the power of artificial intelligence, if they cling to old power dynamics and fail to prepare their teams for AI, then their jobs are still very much at risk.
The difference between thriving and surviving won’t be about avoiding AI. It’ll be about understanding it well enough to make it work for everyone.
Originally published auf Deutsch at reinergaertner.de (est. 1997, older than Google). AI helped translate this. I helped introduce the errors.