AI capabilities, such as analysing micro facial expressions, will help recruiters and hiring organisations to focus on the right candidates and then potentially to identify flight risk of current employees will become common applications in the employment environment.

At the same time, employers and employees alike will need to look at reskilling their organisations and themselves as millions of job roles become defunct in the AI revolution, agreed both Andy Campbell (Oracle’s EMEA strategy director) and Alex Charraudeau (sales manager for LinkedIn). By 2020, 28% of existing workplace skills will be defunct, the latter said.

“Education is one of our most important priorities,” he added, referring to LinkedIn.

In the emerging world of powerful AI, transactional HR roles and even seemingly jobs suited for uniquely talented individuals like racing car driver are “up for grabs”, Campbell noted. “[F1 driver] Lewis Hamilton’s job is potentially up for grabs,” he warned. Even specialist professional expertise such as legal advice is already being provided via chatbots, Campbell said, citing the example of an online service that has a 60% success rate in winning its cases.

The panel at the AI event

Sponsored and organised by professional services and technical recruiter Rullion and held at LinkedIn's headquarters, the AI event featured a panel consisting of Campbell, Charraudeau, technology entrepreneur Yi Xu, David D’Souza, CIPD head of engagement and London, and Paula Barrett, partner at law firm Eversheds Sutherland.

Referring to the changes AI is bringing and will bring to the workplace, D’Souza said: “The issues we’re facing are definitely societal… We need to think about whether we ‘should’ do it instead of ‘could’ we do it.”

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