Microsoft predicts that each individual can become the boss of artificial intelligence (AI) employees in the future.
The US software giant believes that with AI, a completely new business model called "frontier firm" will be formed, where humans play the role of guiding, assigning tasks and supervising AI workers.
"We will see the growth of 'agent bosses' in the future. This is a group of people who build, assign, and manage AI agents to increase work efficiency and control their careers in the age of artificial intelligence. From the boardroom to the front lines of production, every employee needs to think like a CEO of an AI-powered startup," said Jared Spataro, a senior executive at Microsoft.
As one of the major investors in OpenAI (the company that developed ChatGPT), Microsoft predicts that organizations will transform into "frontier companies" within the next 5 years. These businesses will be significantly different from the current model, operating around the concept of "intelligence on demand", leveraging AI to perform tasks such as synthesizing sales data or making financial forecasts immediately.
In Microsoft's annual Work Trend Index report, the company assessed that companies in the new form will grow rapidly, operate flexibly and create value at a rate that is superior to today. The transition will go through three stages: employees have their own AI assistants; AI agents become "digital colleagues" in some specific tasks; and finally, humans will guide the AI to operate, only checking manually when necessary.
The impact of AI on knowledge work from scientific research to academia, law... will be similar to the field of software development, where artificial intelligence has gone from a coding assistant to an agent that solves many other tasks. Taking the supply chain as an example, Microsoft believes that AI can handle the entire logistics process, while humans focus on coordinating the system and establishing and maintaining relationships with partners.
However, the impact of AI on the labor market is not only positive. AI will help reduce boring work and increase labor productivity, but many experts warn of the risk of widespread job loss. The International AI Safety Report sponsored by the UK government earlier this year stated that "many people could lose their current jobs if AI agents become powerful enough".
At the same time, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that 60% of jobs in developed economies such as the US and UK will be affected by AI, with half of these jobs at risk of being negatively impacted. The Tony Blair Institute (UK) also warned that AI could replace up to three million jobs in the private sector in the UK, although the total number of jobs lost is expected to be in the hundreds of thousands due to the emergence of new positions created by AI.
Dr. Andrew Rogoyski, Director of the Institute for Human-Centered AI at the University of Surrey (UK), said that businesses will find it difficult to resist reducing their workforce. "Businesses will want to use AI to replace human workers to increase efficiency and cut operating costs," he said.
However, experts also warn that relying too much on artificial intelligence can cause business leaders to lose knowledge, creativity, and relationships with customers and partners - factors that maintain survival and promote true innovation.