The modern workplace is changing on a daily basis. In our post on ‘3 Reasons Why a Virtual Office Will Help You Succeed’ we discussed how nomadic workers and virtual offices are becoming the new norm, and we’re seeing very promising results for professionals and companies alike.
In fact, a study from Stanford University states that working from home can provide improve productivity. Not only does it prevent burnout and reduce stress, but it’s also better for the environment as it uses up fewer resources.
Lately, we’ve seen Artificial Intelligence (AI) disrupt remote work. For the most part, AI has been known to disrupt industries like finance or healthcare.
We generally hear about AI being used to streamline tedious bookkeeping processes, or to analyze patient records and detect potential illnesses. It’s certainly a fantastic innovation. And thankfully, AI and remote work make an equally great combination.
Let’s have a look at some of the ways that AI is changing remote work.
Opens Opportunities
There’s a common misconception that AI will eventually make a large number of human jobs obsolete. Many even imagine a dystopian future where computers completely take over work, which is far from accurate.
It’s true that AI will replace some jobs, but these are the ones that mainly deal with mundane tasks like paperwork and manual labor. In reality, AI is creating more jobs as the workforce changes.
Computer-related jobs are increasing by the day, which will open up more doors for remote workers. Maryville University notes how experts in analytics, SEO, and content creation are some of the most in-demand professionals right now, mainly due to the rise of the freelance economy.
These are all key areas that AI will innovate in the coming years. This is great news for remote workers, as many of these jobs are now a key part of remote working. Thus, AI will, in fact, be a huge positive for remote workers.
Streamlines Meetings
While most remote workers don’t have the luxury of talking with their clients (and employers) face-to-face, meetings remain important for companies.
It’s crucial for teams to be on the same page, especially when conversations and cues can be misinterpreted online. To make things easier, AI-driven programs like X.ai can do the leg work by scheduling meetings via email.
Plus, it can even mediate conversations with team members to find the best time and date for everyone. That way, there’s no need to send multiple messages back and forth just to arrive at a time that suits everyone — AI does it for you.
Predicts Responses
For remote workers, email is often their main platform for communication. Even if most remote workers don’t clock in the same standard 9-5 as normal employees, time is still crucial. Therefore, simple tools like AI-generated predictive responses can help save valuable minutes, given how tedious composing emails can be.
Gmail’s Smart Compose feature uses AI to simplify emails, making suggestions on what words and sentences to auto-fill. Of course, AI still needs someone or something to learn from to build its pattern, so it requires some development before it can adjust to specific users.
Builds Network
Networks are everything in business. This is even more important for remote workers, who are faced with the challenge of forging business relationships online. Certainly, the dynamics of making connections and meeting people are very different on the internet. So, one of the best applications of AI is helping professionals expand their reach.
Using machine learning algorithms that draw from existing email conversations and other factors, AI relationship tools automatically reveal connections with the strongest relationships to targeted prospects. As a result, remote workers can easily find opportunities for referrals — no matter how far away they are.
Remote work has truly changed how we go about our careers, as it has freed professionals from the restrictions of a cubicle. With that in mind, it’s safe to conclude that these changes have been for the better.
In line with this, AI is certainly a welcome development along with all these advancements. Not only does it make things even more convenient for workers, but for companies too. And as more parties realize this, remote work can only continue gaining momentum from here on out.
Who knows what else the future of work holds?