by a head of Global Mobility, Big Tech, London, UK

Artificial intelligence has been the subject of books and movies for decades. We have long been intrigued by the continuing advances of technology, and debated about the prospect of creating a form of intelligence which could grow to surpass, or even replace us. This interest has reached fever-pitch over the last two years, ever since Chat GPT burst into the consciousness of the public in November 2022. The world of HR and Global Mobility has certainly not been immune to this trend, and it is now rare to see any summit, workshop or speaker series go by without some mention of AI and its current or expected future impact upon the profession.

The question I and many are still asking ourselves is, how much of the speculation is based upon reality, and how much is hype, driven by mix of mass hysteria and unbridled optimism? I suspect it’s too early to say for sure.

This revolution will be automated

What is clear to me is that the AI revolution is coming. Some say it’s already here. The sheer processing power, speed and adaptability of the technology means that we, as a profession will have to understand and adapt to it ourselves, in one way or another. To bury our heads in the sand is not a wise option. I have heard some colleagues say that they do not feel comfortable engaging with new technology, and I empathize. However, it is important for all Global Mobility professionals to have someone, internal or external, looking carefully at what is going on in the field of AI and how others are beginning to adapt it to the workplace, to anticipate potential opportunities and impacts. The key is for us to be as proactive - not reactive - as possible.

Looking back over the last two centuries, we have already seen so much change. Many jobs that were a staple of modern life are either completely redundant or greatly reduced in scope. I watched an old movie once, where I saw a lamp-lighter using flames to light the lamps on London’s streets at night. Of course, with the advent of electricity, we have no more need for lamplighters. Where are the chimneysweeps today? We hardly need them, because we aren’t reliant on burning coal in fireplaces to keep warm. On the flip side, there were no Social Media Managers, App Designers, CrossFit instructors, UI/UX designers, etc. just 30 years ago. What’s my point? While technology relentlessly marches on, so do we as humans. We adapt. We find new ways to blend human lifestyles and the cycle of production and consumption into the new world in which we find ourselves.

As Global Mobility professionals, we need to understand the technology available today, including what it can do to enhance our productivity and improve our efficiency. As we monitor continuous development in the field, we will be in a better position to make data-based, reasonable assumptions to help us plan for what a future HR/Global Mobility function might look like. And if that function looks very different from what it is today, that’s okay too. The goal is not to preserve the past, but to anticipate the needs of the future, align the sum of our skills and experience towards the meeting of those needs and to execute a strategic plan in that direction. All supported by the technology available to us, whether this be AI or the next big technological breakthrough.

Once we have formed an opinion of what a future function needs to look like, we start / continue building skills in that direction. This will help make ourselves, our teams and our functions resilient and relevant as the revolution rolls on.

Let the robots do their thing

What are my predictions regarding the impact of AI on global mobility and HR in general? I believe that HR functions will increasingly hand repeatable, transactional work over to the machines. This has already been happening before the AI revolution began. I also expect that we will get better at using AI-enabled data analytics to tell our stories, and to add value to our internal clients and our globally mobile workforce. I also predict that people will still prefer, where possible, to have a friendly human to speak with. Someone who can empathise with their issues. This “human touch” will be layered on top of the enhanced technological support available, providing an altogether enhanced experience for the traveller and internal stakeholders.

By way of comparison, let’s consider the impact of chatbots and robot answerphones on the customer service industry. While these tech tools are globally prevalent, everyone I know would still rather get through to a real human where possible. The robots are given the first opportunity to solve the problem. If they are unable to, the call is passed to a human.

Have no fear

When all is said and done, if we engage healthily with the emerging technology, I believe we will ultimately be able to do more, and do it better, with less. I don’t believe we will ever be fully replaced by the robots / AI in the HR space as this would diminish the human experience and would amount to technological advancement at the cost of human regression. On the contrary, I believe we will co-exist as we humans continue to creatively make space for ourselves to do meaningful and strategic work that meets the needs of the time.

Let’s not fear AI. Let’s embrace it and co-create a better tomorrow.

RES Forum research

This piece is taken from the RES Forum research paper AI and its (mis)use) in Global Mobility.  Written by Professors Michael Dickmann and Benjamin Bader, our latest paper surfs the algorithms of Artificial Intelligence and asks how AI affects GM, and the people and companies involved with it. It is a deep dive into the practical impact of AI on Global Mobility, with a self-assessment tool that evaluates where your organisation stands on AI, and recommendations on how to get the most out of this technology.

Get your copy of AI and its (mis)use in Global Mobility, here: theresforum.com/annual-report