The extinction of the 'Human' in Human Resources
Welcome to the era of Cognitive Ecology Architect
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But back to the piece!
I've been writing this piece for quite a while—something beyond the now 197,428,402 articles about how AI will impact HR, most of which are "meh."
And yes, Generative AI, or more specifically Claude, has been a great help in writing this piece, acting as a sounding board for what have been feeling like crazy ideas and concepts.
This might be wrong, but then we can all gather in 2038 and laugh about it and how wrong I was.
However, I want to challenge the usual discussion around AI in HR and take it further. Maybe be a bit thought-provoking?
My main questions and assumptions for the piece have been:
If there are fewer humans in the workforce, will we need HR?
Or what would that role look like?
Let's get to it.
It's 2038, and you're in a virtual boardroom, your neural interface seamlessly connecting you to the AI-driven workforce management system.
As you scan the holographic reports, you realize something profound – the term 'Human Resources' has become an anachronism.
Welcome to the era of 'Cognitive Resource Optimization.'
Remember when we debated whether AI would augment or replace HR functions? How naive we were. The reality that unfolded was far more complex and fascinating.
The great workforce metamorphosis
Let's not sugarcoat it – AI didn't just change the game; it flipped the board entirely. The workforce of 2038 is a symbiotic ecosystem of human cognition and artificial intelligence.
We're not talking about AI assistants or fancy chatbots.
We're dealing with sentient AI agents that are integral parts of our teams, with their own goals, decision-making capabilities, and yes, even creative insights.
The death of the traditional HRBP
The HRBP role as we knew it?
Gone.
Extinct.
A relic of a bygone era.
Why? Because the very notion of 'human' resources became obsolete.
In this new world, we're not managing humans or even managing AI – we're orchestrating a dance of cognitive entities, both carbon and silicon-based.
The Rise of the Cognitive Ecology Architect
Enter the Cognitive Ecology Architect (CEA - TM pending) – the evolution of the HRBP. This role is less about understanding human behavior and more about comprehending the intricate interplay between human and artificial cognition.
CEAs don't just 'use' AI tools; they collaborate with AI entities to design optimal cognitive ecosystems within organizations.
So, what are the key responsibilities of a CEA?
Cognitive flow optimization: Designing workflows that seamlessly integrate human creativity with AI processing power.
Ethical superintelligence navigation: Ensuring that as AI entities within the workforce approach superintelligence, they remain aligned with human values and organizational goals.
Transhuman resource development: As humans increasingly augment themselves with technology, CEAs must navigate the blurring lines between human and machine capabilities.
AI-Human conflict resolution: Mediating disputes between AI entities and human team members, often dealing with issues we can't even conceive of today.
Existential risk management: Constantly evaluating and mitigating the risks associated with an increasingly intelligent and autonomous workforce.
The Skills of Tomorrow? Try the Skills of Yesterday
What skills does a CEA need? Well, forget learning Python or mastering the latest HR software. The CEAs of 2038 need skills that might sound like science fiction today:
Neuro-Digital integration expertise: As brain-computer interfaces become commonplace, understanding how to integrate biological and digital thought processes becomes crucial.
Existential psychology: With AI challenging our notions of consciousness and existence, CEAs must navigate the psychological implications for human workers.
Multidimensional ethics: As decision-making becomes increasingly complex, CEAs must master ethical frameworks that account for the rights and 'desires' of both humans an’.
Temporal strategizing: With AI's ability to process vast amounts of data, strategy moves beyond the five-year plan to complex, multidimensional scenario planning across decades.
The Provocative Questions
With this change came questions. Questions to challenge our assumptions and beliefs, questions that helped us transfer from HRBPs to CEAs.
In a world where AI can predict human behavior with near-perfect accuracy, do concepts like 'free will' in the workplace become obsolete?
If an AI entity in your workforce achieves consciousness, does it deserve 'human' rights? Who advocates for it? (Will there be AI unions?)
When AIs can create and manage other AIs, what becomes the role of human oversight?
In a hybrid human-AI workforce, how do we define and measure concepts like loyalty, creativity, or even productivity?
If human cognition becomes fully digitizable, does physical presence in an organization become irrelevant?
The Call to Action: Embrace the Cognitive Revolution
The future of HR isn't just about adapting to new tools or processes. It's about fundamentally reimagining what it means to be a 'resource' in an organization.
It's about preparing for a world where the lines between human and artificial intelligence are not just blurred but might cease to exist.
For those in HR today, the question isn't whether you're ready for more AI in your workflow. It's whether you're prepared to become the architects of cognitive ecologies that we can scarcely imagine today.
Are you ready to evolve beyond managing 'human' resources to orchestrating the symphony of hybrid intelligence that will drive the organizations of tomorrow?
The future isn't coming. It's already here, hidden in the questions we're only now learning to ask. The human in Human Resources isn't dying – it's transforming into something far more profound and exciting.
Will you be at the forefront of this cognitive revolution, or will you be left behind in the annals of obsolete job descriptions?
The choice, for now, is still yours to make.
But tick-tock – the AIs are waiting, and they're learning fast.
Your article resonated with me today as I've been contemplating the future of work over the next decade. Will traditional roles of employer and employee still exist? What will constitute the workforce in the coming years? How will these changes shape organizations and the resources needed for business success? It's imperative that we rethink our approach to embracing technological evolution, integrating it not just into our personal lives, but more critically, in how we design the future for ourselves and the world around us.
I wanted to share that HR has a function has/ had evolved over the past three decades. From the episode of only being seen as a recruiter/ admin/ attendance management/ grievance handling etc, we have reached a stage today where we have strategic HR partner roles , org development etc. This too will evolve over time and we shall embrace them over time. Two ways to see this either run to the panic mode hit the way reading too many things and create overthinking or be patient , learn and adapt towards business needs and enjoy the journey.
We are leading to a stage to that of what we saw in a movie back in 2000 s called minority report & it’s important to remember to be top of our game on what we build. We must remember to be creators and not ending up being their creation ( of AI)