Just as the lord giveth and the lord taketh away...so can AI
“The lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. He is no longer the only one to do so. When some remote ancestor of ours invented the shovel, he became a giver: he could plant a tree. And when the axe was invented, he became a taker: he could chop it down. Whoever owns land has thus assumed, whether he knows it or not, the divine functions of creating and destroying plants.” - Aldo Leopold.
Whenever ground breaking technology is developed, there has always been apprehension… in some form or another. The era of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here –thrilling many whilst evoking fear in others. Take the case of artificial intelligence – such as Chatbots like ChatGPT. The hype surrounding Chat GPT is well-deserved, with the world’s fastest-growing application reaching 100 million active users just two months after launch. Chat GPT is an AI chatbot with myriad uses, but how can AI convert to a hotel setting?
A lot has been written about the potential risks of AI. Is the anxiety that it would affect our lives and alter our emotional weaknesses cause for great concern? The late Stephen Hawkins and more recently Elon Musk have described the rise of artificial general intelligence as one of the greatest threats to the future of humanity.
While concerns about AI displacing hotel jobs are somewhat valid, its overall impact is yet to be determined and alleviating hotel employees’ perceived job insecurity needs a pragmatic approach. When AI overlaps with the hospitality industry, it is not just the fear of losing jobs, but how jobs will change, what kinds of services need to be provided to re-skill workers in anticipation of the new jobs they will need to perform, that has to be addressed.
Consider the role of AI at the hotel reception; it is said that the technology can act as an expansion force – providing information and lightening the load by handling repetitive tasks, whilst allowing the front- line employee (FLE) to offer a more personalised service and generate new ideas. In other words, the role of the FLE progresses into being that of an ‘enabler’- of the customer and of the AI agent. Employees could well find this acceptable at the workplace, but what if future technological advances introduce a new AI agent…one that assumes the role of a ‘supervisor’ among FLEs? More dreadful is the day, when the manager shakes hands with a sentient robot flaunted as the “Employee of the Month”.
To restaurateurs who know little of AI, it conjures images of a machine that flips hamburgers or a robot that delivers food to the table. Whilst this type of technology has been adapted by a few fast-food restaurants, developers of AI claim that it will not take the place of restaurant staff as it is technology developed to help / support workers in the industry. They assert that the true value of AI lies in its capability to assist operators make better decisions and aid with tasks such as inventory and supply management.
Unions and Blue collar workers fear that organisations that replace the labour force at the lower rungs with AI-driven automation, not only reduces the head count, but also the unions’ bargaining power.
When employees don’t understand how AI works, what it is going to do or whether it serves their interest, there’s bound to be a lot of fear out there. Key stakeholders need to be aware of that… so that they can make decisions that can impact individual workers and the organisation positively. While embracing AI, it’s imperative to also strike a balance between technology and human touch. Only then can reshaping the future of hospitality be done responsibly.
Shafeek Wahab – Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer, Ex-Hotelier
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