Will your office job be replaced by AI in the near future?

Will we soon be in an episode of Black Mirror ? The issues raised by the series, regarding the consequences of new technologies on human nature, have never seemed so current. Through various questions, the 1,300 Ile-de-France employees interviewed for the study were asked about their vision of life in the office between now and 2033. Result: “After the upheavals of the covid years, they do not anticipate a pause but on the contrary an acceleration of the changes underway», Explain the SFL and Ifop.

These changes are driven by a triple revolution: tailor-made teleworking, the impact of the ecological transition on daily work and technological acceleration. Concerning the latter, it concerns in particular the emergence of artificial intelligence within offices, which is also experiencing a real boom in the professional world: the number of specialists in professions linked to AI has increased by 16% in one year.

For 42% of respondents, AI will replace the majority of office jobs in ten years

The spectacular emergence of ChatGPT and creative artificial intelligence also fuels the imagination of office workers. In fact, 41% bet that they will no longer use a keyboard and will order everything by voice. Much more practical, but if this is the case, you will have to think about reorganizing the open spaces. In line with the benefits that AI could bring, more than half of those surveyed consider it likely that within ten years, “artificial intelligence will generate all the documents, so that we no longer have to correct them“. Which obviously seems attractive but raises questions about the potential replacement of workers by algorithms. Thus, 42% believe that AI will replace the majority of office jobs within a decade (including 53% of those under 25).

Paradoxically, those interviewed make a point of wanting to continue working in a humanized and friendly environment. This is verified in particular through the lessons of the 2019 Paris WorkPlace study “And if we talked about it”, establishing a link between well-being in the office and the number of different interlocutors during a typical day. To be a fulfilled employee, you should correspond with a minimum of 3 people and a maximum of 10. A good excuse to chat with colleagues at the coffee machine.

A technological boom that will change the daily lives of employees

In addition to AI, the employees surveyed imagine their future being disrupted by global technological acceleration. If working from bed is no longer a fantasy since the unfortunate Covid-19 crisis, it is true that few regulations exist on this subject. Aware of this, a large number of respondents are betting on a future under increased surveillance of teleworkers: 36% think that when working from home, the camera will soon have to be on permanently. Increased fear among employees with modest incomes.

Furthermore, 44% of employees surveyed see even further than the Zoom conferences that we already know, predicting that “in some meetings, participants will appear as a hologram“. Employees under 25 are even 62% convinced of this! Vincent Luciani, CEO of Artefact, is positive on the subject and considers that the tasks that will remain for humans will concern creativity and design, which can hardly be done remotely. To the extent that “AI will push people to work even more together, because the tasks that will remain for humans will be those that require the most collaboration. And therefore physical presence“, he predicts.