CHARLOTTE — Middle managers have been the backbone of corporate America for years, but many companies are thinning the ranks thanks to artificial intelligence.
It hasn’t been that long since robots began filling orders in warehouses, and now, AI has shown rapid development and is quickly making its way into the office.
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Peter Cohan teaches management practice at Babson College. He says AI can now do more sophisticated work, like the kind done by middle managers.
“The job of middle managers is to, sort of, translate the grand strategic visions of the executives into specific tasks that people in the organization will actually execute,” Cohan said.
Analysts call the loss of middle managers “The Great Flattening” as layers disappear between line workers and executives.
Yet, one study suggests middle managers actually do more work now, with the average number of direct reports doubling from three to six.
Boston University’s Greg Stoller says AI can’t replace human interaction.
“I get the fact that companies want to be more efficient, but I think it’s important to remember that you can’t have AI do a performance review,” Stoller said.
Stoller says all workers at all levels should be proactive to keep their jobs. He says to “AI-proof” your job, go to your supervisor and ask for feedback and how you can improve. Then, Stoller says to learn new skills and don’t be afraid to do additional work.
“The high tech layoffs have been getting a lot of attention, Microsoft, Amazon, are tens of thousands of layoffs overall, and why are they doing this?” Cohan said. “I think one of the big reasons they’re doing this is because they’re spending so much to invest in AI.”
Another group feeling the impact of AI is new college graduates. Cohan says their unemployment rate has doubled in recent years because AI can do many tasks traditionally assigned to younger workers.
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