In this HCI Webinar, I talk with Mary Hagen about choosing people over automation in the age of digital safety. Passionate about giving back and leaving a positive impact, Mary Hagen is the proud CEO of Colossal, the leading nationally registered professional fundraiser. Under Hagen's leadership since 2021, Colossal has made an extraordinary impact on fundraising with a commitment to supporting diverse charitable causes and organizations across the globe. Raising a remarkable $183M through its innovative online competitions, Hagen has successfully showcased that Colossal's unique approach to philanthropy is an effective model for ultramodern times.

This research examines the often-overlooked question of AI and labor displacement: not just which jobs are exposed to AI disruption, but which workers have the capacity to adapt if job loss occurs. We explore recent research showing that while 37 million U.S. workers face high AI exposure, vulnerability depends heavily on factors like financial resources, age, geographic location, and skill transferability. The research reveals that approximately 6.1 million workers—particularly women in clerical and administrative roles—face both high AI exposure and limited adaptive capacity. The research demonstrates evidence-based organizational and policy responses aimed at ensuring AI's transformation of the labor market promotes shared prosperity rather than concentrated hardship, with a focus on targeted support systems, skill development programs, and building systemic resilience for the most vulnerable workers.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the workplace, sparking both excitement and fear. While much discussion focuses on which jobs AI can automate, the more important question is which workers have the resources and capacities to adapt to these changes. The concept of “AI exposure” measures how many tasks within a job can be automated, but this alone does not predict outcomes for workers. Equally important is “adaptive capacity,” the combination of financial resources, skills, education, demographics, and social context that enables workers to weather job disruptions and find new employment. Research shows a divided workforce: many highly exposed workers also have strong adaptive capacity, often living in dynamic urban areas and equipped with education and savings. However, about 6.1 million U.S. workers face high AI exposure but lack adaptive capacity, making them vulnerable to displacement and economic hardship. This at-risk group is predominantly women working in clerical and administrative roles, traditionally stable middle-income jobs now threatened by AI automation. Highlights 🤖 AI is automating complex white-collar tasks, extending beyond traditional manual labor roles. 💡 Adaptive capacity—financial resources, skills, demographics, and social networks—is key to navigating AI-driven job changes. ⚠️ Approximately 6.1 million U.S. workers face high AI exposure with low adaptive capacity, placing them at significant economic risk. 👩‍💼 Vulnerable workers are mainly women in clerical and administrative jobs, traditionally stable but now rapidly eroding. 💼 Employers must lead with transparent communication, reskilling programs, financial support, and AI systems that augment rather than replace humans. 🏛️ Policymakers need to modernize social safety nets, invest in lifelong learning, and support regional economic resilience. 💰 Building financial resilience through savings programs and portable benefits is crucial for worker security. Key Insights 🤖 AI’s Reach into White-Collar Work Redefines Automation: Unlike past automation waves focused on manufacturing, AI now impacts office jobs involving data analysis, report writing, and legal review. This shift requires rethinking workforce strategies beyond traditional blue-collar frameworks. The complexity of tasks automated demands new adaptive skills rather than mere job replacement. 💪 Adaptive Capacity is the Crucial Predictor of Worker Outcomes: AI exposure alone is insufficient to forecast employment outcomes. Adaptive capacity—encompassing financial buffers, education, skills, demographics, and geography—determines who can successfully transition and who faces hardship. This nuanced understanding calls for policies and interventions tailored to diverse worker profiles. 🏙️ Geography and Social Networks Influence Resilience: Workers in economically diverse metropolitan areas tend to have better job mobility and opportunities than those in small towns or single-industry regions. Social connections can provide informal support and job leads, increasing adaptive capacity. Hence, regional economic development is integral to managing AI’s impact. 👵 Age and Health Affect Reemployment Prospects: Older workers and those with health issues face additional barriers such as age discrimination and limited job options requiring specific benefits. These demographic factors exacerbate vulnerability, underlining the need for age-friendly hiring practices and health-inclusive policies. 👩‍💻 Women in Clerical Roles Are Disproportionately Vulnerable: The concentration of risk among women in administrative support roles highlights gendered dimensions of AI disruption. These jobs, often well-paying and stable historically, are now highly automatable and frequently lack adaptive capacity factors such as savings or upskilling opportunities. Targeted support for this demographic is urgently needed. 🏢 Employer Responsibility Is Central to Ethical AI Transition: Organizations must prioritize clear communication to reduce fear and uncertainty, invest in workforce development aligned with AI’s evolving landscape, provide financial and career transition support, and design AI tools to augment human roles. These actions foster trust and improve the chances of positive outcomes for employees. If this helped, please like and share. #AI #FutureOfWork #JobDisplacement #Reskilling #AdaptiveCapacity #WorkforcePolicy OUTLINE: 00:00:00 - Exposure Is Not Destiny 00:01:36 - Adaptive Capacity, Defined 00:03:01 - Constraints And Climb 00:04:24 - Pinpointing The 6.1 Million 00:05:48 - Blueprint For Action 00:07:19 - Collective Responsibility 00:08:52 - Measure What Matters 00:10:01 - Shared Prosperity

Artificial intelligence (AI) has seamlessly integrated into the workplace, evolving from a futuristic concept to an everyday tool that assists with drafting emails, summarizing reports, and suggesting computer code. The initial excitement around AI has shifted toward practical questions about how to collaborate effectively with these digital assistants. Successful use of AI hinges on wise delegation—treating AI as a capable but literal-minded junior team member that requires clear, specific instructions and thoughtful oversight. Without careful guidance, AI outputs can lead to confusion and wasted time due to errors and the need for corrections. Highlights 🤖 AI has become a routine workplace tool, no longer just a concept for the future. 📝 Clear, specific instructions are essential for effective AI collaboration. ⏳ Conducting a task audit helps identify ideal AI delegation opportunities. ✔️ Rigorous quality control and human oversight remain critical. 💡 Upskilling staff in prompt engineering and supervision is vital for success. 🔒 Ethical guidelines and transparency build trust in AI use. 🏗️ Organizations need system-wide strategies based on five key pillars for intelligent AI delegation. Key Insights 🤖 AI as a literal-minded junior team member: AI’s strength lies in speed and access to vast information, but it lacks intuition, context, and nuance. This means AI will execute instructions exactly as given, without understanding subtext or implicit meaning. Professionals must adjust their mindset, viewing AI as a fast but inflexible assistant that requires precise direction to add real value. ✍️ The critical importance of prompt clarity: The quality of AI output directly correlates with the specificity of input instructions. Vague or ambiguous prompts generate weak results, making the human role in crafting detailed, context-rich prompts essential. This includes specifying audience, tone, length, key facts, and intended outcomes, ensuring the AI’s work aligns closely with expectations. ⏰ Task audit as a foundation for delegation: Identifying routine, repetitive, rule-based tasks that consume significant time but require minimal expertise is the first step toward effective AI integration. These tasks, such as drafting standard emails or summarizing meetings, are prime candidates for AI assistance, freeing humans to focus on higher-value activities. ✔️ Human oversight and quality control are non-negotiable: AI outputs are not infallible and must be rigorously reviewed for accuracy, tone, and brand alignment. Fact-checking, editing, and adding unique insights transform AI drafts into polished, reliable deliverables. This iterative review process is essential to avoid the illusion of productivity and ensures genuine efficiency gains. 👥 Navigating the human impact of AI adoption: The introduction of AI changes daily workflows and can create uncertainty about roles and professional identity. Organizations must foster open communication and collective problem-solving rather than imposing top-down mandates. Supporting employees through upskilling and role redesign helps maintain engagement and morale. 🔒 Ethical guardrails and transparency build trust: Clear policies on AI usage, privacy, and accountability are necessary to prevent misuse and maintain ethical standards. The human delegator must remain responsible for final outputs, ensuring AI serves as a trustworthy collaborator rather than a black box. 📈 System-wide, strategic AI integration relies on five pillars: Effective AI delegation is underpinned by (1) task-level clarity, (2) rigorous quality control, (3) identity-aware job redesign focusing on creativity and empathy, (4) ethical guardrails, and (5) continuous learning systems that encourage experimentation and knowledge sharing. This holistic approach moves organizations beyond ad hoc AI use toward sustained productivity improvements and meaningful work transformation. If this helped, please like and share the video. #AIDelegation #HumanAICollaboration #Productivity #PromptEngineering #FutureOfWork OUTLINE: 00:00:00 - The New Colleague in the Office 00:01:11 - The Art of Intelligent Delegation 00:02:05 - A Practical Guide to Smart AI Handover 00:03:05 - Navigating the Human Element 00:03:56 - Building a Smarter System for Tomorrow

Modern organizations face a productivity paradox where artificial intelligence saves time but often increases workloads through extensive rework and task intensification. To address this, the concept of intelligent AI delegation focuses on the deliberate, skill-based practice of managing machine output while retaining human accountability and judgment. Research indicates that successful integration requires formal frameworks for task selection, robust quality controls, and a focus on professional identity to prevent employee burnout or ethical erosion. Leaders must transition from viewing AI as a simple tool to treating it as a directed outsourcing partner that necessitates active oversight and clear ethical guardrails. Ultimately, the true competitive advantage lies not in mere access to technology, but in the human wisdom used to direct it.

This episode examines the often-overlooked question of AI and labor displacement: not just which jobs are exposed to AI disruption, but which workers have the capacity to adapt if job loss occurs. We explore recent research showing that while 37 million U.S. workers face high AI exposure, vulnerability depends heavily on factors like financial resources, age, geographic location, and skill transferability. The conversation reveals that approximately 6.1 million workers—particularly women in clerical and administrative roles—face both high AI exposure and limited adaptive capacity. We discuss evidence-based organizational and policy responses aimed at ensuring AI's transformation of the labor market promotes shared prosperity rather than concentrated hardship, with a focus on targeted support systems, skill development programs, and building systemic resilience for the most vulnerable workers. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Modern organizations face a productivity paradox where artificial intelligence saves time but often increases workloads through extensive rework and task intensification. To address this, the concept of intelligent AI delegation focuses on the deliberate, skill-based practice of managing machine output while retaining human accountability and judgment. Research indicates that successful integration requires formal frameworks for task selection, robust quality controls, and a focus on professional identity to prevent employee burnout or ethical erosion. Leaders must transition from viewing AI as a simple tool to treating it as a directed outsourcing partner that necessitates active oversight and clear ethical guardrails. Ultimately, the true competitive advantage lies not in mere access to technology, but in the human wisdom used to direct it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This research argues that organizations fail to see financial returns from AI because they focus on individual productivity rather than systemic workflow redesign. While workers use AI to complete tasks faster, the research suggests that true enterprise value requires redefining job roles and moving from simple automation to agentic delegation. The research warns that failing to adapt organizational structures leads to shadow AI adoption risks and the erosion of professional apprenticeship pathways for junior staff. To succeed, leadership must shift from a cost-cutting mindset to one of capability expansion, using AI to tackle more complex strategic challenges. Ultimately, the research concludes that human-AI collaboration and continuous learning systems are essential for turning technological efficiency into a durable competitive advantage.