Opinion | It's Not the End of Work. It's the End of Boring Work. - The Productivity Paradox
Despite the trillions of dollars spent on computer technology, the world hasn't become a more productive place. The productivity paradox identified by economist Robert Solow has become a matter of concern for economists and historians. The problem is that though software is supposed to make us faster, it often has the opposite effect slowing down our work instead. Daily tasks that were completed within minutes have become more cumbersome and time-consuming.
The industrial age saw significant productivity gains, and it happened because people reorganized work to make the best use of technology. It's not the computers that have failed to produce a significant surge in productivity, but rather, we have not given workers the full advantage of computers' power. We still use computers as typewriters or calculators, not for automation.
However, the arrival of ChatGPT can change all that. It has a remarkable ability to write computer code to automate well-defined tasks. The technology can eliminate the boring aspects of white-collar jobs, enabling workers to be more creative and productive. Most office jobs today require data manipulation, and A.I. is proficient at writing code to manipulate data. Office workers can now have their personal tech consultants with ChatGPT. All they need is to learn how to use it.
Many people might think that a technology like ChatGPT cannot help in their line of work. Workers in a medical supply company might not be able to use the technology to figure out where a particular batch of medicine was misplaced, but it can take over the tedious business of tracking orders and deliveries on an Excel spreadsheet, freeing employees to do more challenging and satisfying problem-solving work.
Research conducted recently by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that the use of ChatGPT improved the quality of writing and made the task more enjoyable for users. The technology could help low-ability workers perform effectively, allowing them to do more complicated and rewarding work.
The challenge today is not technological but organizational. To benefit from the full potential of ChatGPT, companies need to promote workers who can automate the tedious parts of their jobs. This approach allows employees to handle more complex tasks, leading to more profits in the long run.
We must embrace everyday automation. Changing the way companies are organized is much harder than upgrading software. It might take a generation or two to achieve real change, but we must take the step to encourage workers to solve harder problems. By breaking down complex analytic problems into small steps using ChatGPT, employees can make their own assembly lines of data, freeing them to do creative work.
The arrival of ChatGPT means that it is not the end of work, but rather the end of boring work. By making work more engaging, productive, and creative, workers can enjoy more job satisfaction and better pay.
