Are you wondering whether artificial intelligence (AI), like ChatGPT, is going to steal our jobs? The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence is certainly going to affect most aspects of our work and home lives, so in this short episode we’re going to explore this further.
The fear of AI taking our jobs is understandable. Artificial intelligence can perform tasks that previously required a great deal of human effort. However, while AI can process vast amounts of data and execute repetitive tasks with high accuracy, it cannot replicate the human touch, particularly empathy, understanding, and relationship-building that are crucial in our role as enablers of change. So let’s delve into these aspects of our work.
At the heart of our role as extension practitioners is our ability to connect with people, understand their needs, and walk alongside them as they adopt new technologies and practices into their farming operations. This involves being aware of, and appropriately expressing our emotions, and building interpersonal relationships. These capabilities allow us to build trust and rapport with farmers and stakeholders, communicate complex ideas effectively, and collaborate to solve problems.
Frederik Pferdt, Google’s first and former Chief Innovation Evangelist, has underscored the critical role of empathy in driving innovation, and says it’s the skill of the future. He asserts that empathy not only sparks new ideas but is essential for developing meaningful innovations that can be widely adopted. Empathy allows individuals to incorporate their experiences, expertise, and values into the creative process, leading to more effective and useful ideas.
So let’s focus on the question about whether AI is going to steal our jobs. While artificial intelligence can enhance our capabilities and streamline many tasks, it cannot replace the empathy and relational skills that define effective extension practice. We think that combining the strengths of artificial intelligence with human interaction means we need both AI and enablers of change!
Just last year, Andrew Ng, a prominent figure in the field of artificial intelligence and co-founder of Google Brain stated that “AI won’t replace people, but maybe people that use AI will replace people that don’t”. He has consistently emphasised that while AI itself may not directly replace human workers, individuals who effectively leverage AI tools can outperform those who do not.
This perspective highlights the importance of embracing AI technologies and acquiring relevant skills for our roles. This is where upskilling and continuous learning is so important, as it allows us to see where we might be more effective with AI.
So while we think artificial intelligence will transform our roles and practice, it’s not about to steal our jobs. Our role as extension practitioners in guiding and supporting farmers remains as important as ever. Knowing that engagement and relationship building is critical to enablers of change, means we can try out AI and see where it’s of most use to us, without a need to worry about it taking over our work.
Well, you’ve read our thoughts, now we’d like to hear yours! Add a comment below and share your thoughts and ideas about how AI is going to change the way we work. How are you using AI in your work? Or do you think HAL is going to lock us out of the pod bay door, as in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey?
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Good article as always, thanks and I agree that in extension farmers will always go for the human interaction over the AI, however, I am always wary of writers that predict what AI can or cant do. As an example after reading this article I opened up ChatGPT 4o and asked this question about empathy (because you say AI can’t replicate empathy). “Can you apply empathy in your responses to me without being prompted?” ChatGPT responded “Yes, I understand the meaning of empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. It involves: Recognizing emotions… Read more »
Thanks for picking up on that Darren! I think we were more focusing on the trusted relationship that results from empathy and rapport. I know that AI can mimic empathy, but I doubt that will then lead to a trusted relationship.
I wonder if our roles in extension might change – i.e. less time will be required for understanding complex information (AI can simplify) and generating engaging resources for extension and there is more face-to-face time with people? Or will companies reduce staff numbers as AI can take care of the resources and the face-to-face hours remain the same. I am hoping option 1 – we would have time to get much better, deeper understanding of needs and shape change!
I’m with you Sophie, I hope it’s option 1! Especially as we know that information on its own often doesn’t lead to practice change. It’s usually that conversation with a trusted advisor or fellow farmer that helps people along on their change journey.
My concern is that ‘good enough’ will replace quality. When I use ChatGPT, I often get outputs that are wrong or basic. But they might be good enough for some people and some uses.
I think experts need to get better at explaining the value they provide and create. That will include being aware of what LLMs are producing and how they are being used.
That is so true Bill. I am always double-checking the AI generated material, but even so, it saves me a lot of brain processing time that I can now spend on other more important tasks.
Great post guys – as always, stimulating and thought provoking! I have a question that I’d welcome comments on: If you’re going to show empathy you can’t fake it, it has to be genuine or it will backfire. How do you ‘train’ people to be empathetic? Lately, there have been several examples on our side of the Tasman of politicians saying, ‘”I understand” eg. how hard it is, when they plainly haven’t got a clue. Perhaps their media advisers have told them, “to show more empathy” without explaining what it is?
Thanks for your feedback Lab! You’re right… we should be talking about genuine empathy as there’s nothing worse than when it’s fake!
I run a workshop about building trust and rapport with farmers, and I talk about being genuinely curious, and then using active listening skills (paraphrasing etc) to build trust and rapport.
I have mixed opinion/feelings too on AI but would tend to embrace it. Have you been exploring the AI farming extension by Digital Green? I heard it’s a spin-off from Microsoft, operating mainly in India and Africa. Curious what you thought about it. Btw warm regards from new subscriber here. I’m currently doing a PhD around innovation diffusion on smallholders. Grateful to read some of your blogs on the topic.
Welcome along Trisna, it’s great to have you in our community! Digital green is a great organisation doing powerful work. I gave a presentation at an online conference a few years ago about digital technologies, and Rikin Gandhi (their CEO) was also presenting, so I was able to hear some of the remarkable things they are doing. I understand they are quite separate from Microsoft, but do receive funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation amongst many others. All the best with your PhD too!