The rewards of introducing AI and the place of people
Comcast is reportedly moving its counter services to AI agents and reducing its workforce due to a decline in broadband subscriptions. However, Apollo points out that AI is not producing financial returns for U.S. companies. When the decision to reduce the number of people is made before confirming results, work, judgment, words, and trust quietly shift toward AI. The articles lined up in this half-day span different situations, such as administrative reviews, police, elections, education, and specialized research, but they all ask readers to make judgments on the same point. Before deciding whether or not to include AI, it is important to consider who will shoulder the burden and responsibility that will arise after the introduction of AI.
Comcast is reportedly moving its counter operations to AI agents and reducing its workforce in response to a 144,000 drop in broadband subscriptions (TechSpot). TechStory also reported that the company is expected to make large-scale staff cuts, citing contract reductions and the spread of AI as reasons. There are two reasons for the reduction. The number of subscribers has decreased and the point of contact can be left to AI. However, it cannot be gleaned from these articles how costs and customer service will change after relying on AI. However, Apollo points out that AI is not generating financial returns for U.S. companies (Business Insider). This means that the decision to cut staff may be underway before the results are confirmed.
Reduction is not the only option. JPMorgan's private bank uses AI to streamline advisors' work (Bloomberg.com). This method is used to reduce the amount of work required of advisors while still maintaining their role in dealing with customers. In Singapore, NTUC and KPMG have launched a human resources transformation program (NTUC UPortal) that connects the introduction of AI to improving the quality of employment. What these two cases deal with is not the number of people, but the content of their roles.
If we compare the example of Comcast with the examples of JPMorgan, NTUC, and KPMG, we can see that even though they have introduced the same AI, the assumptions are different. In the former case, due to the deterioration in business performance due to a decrease in contracts, the entire function of the counter will be transferred to AI. The latter is trying to leave work to be done by people and change its quality. However, the JPMorgan article only shows operational efficiency, and the magnitude of the results is not clear from this point. The NTUC and KPMG programs are also at the announcement stage of their efforts.
