A quarter of Canadians trust robots over bosses

Many workers admit to thinking a computer program would be more ethical and dependable than their employer.

It’s fast becoming the norm across many industries to install robotic employees in place of their human counterparts but it seems their increasing prevalence doesn’t just threaten front-line jobs – it could threaten HR positions too.

The unpleasant revelation comes on the back of a recent study which found that a more than a quarter (26 per cent) of Canadian adults believe an unbiased computer program would be more trustworthy and ethical than their human leaders and managers.

The study, conducted by Intensions Consulting, found that 26 per cent of respondents said they’d prefer to be screened and hired, or have their performance assessed, by an unbiased computer program.

The worrying figure jumps even higher when restricted to the younger generation.

Of those in the younger age bracket, 34 per cent preferred to be hired, 33 preferred to be assessed and 26 per cent preferred to be managed by an unbiased computer program.

Vancouver-based Nikolas Badminton is a futurist speaker, giving keynote speeches on the future of work and life with technology – he says the results aren’t all that surprising.

“People are losing faith in human management, and rightly so,” he said. “Who would you trust, a human with personal biases and opinions or a rational and balanced AI?”

Badminton added that he expects to start seeing automated HR and management systems being deployed within the next 3 to 5 years, with “a human touch to maintain creativity and empathy.”

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