Are software automation and teleworker substitutes? Preliminary evidence from Japan

Abstract

Digital technology is reshaping workplaces by enabling spatial separation of offices, known as telework, or remote intelligence (RI) and by facilitating automation of service sector tasks via artificial intelligence (AI). This paper is the first attempt to empirically investigate whether AI and RI are complements or substitutes in the service sector. It uses a worker‐level panel of surveys collected from around 10,000 workers from pre‐COVID‐19 pandemic to late 2022. We find preliminary evidence that suggests that AI and RI are complements rather than substitutes. The evidence comes first from the positive correlation of investments in AI‐promoting and RI‐promoting software at the firm and worker level, and second from the positive correlation of workers' expectations regarding telework and software automation. The evidence is far from definitive but suggests that the complement‐substitution question is a fruitful line for future research.

Remote Work admist the Covid-19 outbreak: Insights from an Ensemble Community-Based Keyword Network Analysis

“…However, next to security risks and legal and regulatory requirerements, several challenges require further investigation, including: the digital divide and digital skills gap, since not all employees could have equal access to technology and infrastructures needed for remote work neither adequate proficiency in digital tools and technologies for remote communication and collaboration (Codagnone & Savona, 2023); the digital fatigue and digital overload, deriving from constant exposure to digital devices and platforms and the proliferation of digital tools and communication channels in remote work environments (Leonardi, 2021;Wang et al, 2023). However, it is worthwhile that future research carefully examines how new digital technologies, including AIapplications, automation technologies, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) can be effectively integrated in remote work environments and help organizations to overcome barriers and challenges fostering greater efficiency, enabling workforce control and performance management, increasing spatio-temporal flexibility, enhancing collaboration and innovation (Baldwin & Okubo, 2023;Watanabe, 2023).…”

Remote Work Admist the Covid-19 outbreak: Insights from an Ensemble Community-Based Keyword Network Analysis

“…However, next to security risks and legal and regulatory requirerements, several challenges require further investigation, including: the digital divide and digital skills gap, since not all employees could have equal access to technology and infrastructures needed for remote work neither adequate proficiency in digital tools and technologies for remote communication and collaboration (Codagnone & Savona, 2023); the digital fatigue and digital overload, deriving from constant exposure to digital devices and platforms and the proliferation of digital tools and communication channels in remote work environments (Leonardi, 2021;Wang et al, 2023). However, it is worthwhile that future research carefully examines how new digital technologies, including AIapplications, automation technologies, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) can be effectively integrated in remote work environments and help organizations to overcome barriers and challenges fostering greater efficiency, enabling workforce control and performance management, increasing spatio-temporal flexibility, enhancing collaboration and innovation (Baldwin & Okubo, 2023;Watanabe, 2023).…”