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HUMAN TALENT PLUS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: A WINNING COMBINATION By Mark Fallon
“No passion so effectually robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear.” - Edmund Burke Depending on how you get news, there has been little positive press about artificial intelligence (AI) and employment. The headlines blare about the jobs that AI will eliminate, the workers that will be displaced, and careers that will become obsolete. My in-box includes emails from managers concerned that AI will reduce their opportunities for advancement. There is some truth in these statements. Jobs that are built around structured, repetitive work will probably be replaced by an AI tool. Generally, that may include data entry clerks, administrative assistants, call center agents, and junior coders. In the world of print and mail, AI and robotics will displace dispatchers, expediters, inventory workers, and quality control specialists. For many people, AI is an opportunity to improve performance. Through education 26
MAY-JUNE 2026 | MailingSystemsTechnology.com
and training, we can begin to understand the potential of AI tools. Then we can add our human talents and insights to AI output to create transformative results. Education is how we acquire knowledge about a specific topic. In many discussions, “AI” is used as a catchall phrase for tasks being conducted with artificial intelligence. We hear people say “we’re using AI at our company”, without context or explanation. When pushed, the person will explain that they are using ChatGPT or Claude or Copilot. And that’s as far as it goes. To begin our education, look for articles that explain the history of AI, the terminology, and the different categories. You can even use AI to build you a course. For example, you can submit the following prompt: Explain the differences between the following 5 categories of AI. Include how each is used in a production environment. Generative AI Machine Learning (ML) Natural Language Processing (NLP) Computer Vision
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Another resource for education are the courses on LinkedIn Learning. Depending on your subscription, the courses are low cost to no cost. There are general courses on defining AI as well as specific courses on topics like governance, or using AI in sales. Once we become familiar with the tools available, it’s smart to take training on how to use the tools. For example. effectively conducting research using AI means thinking differently about internet searches. This includes thinking about your AI tool as a research assistant and not just a search engine. Google and Microsoft have built in AI tools for their spreadsheet software. However, using AI to scrutinize data means understanding the structure of the data, what type of analysis is desired, and the format for the results. Knowing the difference between correlation and regression comparisons will prevent confusing results.