Complex emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and "big data" analysis will be used to create the leading HR organizations of the future, and employers must be willing to invest the time and effort to use these powerful tools responsibly. But that means first getting over the fear of what could go wrong and instead resolving to harness technology's power to better inform decision-making and revolutionize talent management. SHRM Online discussed the critical future-of-work topic with Eric Sydell, an industrial organizational psychologist, expert in AI and machine learning, executive vice president of innovation at recruiting technology firm Modern Hire, and co-author of the new book Decoding Talent (Fast Company, 2022). SHRM Online: People often react to leading-edge technology with trepidation. In the case of using AI in the workplace, government regulators are placing well-intentioned limits on data usage because they fear employers may abuse employee privacy and workers could suffer harm from bias.

"Life isn't fair" is perhaps one of the most frequently repeated philosophical statements passed down from generation to generation. In a world increasingly dominated by data, however, groups of people that have already been dealt an unfair hand may see themselves further disadvantaged through the use of algorithms to determine whether or not they qualify for employment, housing, or credit, among other basic needs for survival. In the past few years, more attention has been paid to algorithmic bias, but there is still debate about both what can be done to address the issue, as well as what should be done. The use of an algorithm is not at issue; algorithms are essentially a set of instructions on how to complete a problem or task. Yet the lack of transparency surrounding the data and how it is weighed and used for decision making is a key concern, particularly when the algorithm's use may impact people in significant ways, often with no explanation as to why they have been deemed unqualified or unsuitable for a product, service, or opportunity.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai and other executives working on artificial intelligence are now calling for limited government regulation as the European Union mulls potential five-year bans of facial recognition software. Pichai called for governments to take a bigger role in regulating the use of artificial intelligence (AI), and he published his beliefs in a Financial Times editorial while speaking out on the topic in speeches around the world. This is in stark opposition to comments he made in an interview with the Financial Times in September that called for caution with any potential government intrusion of how tech companies deploy AI. "There are real concerns about the potential negative consequences of AI, from deepfakes to nefarious uses of facial recognition. While there is already some work being done to address these concerns, there will inevitably be more challenges ahead that no one company or industry can solve alone," Pichai wrote in The Financial Times. "The EU and the US are already starting to develop regulatory proposals. International alignment will be critical to making global standards work. To get there, we need agreement on core values. Companies such as ours cannot just build promising new technology and let market forces decide how it will be used. It is equally incumbent on us to make sure that technology is harnessed for good and available to everyone," he said in the editorial.

Businesses across almost every industry deploy artificial intelligence to make jobs simpler for staff and tasks easier for consumers. Computer software teaches customer service agents how to be more compassionate, schools use machine learning to scan for weapons and mass shooters on campus, and doctors use AI to map the root cause of diseases. Sectors such as cybersecurity, online entertainment and retail use the tech in combination with wide swaths of customer data in revolutionary ways to streamline services. Though these applications may seem harmless, perhaps even helpful, the AI is only as good as the information fed into it, which can have serious implications. You might not realize it, but AI helps determine whether you qualify for a loan in some cases.

One Georgia school district plans to spend $16.5 million to install artificial intelligence-powered surveillance cameras in its roughly 100 buildings in coming years. Businesses across almost every industry deploy artificial intelligence to make jobs simpler for staff and tasks easier for consumers. Computer software teaches customer service agents how to be more compassionate, schools use machine learning to scan for weapons and mass shooters on campus, and doctors use AI to map the root cause of diseases. Sectors such as cybersecurity, online entertainment and retail use the tech in combination with wide swaths of customer data in revolutionary ways to streamline services. Though these applications may seem harmless, perhaps even helpful, the AI is only as good as the information fed into it, which can have serious implications.

We head to Austin now for the annual South by Southwest Conference in this week's All Tech Considered. CORNISH: Now, South by Southwest is known for the music, but running alongside the shows are panels that bring leaders across industries together to discuss what's cutting edge. And one emerging technology being talked about a lot is artificial intelligence. For more on that, NPR's Laura Sydell joins us from Austin. CORNISH: To begin, obviously, people are talking about AI across the tech industry.

Artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly, the ethics surrounding it are not. We are talking about an increasingly normal feature of life. When you talk with your smartphone or use Google Translate, you're using AI. What bothers scientists is the looming moment that AI starts making life or death decisions for us. LAURA SYDELL, BYLINE: When I say artificial intelligence, a lot of people think science fiction, like the famous scene in the film from "2001: A Space Odyssey."