到2020年,美國四分之一的勞動力都將年過55歲接近退休,出現人稱“銀發族海嘯”的現象。屆時電力、通信和制造業等眾多領域可能會缺少熟練的工人,但增強現實不但有望解決勞動力老齡化帶來的種種問題,還可能改變未來員工培訓的方式,從根本上提高生產率。 2016年,美國各行各業的企業為培訓員工人均投入將近1000美元,大部分都是傳統方式,例如在教室內研討或者開課,即便網上有培訓單元也在模仿課堂培訓。這種教學方式幾百年來都能滿足人們的需求,特別是在將學習能力跟記性好壞劃等號的年代,很多文化中都認為記憶力卓絕能背得出長篇大論的人最優秀。而隨著人類知識范圍拓展,美國教育家約翰·杜威等人認識到,了解信息的重要性以及信息與世界的關系才是真正的學習,也應是學習的目標。 未來幾年,機器學習和增強現實有可能推動這兩種教育方式提升一個臺階,幫助員工在最需要的時間和地點盡可能獲得最新也最準確的信息。 數字現實可以通過以下四種方式掀起企業培訓領域的革命: 實時信息 增強現實眼鏡或面前有顯示屏的安全頭盔可以幫助一線員工參與培訓,識別設備后可按步驟指導員工走流程。負責維修保養的工人可以觀察石油鉆井平臺上特定型號的高壓設備或者模型,安全地完成診斷和維修操作。如果相關信息過時或者淘汰,企業無需重新培訓員工。企業添置新設備后,系統將自動升級,所有一線員工都能掌握最新的信息。員工只需要學習如何使用數字現實硬件,就能確保完成一線工作。采油企業給各處外派員工培訓所花的時間將減少,從而提高生產率。 技能熟練的員工以虛擬形式出現 用上“見我所見”(SWIS)眼鏡后,經驗豐富的員工幾乎無所不能。任何公司里員工的技能和經驗都不可能完全一樣。一旦現場發生不同尋常的問題,往往需要特別調派人手上陣,耗費時間和金錢。以后如果發現出了不熟悉的問題,企業不用再派資深技術員前往現場,技術高手現在可以在指揮中心工作,通過增強現實眼鏡看到現場服務團隊發現的問題。比如吊車操作員可以遙控世界各地工程現場的吊車。經驗豐富的員工根本不用離開辦公桌,就能跨越時空限制發揮技能。 保持技能和知識水平 增強現實系統可以保存員工寶貴的學識和深刻見解。即使有經驗的員工退休了,高超的技術也可以永遠留在企業里。美國政府最近發布的一份報告預計,十年內將有半數電線工人退休,導致相關技工短缺,甚至可能影響美國的能源網。人工智能系統可以現在就開始觀察員工正確的操作,從中學習和適應,發現錯誤操作可以學著避免,進而變得更聰明、更安全。隨著機器學習加入未來系統,無論哪位員工有新發現,所有員工都可以受益。培訓系統可以逐漸推動生產率和安全性提高。 通過日常設備進行機器學習 最后一點,希望通過增強現實加強培訓的企業并不用依賴下一代硬件。蘋果新推出的增強現實平臺ARKit可以將當前的硬件變為強大的增強現實培訓工具。今年6月,蘋果主管軟件工程的高級副總克雷格·弗德里吉在最新一屆開發者大會上精辟地指出: “只要好好利用各種設備上的軟件,實際上我們手中數以億計的iPhone和iPad就能實現增強現實。蘋果的ARKit一夜之間就可成為全球最大的增強現實平臺?!? 其實企業培訓應用問世前,員工很早就用上了智能手機;如今也類似,增強現實技術進入企業培訓領域剛有苗頭,數百萬員工已經在個人手機和平板電腦上接觸增強現實。隨著員工熟悉相關設備,日后企業培訓起來也更方便。只要稍微調整下配置,現有的數字現實和機器學習工具完全可以提高安全性,提升生產率并降低成本。 這不就是我們所有人努力實現的夢想嗎?(財富中文網) 譯者:Pessy 審校:夏林 杰伊·薩米特是德勤旗下數字現實業務的獨立副董事長,著有暢銷書《顛覆自我》。 |
By 2020, 25% of the American workforce will be over the age of 55 and approaching retirement, a phenomenon becoming known as the Silver Tsunami. While this could create a shortage of skilled workers in a number of fields including electric utilities, telecommunications, and manufacturing, augmented reality (AR) is poised not only to address issues faced by our aging workforce, but to fundamentality increase productivity by changing how all employees are trained in the future. In 2016, U.S. companies across industries spent nearly $1,000 in training per employee, largely delivered in traditional formats like classroom-based seminars and classes, and even online training modules that mimic that experience. This kind of learning has suited people’s needs for centuries, particularly when learning was thought of as memorization with many cultures celebrating those who could recite long texts with exceptional rote skills. But as the breadth of human knowledge expanded, learning paradigms have changed with the works of John Dewey and others who recognized that understanding why information is important and how it relates to our world is true learning—and should be the goal. In the coming years, machine learning and augmented reality will likely take both educational approaches to the next level by empowering workers to have the latest, most accurate information available in context, when and where they need it most. Here are four ways that digital reality can revolutionize corporate training: Real-Time Information Heads-up displays on AR glasses or safety helmets will assist those in the field by being able to recognize equipment and guide workers through step-by-step diagnostics. A maintenance worker could look at a specific make or model of high-voltage equipment on an oil rig and be safely taken through the diagnostic and repair procedure. No need to retrain a workforce when information becomes dated or obsolete. When new equipment is added to a facility, the system will be updated and all field workers will have the most current information. Workers just need to learn how to use the digital reality hardware, and they will be prepared for field work. Less time will be spent in off-site training so productivity increases. A Virtual Presence for Skilled Workers See-What-I-See (SWIS) glasses will give the most skilled workers near omnipotence. No organization has a workforce with equally distributed skills and experience. When out-of-the-ordinary problems occur in the field, all-too-often a second team needs to be dispatched, costing the company both time and money. Rather than rolling a second truck with more senior technicians when an unfamiliar problem is discovered, top talent can now work from a central location and literally see what the field service teams are seeing from their augmented glasses. A construction crane operator, for example, could remotely operate cranes at construction sites around the globe. The most experienced workers will be available to transport their skills across time and space—without ever leaving their desks. Retaining Skills and Knowledge Augmented reality systems can retain valuable employee learnings and insights. Highly trained skills will no longer leave the company when experienced workers retire. A recent U.S. government report estimates that half of all electrical lineworkers will retire within the decade causing a shortage of manpower that could affect America’s energy grid. Artificial intelligence systems can actually learn and adapt by watching what today’s workers are doing right (and conversely what they are doing wrong) to make the augmented systems smarter and safer. With machine learning built into future systems, all workers can benefit from whatever one worker has discovered. Training systems become evolving tools for increasing productivity and safety. Learning Experiences via Everyday Devices Lastly, corporate benefits of augmented reality training aren’t dependent on the next generation of hardware. The new ARKit from Apple turns today’s hardware into powerful AR training tools. As Craig Federighi, head of software at Apple, aptly pointed out at the company's most recent developer conference in June: When you bring the software together with these devices, we actually have hundreds of millions of iPhones and iPads that are going to be capable of AR. That's going to make overnight the ARKit the largest AR platform in the world. Just as the smartphone was adopted by employees long before corporate training apps were created, millions of workers are engaging with augmented reality on their phones and tablets today. Their familiarity with these devices will make training the worker of tomorrow much easier. Properly configured, today’s digital reality and machine learning tools have the power to improve safety, productivity, and reduce cost. Isn’t that the reality we are all striving for? Jay Samit is the independent vice chairman of Deloitte's Digital Reality practice and author of the bestselling book Disrupt You! |