经济学人:Bartleby专栏:对新技术影响的担忧过度(2)

 Turning to office life, AI can help with complex and fiddly tasks like managing supply chains, 回到办公室场景，AI可以帮助处理复杂高精度的任务，比如管理供应链、

allocating¹ desk space and keeping records of meetings. All this can free up time for people to work on more important strategic decisions. 分配办公空间以及保存会议记录。所有这些都为人们节省时间去进行更加重要的战略决策。

The authors also think that AI could help collaboration² within companies. One obvious example is the elimination³ of language barriers. 本专栏作者还认为AI可以帮助公司内部的合作。一个明显的例子就是消除语言障碍。

Multinational⁴ companies may have employees who lack a common language; AI can handle translation in real time so that dialogue is easier. 跨国公司中的员工说不同的语言，AI可以进行即时翻译让沟通变得更加轻松。

And the report argues that AI can produce better decision-making by offering a contrarian opinion so that teams can avoid the danger of groupthink. 并且该报告还争辩到AI可以提供一条相反的意见，让团队避免小团体意识，从而做出更好的决策。

A program could analyse e-mails and meeting transcripts⁵ and issue alerts when potentially false assumptions are being made 当出现潜在错误假设时，程序可以分析邮件、会议纪要并发出警告

(rather like the boy in the Hans Christian⁶ Andersen tale who notices that the Emperor has no clothes). （就像是安徒生童话故事中那个注意到皇帝没有穿衣服的男孩一样）。

Or it can warn a team when it is getting distracted from the task in hand. 当手头任务被干扰时，也可以向团队发出警告。

When a firm is starting a new project, AI can also suggest experts from other parts of the organisation⁷ who could contribute. 当一家公司开始一个新项目时，AI也可以推荐公司内部其他部门的专家为该项目提供帮助。

In recruitment, managers could set criteria⁸ for "cognitive⁹ diversity" (seeking people with different academic and cultural backgrounds) 在招聘时，管理者可以为“认知多样性”设定标准（寻找那些来自不同教育和文化背景的人）

when conducting a job search and allow AI to suggest candidates. This could eliminate remaining hiring biases¹⁰ in favour of white males. 并允许AI推荐候选人。这样可以避免招聘白人应聘者的偏好。

Helen Poitevin of Gartner, a research company, says that some firms are using AI to suggest training possibilities to existing workers, 研究公司高德纳的海伦·普瓦特万表示一些公司利用AI根据类似员工的职业道路，推荐针对现有员工的培训

based on the career paths of similar staff, as an aid to their career development. 帮助员工实现职业发展。

And programs are also being used to analyse individual employees' feedback AI程序还被用于分析员工的反馈

so that managers can be aware of specific areas where a lot of people are unhappy. 这样管理者可以了解员工最不满意的地方是什么。

If they react in the right way, this should make workers' lives better. 如果他们反映得当，那么这种做法可以让员工生活变得更好。

All of which is a useful corrective to some of the more alarming predictions about the potential effects of AI. 这一切都是对AI潜在影响警惕性预测的有效更正。

But as ever, it needs to be remembered that programs are only as good as the data they are given. 但一如既往，需要记住程序的质量取决于输入程序中的数据。

If those who input¹¹ the data have biases, they may show up in the suggestions that it generates. 如果输入的数据存在偏好，那么这种偏好会体现在程序生成的建议中。

As Ms Poitevin says, AI can help improve diversity in the workforce¹² "if we want it to". 正如普瓦特万所说，AI可以帮助提高员工的多样性，前提是“如果我们希望的话”。

The best employers should be able to turn AI into a positive for workers. 最好的雇主应该能够将AI转变成对员工有益的东西。

 

1 allocating   

分配，分派( allocate的现在分词 )； 把…拨给

参考例句：

• Administrative practice generally follows the judicial model in allocating burdens of proof. 在分配举证责任方面，行政实践通常遵循司法模式。
• A cyclical multiplexing technique, allocating resources in fixed-time slices. 以固定的时间片分配资源的循环复用技术。

2 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

3 elimination   

n.排除，消除，消灭

参考例句：

• Their elimination from the competition was a great surprise.他们在比赛中遭到淘汰是个很大的意外。
• I was eliminated from the 400 metres in the semi-finals.我在400米半决赛中被淘汰。

4 multinational   

adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司

参考例句：

• The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。
• He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

5 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句

6 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

7 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

8 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。

9 cognitive   

adj.认知的，认识的，有感知的

参考例句：

• As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
• The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。

10 biases   

偏见( bias的名词复数 )； 偏爱； 特殊能力； 斜纹

参考例句：

• Stereotypes represent designer or researcher biases and assumptions, rather than factual data. 它代表设计师或者研究者的偏见和假设，而不是实际的数据。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• The net effect of biases on international comparisons is easily summarized. 偏差对国际比较的基本影响容易概括。

11 input   

n.输入(物)；投入；vt.把(数据等)输入计算机

参考例句：

• I will forever be grateful for his considerable input.我将永远感激他的大量投入。
• All this information had to be input onto the computer.所有这些信息都必须输入计算机。

12 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。