Coffee Break

Even if you didn't grow up in the 1980s, you probably know at least some of the lyrics to the Styx classic "Mr. Roboto." For example, you may be familiar with this line: "Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto, for doing the jobs that nobody wants to." Dennis DeYoung, the prescient Styx songwriter, was interviewed by Billboard magazine last July about the fact that the band had recently added Mr. Roboto back into its concert play list for the first time in 35 years. DeYoung said the band had begun playing the song again because fans as young as 12 years old have been requesting it during virtually every recent concert. The same summer that Styx was adding "Mr. Roboto" back to its set list, Fast Company business magazine ran a story entitled, "How to Nail an Interview with a Chatbot." The HR lawyer in me believes these stories are related, and they are saying something important about the direction of our culture and about HR. AI may be the future of HR, but it may not be as easy as we think to get there. If that is the case, lawyers and politicians will be to blame.

An employer cannot predict workplace violence but they can have procedures in place to help keep their employees safe.