Genre Analysis Report: Artificial Intelligence in the Work Force

Antonio Zavala Anaya

University of Texas at El Paso

RWS 1302
Genre Analysis Report: Artificial Intelligence in the Work Force

Abstract

The problem that will be addressed and analyzed in this paper will be the implementation of

Artificial Intelligence in the modern business workforce and whether this will benefit or

prejudice human labor and jobs. Artificial intelligence (AI) is an area of computer science that

emphasizes the creation of intelligent machines that work and react in the most resemblance

possible to humans. Lately AI technology has been implemented to different companies in

different ways, from automatized machines replacing labor workers in cars assembly to

predictive analysis and natural language processing even implemented as virtual personal

assistants. These technological advances had generated the concern that machines, and robots

will take over many human jobs leaving thousands unemployed by being replaced by AIs.
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Artificial Intelligence Implementation in the Work Force

The problem that will be addressed and analyzed in this paper will be the

implementation of Artificial Intelligence in the modern business workforce and whether this will

benefit or prejudice human labor and jobs. Artificial intelligence (AI) is an area of computer

science that emphasizes the creation of intelligent machines that work and react in the most

resemblance possible to humans. Lately AI technology has been implemented to different

companies in different ways, from automatized machines replacing labor workers in cars

assembly to predictive analysis and natural language processing. AI has even been implemented

as virtual personal assistants. These technological advances had generated the concern that

machines, and robots will take over many human jobs replacing workers with AIs leaving

thousands unemployed. In contrast with this concern, several researches across the world have

demonstrated that the implementation of AI would benefit rather than harm the economy and

workforce jobs.

Introduction to the Genres

Along this document the reader will be introduced to the two genres that will be used and

compared regarding to the topic of Artificial Intelligence in modern industry. The genres

analyzed in this paper will be a Written Article part of the Textual genre and a Video Interview/

Episode of the audio-visual genre.

The textual article that will be analyzed during this project is an article from Forbes; The

Future of AI and Automation in The Workforce, by Ray Zinn, member of the Forbes Technology

Council. The article focuses on how AI possibilities of implementation across the workforce is

massive and how it is beneficial for the companies as well as the workers. The article makes

emphasis on how society has always been afraid of innovations and technological advances by
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the fear of change and loss of being in the comfort zone of what they are accustomed. Along

with this, the author explains how AI works, how it is being implemented and how it is not a real

threat but an opportunity. As its thesis statement is proving that Automation & AI technology

exists to help in manual labor not to remove it.

The audio-visual genre used is an episode of “CxO Talk: conversations with innovators.”

The episode analyzed is Artificial intelligence: McKinsey talks workforce, training, and AI

ethics, a video made by Michael Krigsman an internationally recognized industry analyst and

columnist of ZDNet. As well, along the video the McKinsey firm representative, Michael Chiu,

explains how AI is being implemented and used in their company. This video talks about how

machine intelligence will have a profound impact on business and jobs in the next few years and

how managed correctly will be a financial boost for companies and it will increment jobs rather

than reduce them. Moreover, the participants also talk about global consulting firms offering

advice to business leaders on managing AI and creating a successful strategy to adopt to these

technologies. In this resource the thesis statement is how Automation & AI technology

implementation will be essential, the secret to success in this is changing what people do in an

organization.

Comparing and Contrasting Genres

As the two genres manage their information in different aspects it is necessary to examine

the similarities and differences between the two genres. This will be done by first analyzing the

structure and delivery of the material they are trying to cover and transmit. Focusing in the

intended audience, content managed, purpose of the information presented between the two

genres.
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Analyzing the structure in the textual genre one can observe, that way the information is

shaped is in a professional layout dividing the information by subtopics depending on the focus

the author is giving in each section of the article and due to the fact that is an internet article the

limitations of space or time are broad giving the opportunity of covering a considerable amount

of information backed up by research mentioned along the article and professional comments.

In the matter of delivery, it is observed that the audience to which is aimed is mostly

professional audiences. Most specifically to financial or business administrators or computer

sciences-related engineers this due to the material covered and the specialized vocabulary. Still,

the specialized vocabulary is scarce along the article giving the opportunity to every reader to

understand the information and appreciate what it is communicating. And since it’s an

informational article in keeps a formal language, traditional Georgia font in black color and blue

hyperlinks on sections that can be read in more depth in other articles. Since it is a written article

it contains close to no visual elements, only a picture on the introduction.

While making the examination of the visual genre it is notable that, the information is

shaped quite differently compared to the typographical article. Since it is an episode of CxO

Talks, a web series about industry analysis and technological entrepreneurship in business, the

video lasts 45 minutes approximately but this still creates a time limitation of what can be

covered along this time. The layout of the video is done by a type of video conference between

the host of the video and some professionals in business and technology. Since it’s a program ran

by an industry analyst the audience is very similar to the written article but with more focus on

business managers and financial scholars, rather than engineers and technological enthusiasts.

The vocabulary used is specialized in the more financial administration, economical assets and
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statistics rather than in computer applied vocabulary making it reduce its audience to financial

and economic professionals.

The video conveys its message by comments and facts from the participants of the video,

as well as showing graphs of what is being explained. This is done by presenting a graph on the

foreground of the video while the speaker is explaining a financial commentary. The language

used is neutral, not formal nor informal since the speakers talk to one another in a casual type of

conversation while defining or explaining what it is being discussed, regardless everything is

managed in a professional manner.

After examining both genres, a comparison can be made since even though the genre, and

material is different the topic is the same allowing to find similarities among the two. The first

similitude observed is that both sources have a point of view positive towards the

implementation of Artificial Intelligence in modern businesses, as they present facts and research

of how this technology is beneficial and prejudicial in a sense but state that the benefits are far

greater than the issues it may cause. Also, they both express the potential of industry growth by

the implementation of this technology, how the job loss would be caused by administrative

actions not by the use of AIs, where it is being used now and how it has benefit them in short

term economic growth.

In contrast, they also have plenty of different among genres in both style and material

covered. The textual genre makes comparisons with other similar situations that human society

have experienced proving that sometimes change is necessary and it is not a bad thing. While the

visual genre keeps the topic focused only in AI and economical subjects. As well the article

explains how AI works and its different uses when the video does not mention that, expecting the

audience to already know what AI is, and rather gives a broader explanation on how businesses
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can adapt this change for their benefit while causing the less damage to their workers. In this way

the article gives more emphasis on the implementation of AI in workforce in general while the

video solely to financial firms and industrial giants.

Audience and Purpose.

Even though the textual delivers the information for a broader audience, the intended

audience of both genres can be defined as businesses workers and owners, technological and

computer sciences engineers and technology enthusiasts. Nevertheless, the purpose of each

genre differs from one another. The purpose of the written article is to inform about AI while at

the same time persuade that it comes with many benefits, trying to convince the workforce that

this change doesn’t mean that everybody will lose their jobs rather produce more opportunities,

that it is going to be beneficial to them, but sometimes it is necessary to leave the comfort zone

and embrace change. Whereas the purpose of the video is mostly to inform rather than to

persuade viewers of making a change, it informs of how to be prepared and gives advice to

business owners but in an informational manner.

The audience tie with the purpose by analyzing the opportunities this technological

revolution can bring them and how it can give them certain advantages towards other companies.

As well they are trying to encourage awareness of how this tech revolution is progressing rapidly

and help them be prepared to adapt in the best possible way, business owners and workers alike.

Appeal to the Rhetorical Situations.

As a rhetorical assignment, it is essential to analyze the use of the rhetorical situations of,

ethos, pathos and logos among the genres to prove their efficiency in transmitting their intended

message.
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Regarding their appeal to ethos, both genres by establishing the credibility of the source

and authors by communicating their titles and business positions. In the textual genre, obtained

from the Forbes Website, is written by Ray Zinn, who as mentioned previously is member of the

Forbes Technology Council and is the longest-serving CEO in Silicon Valley proving that his

capabilities and knowledge in the subject are broad and trustful. Likewise, the visual genre, a

video produced by ZDNet a business technology website and branch of CBS Interactive and

TechRepublic performed by Michael Krigsman, who is an industry analyst, strategy advisor and

industry commentator with the participation of Michael Chiu, a Principal at the McKinsey

Global Institute and David Bray, CIO at the USA Federal Communication Commission. This

information allows the viewer to believe in the information they are communicating as business

and technological experts.

In their approach to pathos the video is more objective to the facts and benefits without

approaching directly to the emotions of the viewers, but rather in the sense of how these

innovations will give their companies more money and they will generate more income creating

an emotion of excitement to the viewers in the sense of bigger wallet, bigger success. Where the

text article makes an approach to pathos by focusing at the beginning in the concerns towards

this technology trying to relieve that fear, by showing how similar changes to this one have been

done before making life easier, explaining this with comic comments such as, “I suspect the

Vatican is quite happy with Microsoft Word as compared to hiring warehouses full of scribes

when it comes to mass production of Bibles.” producing a placid reading and turning it into

optimism towards Artificial Intelligence.

The type of evidence used to support the claims and provide logos among the two genres

is done by the use of research of engineers and financial advisors on Artificial Intelligence or
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similar technological changes done in the past that benefited our society and economics by

including graphics results and data obtained from industrial impact statistics. An example is, “In

1950, when tractors automated much of agriculture, it contributed to ever-rising crop yields and

lowered the price of food (net public benefit) from 43% of a household budget to 30%.” (Zinn,

2017.)

Conclusion and Synthesis.

After analyzing the two genres, the most effective in conveying the message is the

written article. The reason resides in the facts that it does not have any space or time limitation it

is more able to transmit more information and due to the vocabulary allows a bigger audience to

appreciate the content. Additionally, the author effective appeal to pathos makes the reader more

interested in finishing the article and find out everything the author have to say in contrast to the

video which may become tiresome due to the lack of understanding to the specialized vocabulary

and the fact that the participants may go off topic and additionally to the fact of time limitations,

the material covered is less.

As well the audio-visual genre takes more of a business aspect of the topic on contrast to

the textual genre which mixes better the technology with the business.

So, after the analysis of both genres the conclusion is that even though usually a textual

genre can be tiresome to read compared to watching a visual genre, the true effectiveness lies on

how the genre appeals to the rhetorical situations. As in this case the text article appeals more

effectively making this situation opposite to how it usually tends to occur.

 References

Zinn, R. (2017, September 21). The Future of AI and Automation in The Workforce. Forbes

Retrieved September 17, 2018, from

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2017/05/05/the-future-of-ai-and-

automation-in-the-workforce/#2a1d01304e36

Krigsman, M., Chui, M., & Bray, D. (2017, April 23). McKinsey: AI, jobs, and workforce

automation. ZDNet: CxO Talks, 219. Retrieved September 17, 2018, from

https://www.cxotalk.com/episode/automation-ai-business-michael-chui-mckinsey-david-

bray-fcc