Is AI The End Of Outsourcing?

byPaulWatson

3.8K followers

3 months ago

Hey there WAers and welcome my look into the question of whether AI is the end of outsourcing? You see this is something that has been playing on my mind recently as I actually finished up my content writer a few months back myself.

The reasoning at the time was simple. I was paying him around $40 an article to write me 25 articles per month (total $1000 per month) and he was starting to use AI more and more in the articles he was sending me.

I wasn't overly happy with them as he was not able to review and reword to the standard he was doing before that. In short I figured that for a fraction of that cost, I could set up my own AI platform and do it all myself.

Now I am starting to rethink this strategy for reasons I will outline below, but first:

What Did AI Itself Think Of this?

Response: Reports indicate a growing investment in AI technologies, signifying a shift in how companies perceive operational efficiency. This financial commitment points to a confidence in AI's ability to support and, in some cases, supplant roles traditionally outsourced.

Data shows that companies are not only maintaining their spending on AI but are also prepared to increase it, reflecting an expectation that AI integration can lead to significant cost savings and competitive advantages.

But Wait...

Yet, the notion that AI is 'killing' outsourcing may be an oversimplification of a complex trend. While it's evident that AI is transforming the landscape, outsourcing is concurrently evolving, integrating AI to offer more sophisticated services.

Industries are witnessing the emergence of digital outsourcing, where the synergy between human expertise and AI capabilities provides a new value proposition. Observations of the industry trends suggest that rather than outright displacement, there is an adaptation where AI and outsourcing models are recalibrating to meet the demands of a digital economy.

Well, this goes back to why I outsourced in the first place. The thinking at the time (as with most who outsource)was that if I pay someone to do the menial writing, then I can focus on other aspects of my online business such as Affiliate management, SEO and learning.

But now, I am spending a real lot of time generating posts, proof reading and posting again. Sure, AI is saving time with the actual writing, but there is a little more to it as we know.

Now, my little AI friend will tell me the following:

Quality and Efficiency Gains

AI's impact on the quality and efficiency of services in outsourcing is twofold:

• Quality: AI-driven tools provide more consistent outputs and reduce errors, thus elevating the standard of services offered.
• Efficiency: AI accelerates processes through machine learning and automated decision-making, achieving tasks at a speed unattainable by human workers.

Yes, absolutely true, I timed it. My last post on my travel site outlined the best theme parks in California. I plugged that title and parameters into Koala and them used ChatGPT to elaborate on some of the wording. From start to finish, I had the post written and proofread in just under 30 minutes.

But then... the photos, SEO, social media, internal backlinks and so on took me another 40 - 50 minutes. I mean just over an hour is still good, but still menial.

So, What's my point?

My point is, that whilst I think AI can definitely assist, there is maybe a place for outsourcing afterall, just in a different area..

Or, as my little AI mate puts it:

Acknowledging the shift in required skill sets, outsourcing firms place heavy emphasis on reskilling their employees where the aim is to equip the workforce with the necessary skills to operate alongside AI and derive maximum value from this symbiosis.

Thoughts?

Paul