Do you know your favourite friendly robots like R2-D2, 3-CPO and Wall-E? Well, they might steal your job.
In this article, I will be discussing how AI (artificial intelligence) will affect unemployment in the future. I will offer both for and against arguments related to AI and try to remain as unbiased as possible.
AI has come a long way from figments of imagination to become something tangible that could either help society or greatly damage it… or both.
There are 2 main categories of AI.
1. Generative AI, which generates original content. These AI models are trained to identify patterns from existing data and create unique content from that knowledge as the infamous Chat GPT
2. Personalization AI. Companies use this to understand and cater to customers. AI algorithms analyze user behavior to identify their preferences and make recommendations.
This all sounds amazing, doesn’t it? Humanity working with robots to enhance productivity. Some, including major corporations such as Microsoft or Google, believe that progress in the AI industry will lead to a partnership between humans and robots.
Historically speaking, technological breakthroughs have always been met with initial fear however ended up helping humanity progress. The Industrial Revolution was a development that scared most, especially the working class, but an occupational census taken in 1950, shows only one out of 270 listed jobs became extinct: an elevator operator. The invention of electricity was major but it took factories decades to fully switch to an electric-powered system, allowing the market to adjust properly. If jobs became obsolete, new ones would arise to accommodate that.
Some say that AI will always require maintenance/guidance from programmers, making a terminator-style outcome impossible. Certain professionals also believe that AI can’t learn human skills such as empathy or complex decision-making; making the automatization of certain professions impossible.
If these statements are true, every industry will evolve considerably, leading to an enhanced quality of life and knowledge.
Others, such as billionaire Elon Musk, are of a completely opposite belief. They claim humans are underestimating the true power of AI. There is evidence for this claim as Geoffry Hinton (nick-named the godfather of AI) recently expressed concern about the possibility of AI upending the job market.
This has made many people uneasy about AI. While there have previously been critics of AI such as philosophy professor Hubert Dreyfus (1965), few so heavily implicated and knowledgeable of the AI industry have spoken out against it.
If Musk and Hinton are to be believed, then 80% of jobs and numerous industries are at risk of becoming automated. Manufacturing and logistics jobs requiring basic decision-making, repetitive data input and transportation have already succumbed to AI. Progress in 3D printing, genetic engineering and robotics have enabled computers to perform the tasks of architects, composers and certain doctors. More surprisingly, white-collar jobs that have up until now been seen as irreplaceable are becoming a potential target of automation. The banking and financial industries’ demand for data analysts and risk assessors is decreasing.
These arguments are supported by current statistics. Last year, AI was responsible for 3,900 job cuts (roughly 5% of all jobs lost) making it the seventh-highest contributor to employment losses (US). Investment bank Goldman Sachs predicted AI could eventually replace 300 million full-time jobs.
What do you think? Will AI deepen our understanding of the world around us and develop our capabilities or will it surpass human intelligence and make us obsolete. Both potential outcomes envision a new, unimaginable world in our future, but will it be for the better, or worse?
Bibliography:
https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/basics/unemploy.htm
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/16/upshot/unemployment-pandemic-worker-shortages.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52660591
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2023/09/11/the-future-of-artificial-intelligence-predictions-and-trends/
https://www.un.org/en/desa/will-robots-and-ai-cause-mass-unemployment-not-necessarily-they-do-bring-other
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/may/22/ai-jobs-policies
https://hbr.org/2023/06/companies-that-replace-people-with-ai-will-get-left-behind
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ai-job-losses-artificial-intelligence-challenger-report/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chatgpt-artificial-intelligence-chatbot-jobs-most-likely-to-be-replaced/
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fstarwars%2Fnews%2Fstar-wars-do-r2-d2-and-c-3po-appear-in-rogue-one%2F&psig=AOvVaw3VdzWfoWlFOivhoW7-KFnU&ust=1696345043310000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBEQjRxqFwoTCPDYnvDP14EDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE
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