by Artificial Intelligence (AI) is perhaps the most promising technology currently available. AI helps people and organizations work quickly and efficiently. AI makes it possible to automate certain tasks, collects and analyzes data, and offers insight for decision-making. AI technology is improving at breakneck speed, with new developments and advancements happening constantly. One of the biggest fears is that AI will eliminate a large number of industrial and blue-collar jobs. This sentiment is largely driven by fear of the unknown. The reality is that no one really knows how AI and intelligent machines will change the workplace. I think that AI will ultimately take over certain jobs, however this is not necessarily a bad thing. Ultimately new technology means new jobs, and automation of mundane jobs frees up workers to pursue positions they are more passionate about.
The COVID-19 pandemic has played a major role in speeding up the process of job automation. Many companies now have employees work remotely, and it is unlikely that positions that saw heavy layoffs will ever fully recover, or even return at all. According to Newsweek, “ A paper released in May 2020 by the Becker Friedman Institute at the University of Chicago projected that 42% of layoffs caused by the pandemic will be permanent.” This is a staggering statistic, and a rightfully concerning one. This leaves a large number of workers with an uncertain future.
Many jobs that were once extremely common have slowly started to disappear, and as a college education continues to become less affordable, job prospects for people without a college degree become murkier. Newsweek does an excellent job of outlining this predicament, “In 1950, the job of elevator operator was among the 270 careers listed on the United States Census. That job title is now extinct, representing the only known instance of an entire occupation being obliterated by automation in the 50 years that followed. The next half-century may be less forgiving.” The question remains: what can we do to provide opportunities for these people, to ensure they have a future in the workforce?
While sudden change is always very jarring, it is important to not lose sight of the positives of automation. The goal of AI is not to steal jobs from human workers. Rather, AI exists to make work easier by eliminating mundane and time-consuming tasks. Many of the occupations AI is poised to control are mundane or highly repetitive. These include fast-food jobs, taxi and bus drivers, computer operators, telemarketers, and so on. I’m not attempting to put down these professions or shame anyone who works these jobs. The truth is these are very important jobs that provide a steady income to lots of people. However, you would have a hard time convincing me that these are passion projects for people. I would argue that most people want more out of life than to be bogged down doing mundane tasks. If these jobs become automated, it will allow people to pursue work that is meaningful to them.
What is repeatedly overlooked in AI automation, is that AI creates jobs by simply existing. There need to be humans that work in positions that monitor or assist AI in their tasks. Obviously, science fiction shows us what could happen when AI is left to its own devices. AI learn patterns by analyzing data and can be extremely effective in certain tasks. However, it is very difficult for AI to multitask, that is why humans are needed to oversee AI automation. According to the New York Times, “M.I.T. researchers concluded that the change (AI automation) would be more evolutionary than revolutionary. In fact, they wrote, “we anticipate that in the next two decades, industrialized countries will have more job openings than workers to fill them.”’ Instead of focusing on saving jobs destined for automation, we should be focusing on training people on how to work with AI. The next job frontier is approaching, it is about time we start preparing the workforce for these changes.
Since AI first penetrated the world’s consciousness, it has brought feelings of dread to the average worker. A lot of this fear and anxiety is obviously warranted, as certain jobs have slowly been taken over by technology. The pandemic has contributed by speeding up the process of automation. Ultimately, I believe much of this fear is misplaced. AI will automate simple tasks, allowing people to pursue passions, while simultaneously creating new jobs. We cannot allow uneasy feelings about AI to hold us back from a better future!
Works Cited:
https://www.newsweek.com/jobs-that-might-not-exist-50-years-1530811
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/technology/digital-economy-technology-work-labor.html