A young Asian businesswoman wearing luminous smart glasses uses a tablet on the street at night. Concepts like augmented reality, artificial intelligence, smart cities, metaverse, post-humanism are embodied.
Wang Yukun | Moment | beautiful pictures
Artificial intelligence is the latest technology talk topic thanks to the explosion of ChatGPT. The AI-powered chatbot, created by Microsoft-backed OpenAI, has impressed and shocked the world with its ability to answer questions, write essays, and even argue legal cases.
Its capabilities also put another topic at the forefront of people’s minds: if, how and when artificial intelligence could impact their jobs and careers. And while concerns about AI-based technology taking over people’s jobs are growing, experts say it’s not as simple as that.
Replace or create jobs?
The short answer to the question of whether AI will replace some jobs is a big “yes”.
Steven Miller, professor emeritus of information systems at Singapore Management University, said the rise of artificial intelligence means that technology can increasingly achieve more and that of course will. impact on employment.
“As physical machines, software systems, and combinations of hardware and software become more capable with AI assistance, it is increasingly possible to replace much of today’s human work with machines. as well as economically viable,” he tells CNBC Make It.
Certain roles, Miller adds, are more susceptible to this than others — especially those that are highly repetitive or are based on very specific guidelines or rules that dictate specific guidelines or rules. work that needs to be done.
On the other hand, tasks that change frequently and therefore require things like adaptability and flexibility are harder for technology to replace..
According to Dimitris Papanikloaou, a professor of finance at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, jobs with a strong human element — such as therapists — are especially hard to come by by technology. “Jobs that emphasize interpersonal skills are much harder to replace by AI,” he said.
New job on the horizon?
“As with most technological advancements, it’s natural to have an initial fear of job loss and worker displacement,” said Steve Chase, lead consultant at KPMG US.
However, it is important to keep a few points in mind, he added. First, similar disruptions have occurred before: for example, the prevalence of computers, or more specialized and advanced machines in factories.
These things have changed the way people work and the kind of work they do — and they made some jobs redundant — but today, we cannot imagine life without them.
This is a centuries-old process, says Miller, adding that history shows that if jobs are lost to new technology, other roles have been created to take their place.
“New job creation is the result of the ability to create and provide new types of goods and services … has outstripped the number of jobs displaced,” he explained.
Work with AI, not against it
Papanikloaou points out that AI, the technology and the products based on it are still limited in certain aspects.
“I think we’re pretty far from ‘real AI’ right now in the sense that all the models we have are aimed at predicting the right response based on a set of data. Much of what AI does. To do is to synthesize existing knowledge with one goal in mind,” he said. “This is quite far from creating new knowledge.”
Humans working alongside artificial intelligence, rather than being superseded by it, is a more likely scenario at the moment, he said. “There are more opportunities to use AI to enhance the work of human employees than to fully automate human work.”
Chase agrees, explaining that many businesses are using AI to improve efficiency or assist employees.
“Leaders are using AI to improve the physical efficiency of their businesses and help workers do their jobs more efficiently,” he said. “Leveraging AI allows organizations to reconfigure roles in a way that minimizes time spent on repetitive tasks and maximizes strategic decision-making.”
To do this successfully, businesses need to adapt, says Chase. This includes educating employees, helping them upskill and retrain them, and creating a framework for responsible use of AI technology. He says some companies have already started doing this.
So while AI algorithms and the technology based on them may not replace human work, they will likely become a more important part of daily working life — potentially. soon or late.
