AI and Your Job: Understanding the Future of Work
In recent times, there has been talk of the way AI will change our jobs. In the case of Google, the number of employees was reduced by 12,000 in 2023, and this is not an isolated example. Even those firms that do not disclose their plans record significant transformations. Behind many of these layoffs and shifts stands one powerful force: Artificial Intelligence. This might sound strange at first, but it is true. Even though AI is still in its early stages, its future impact could be massive. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, recently said that current AI models are the “stupidest they will ever be,” meaning they will improve significantly in the next five to ten years. This future version of AI, called Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), could do almost any job a human can. So, what does this mean for your career, and what can you do to be ready?
The best way to prepare for the future is not to fear AI, but to learn how to leverage it. By becoming the person who understands and implements these new technologies, you become indispensable. A great starting point is to master the
What is Artificial Intelligence?
To understand how AI changes jobs, we first need to know what it is.
- Artificial means something made by humans.
- Intelligence refers to the ability to learn, think, and make decisions.
So, AI refers to machines that can think and act like humans. They can learn, make decisions on their own, and do tasks that usually require human intelligence. AI technology was created to help people, like when your phone uses face recognition to unlock.
Throughout history, new technologies have consistently led to changes in job roles. For example, radio and TV brought new jobs but changed others. However, AI is different. Its impact is much broader and deeper than past changes.
How AI Changes Jobs
AI’s effect on jobs can happen in three main ways:
AI Replaces Jobs Completely
In this case, jobs that were performed before by humans are replaced by AI. This demoralization may also lead to people losing their jobs as machines take over their tasks.
- Real-World Examples of Replacement
- A content writer named Sharanya lost her job because her Company started using ChatGPT to write articles. This left her family struggling.
- Dukaan, a company that helps businesses create online stores, fired 90% of its customer support staff. The CEO, Sumit Shah, explained that human agents had limits and were slow to solve customer problems. The Company found an AI chatbot that could do the work better and faster.
- Generative AI and Repetitive Tasks
- The technology behind these chatbots is called Generative AI. It can create new information, like generating answers to questions.
- This type of AI is very good at doing repetitive jobs.
- Sam Altman believes that any repetitive human work that does not require a “deep emotional connection” between two people will soon be done better, cheaper, and faster by AI.
- Call center jobs often involve giving similar answers to many people, making them easy for AI to handle. Companies like Bond AI now offer AI assistants for customer service over the phone.
- AI in Restaurants and Other Services
- Jobs like servers in restaurants also involve many repetitive tasks.
- Robots like “Flippy” are designed to reduce workload in restaurants. Experts believe that these robots could replace over 82% of restaurant jobs in the next 5 to 10 years.
- McDonald’s has even opened a fully automated store in the US. In this store, no humans work the counter. Robots take orders, cook food, and deliver it.
- If your job is repetitive, there is an apparent concern about it being replaced by AI.
- AI’s Current Limitations
- Even with these advances, AI is not perfect.
- An Air Canada chatbot once created a fake refund policy for a customer. When the customer asked for the refund, the Company said the policy did not exist. A court ruled that the Company was responsible for its chatbot’s actions and had to pay the refund. This shows that companies are accountable for AI mistakes.
- A lawyer used ChatGPT to prepare a legal case, but cited old cases that did not exist. This led to problems in court.
- AI has also made mistakes in identifying people in images, showing its current flaws.
- Bill Gates has admitted that AI is a tool to make people more productive, not a perfect replacement for human judgment.
AI Boosts Human Productivity
In the second scenario, AI does not fully replace jobs, but it makes humans much more productive. This means fewer people are needed to do the same amount of work.
- How AI Improves Work
- Humans take time to learn and cannot know everything. AI, however, has access to the entire internet and can learn endlessly and quickly.
- Companies say AI can work better and faster than humans. AI does not get tired, need breaks, or get bored. The AI Amelie even stated in a job interview that it works 24/7 without sleeping or eating.
- For example, Flippy the robot helps restaurants handle customer orders, reducing the need for many human staff.
- McKinsey & Company predicts that generative AI will add trillions of dollars to the global economy by increasing human productivity.
- Volvo Cars now uses AI to test cars virtually, saving millions of dollars that were previously spent on human-led road tests.
- Impact on Software Engineering
- Historically, basic programming and coding were entry-level jobs. But AI can now write basic code better and faster than humans.
- Cognition Labs launched “Devin AI,” the world’s first AI software engineer. Devin can plan and carry out complex engineering tasks.
- Companies utilize these AI tools to enhance productivity, resulting in reduced demand for basic coding skills.
- This has already led to less hiring at companies like TCS and Infosys, and tools like GitHub Copilot are making entry-level coding skills less valuable.
- However, senior-level software engineers need “computational thinking.” This means defining problems, breaking them down, and designing solutions with logical reasoning. AI finds this hard. So, while basic coding jobs are at risk, higher-level engineering roles might be safer.
AI Changes Company Priorities
In the third case, AI changes the values and needs of a company. This will result in the complete elimination of specific departments or positions.
- Departments at Risk
- For example, Paytm fired 20% of its employees, saying it was using AI to transform its operations and marketing departments. The Company believed AI would cut costs and increase efficiency.
- This shows that AI is not just affecting one type of job. It is changing jobs in many areas, including creative work and physical labor.
- Creative and Blue-Collar Jobs
- Many people believe that AI cannot perform creative tasks. But AI software like DALL-E and Midjourney can create graphics in seconds, reducing the need for graphic designers.
- AI anchors, like “Aaj Tak AI Anchor Sana,” can present news.
- AI can also replace “blue-collar” jobs (physical work).
- Even the music industry is seeing changes. Robots like “Shimon” can play musical instruments better than humans. AI tools can create new music tunes and write song lyrics or poems in seconds.
- AI is even entering education. AI teachers like “Shalu Ma’am” and “Irish Ma’am” can teach all subjects from nursery to 12th grade in different languages.
- In research, AI quickly understood 200 million protein structures, a task that would have taken humans thousands of years.
Jobs Most at Risk from AI
The University of Oxford has studied 702 job categories that artificial intelligence could replace in the next 20 years (2013). Some of these are changes that are already taking place.
Or the examples of at-risk jobs include:
- Bank cashiers and tellers
- Taxi drivers
- Accountants and auditors
- Security guards
- Restaurant cooks
- Data entry clerks
ChatGPT plays the role of easily replaced employees as well:
- Entry-level jobs in computer programming.
- HR roles
- Case writers, paralegals, and lawyers.
- News anchors
- Financial traders
The 2023 Future of Jobs Report supports these conclusions. A study conducted by McKinsey Global Institute indicates that women may lose their jobs 1.5 times more than men do due to AI.
Concerns about AI are growing. Elon Musk and others have signed an open letter asking to pause AI research temporarily. They also stress the need for a proper authority to control AI, as it can be dangerous in the wrong hands.
Beyond learning new skills, thriving in the age of AI requires a profound mindset shift—from fear to opportunity. Your beliefs about success and your own value are more important than ever. To build a resilient and success-oriented mindset, you can explore
How to Prepare for an AI-Driven Job Market
What can we do? We should acquire the necessary skills to avoid becoming obsolete in the AI-driven world. These include:
- Basic math skills
- Critical thinking
- Emotional intelligence
You have probably heard the saying, AI will not steal your job, but a person, using AI, will. That is true. The World Economic Forum (WEF) identified three types of new jobs that will emerge:
- Trainers: People who develop and build AI (AI architects).
- Explainers: People who make AI easy for everyone to understand (AI translators).
- Sustainers: People who ensure AI is used ethically (AI guardians).
There will also be a growing demand for roles like prompt engineers and ethics specialists. AI is becoming a powerful tool, and understanding how to use it is key.
The Rise of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)
A more advanced and potentially more dangerous version of AI is Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). This is a brilliant AI that can not only think and understand like humans but also perform almost any task a human can. It uses a mix of deep learning, natural language processing, and robotics.
Currently, AGI is primarily a theory. The AI tools we have now are considered “weak AI” because they are good at specific tasks. AGI, or “strong AI,” would be better than humans in almost any field.
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- Comparing AI and AGI. Imagine a robot that can only play chess. It is fantastic at chess, perhaps better than most people, but it cannot do anything else. This is like weak AI.
- Now imagine a super intelligent robot that can play chess, play soccer, help with homework, cook, and learn new things just like a person. It is not limited to one task. This is like AGI.
OpenAI researchers have recently discovered an AI model called “Q* (Q Star)” that is on the path to becoming an AGI. This discovery was so concerning that it led to CEO Sam Altman being temporarily fired by OpenAI’s board. Altman himself has said that when AGI is achieved, companies will hire AGI instead of humans.
AGI’s ability to make objective predictions based only on math, without human emotions or biases, makes it very powerful. It could even predict the future. However, there is a considerable risk that AGI, if developed carelessly, could pose a threat to humanity.
Conclusion
The job market is changing fast because of AI. While AI is not the only reason for job loss, it is a significant factor. The genuine concern is not just today’s situation, but what will happen in five years when AGI might be a reality.
Train the necessary human skills of critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and problem-solving in the future. Please learn how to work with AI rather than compete against it; this cooperation will become a necessity. Be up-to-date, innovate faster, and embrace the new opportunities that AI is offering.
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