As new horror flicks pop up in theatres and Halloween decorations dominate lawns across North America, possibly one of the biggest scares of the season is how advanced Artificial Intelligence has become.
And the looming threat that our jobs may become a relic of the past as AI’s teeth sink deeper into a spectrum of industries.
The depth of hyper-realistic imagery, voice functions and generative text AI that is capable of generating is almost supernatural.
So eerily so that it feels distinctly human.
Risks vs realities of AI
Open.AI recently dropped a safety report warning that lonely and vulnerable people are at risk of developing an emotional attachment to their AI features.
This was specifically in reference to the voice function that carries conversations with shifts in inflection, tonal expression and insight.
As AI begins to sound more human, it is increasingly able to synthesize and automate large buckets of data into more easily accessible bites that have proven largely beneficial across health care, education, banking and many more industries.
However, to what extent is this beneficial? 14% of participants in a Socius study were replaced by AI. The study was conducted with a pool of respondents from across America. Goldman Sachs told BBC that 300 million jobs could be replaced within the near future.
In addition, AI is forecasted to contribute $15.7 trillion to global GDP by 2030. So what does this mean for our current landscape of jobs and jobs of the future? Let’s take a closer look.
Pros of AI in the workplace
While it is true that many jobs can now be streamlined and performed by AI programs, this doesn’t inherently mean that it will eliminate work.
First, AI can perform mundane, repetitive tasks that can be time-consuming and uninspiring. This can make space for higher-order thinking and work injected with greater meaning.
AI can create space for creativity
Routine data entry or resolving simple customer service tickets can easily be performed by AI automation. McKinsey predicts that about 45% of tasks can be automated (Forbes).
By offloading tasks with automation, more opportunities become available to indulge in major projects, critical reflection and original thought.
Cuts down costs
AI can help businesses save significant amounts on redundant, and often unrewarding, work. According to Forbes, AI automation can save businesses upwards of $4 million every year
On top of that, AI marketing tools can build sales funnels and targeted strategies that can enhance the customer sales journey without sacrificing integrity.
These tools can prove largely beneficial in generating revenue while trimming costs.
But doesn’t that mean AI will take my job?
In contrast to Goldman Sachs, the World Economic Forum believes that 85 million jobs will be replaced by AI.
However, the implementation of this will create 97 million new jobs.
The more advanced generative abilities of AI can complete more significant, mentally demanding tasks, such as project reports, analytics summaries, competitive analysis, etc., that can grant more resources for the planning and execution of the initiatives those types of documents describe.
This assertion comes with caution, however.
The industries and communities of people most at risk of losing their jobs will need greater support from the government and businesses to create positive change and growth.
Cons of AI in the workplace
We have already addressed that one of the largest concerns about the prevalence of AI in the workplace is job displacement.
And therefore, even more individuals and families struggling to make ends meet. In Canada, the unemployment rate rose to 6.6% in August, reaching a 7-year high (Statistics Canada).
Unemployment is expected to reach 4.3% in the US by the end of the quarter (Trading Economics). While many factors contribute to these rates, many fear that AI could exacerbate them.
While this is still up for debate, there is abundant concern around the misuse of AI and the development of an unhealthy dependency on it.
AI is not perfect
Programs like ChatGPT and Google NotebookLM can generate essays, witty social media captions and full-blown podcasts with a few clicks and taps on the keyboard.
Understandably, there is worry about sacrificing our unique critical and creative thinking skills for the sake of faster, higher production volume and profit — which can ironically come at our own expense.
Another problem is that AI is not error-free. AI has been known to incorrectly consolidate data and provide skewed, misleading results.
This can be very damaging to a company’s reputation and credibility.
AI is biased
As a human-designed program, AI can also be discriminatory and exhibit prejudice. This can further marginalize underrepresented people and historically oppressed minorities.
Instances of this are called algorithmic biases. For example, in 2018 MIT student Joy Buolamwini learned that facial recognition systems used worldwide didn’t recognize black faces.
White faces were consistently accepted above darker skin tones. In addition, other AI systems identified women exclusively homemakers and people of colour as criminals or janitors.
Depending on who makes the calls on the use and implementation of AI, and their system if beliefs, this could be very harmful and regressive. Conclusion AI has undoubtedly allowed us to achieve more in less time.
What will the future hold?
In many ways, it has inspired us to get creative and critically apply ourselves in new ways. Like with anything, there is risk in leaning too far into the territory of the extremes.
As AI further permeates in our daily lives and becomes a normal part of the early childhoods of future generations, how do you think can we stay connected to our originality and core sense of self?
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