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The world is in an interesting place right now, with the recent rise of AI and Robotic advancement it looks like the workplace is about to change. This is not a new conversation, it has been a topic for years and has inspired blockbuster movies like Terminator and Star Wars.

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We must understand that there have been changes to the workforce historically before, the industrial revolution bought a major shift from artisans and handcraft based society to factories. Remember bank tellers? they used to handle deposits, withdraw and transfer of cash but now have been replace by ATMs. More recent times the Internet caused a big shift in how we worked but that shift created new industries like e-commerce for example. There have always been periods of disturbance in the workforce.

AI Tools Are Getting Better?

This blog will tackle job displacement and the transformation that is happening in the workforce. We cannot deny tools like ChatGPT, Claude AI and other AI tools are reshaping industries, changing job roles and challenging traditional employment. There are those who do not like these tools and believe AI will not change how we work or even how we live but the recent tech advancement seem to say otherwise.

There are a lot of fear about AI taking our jobs over the years. A report from investment bank Goldman Sachs in 2023 suggested that AI could replace the equivalent of 300 million full-time jobs globally. The report also mentioned that US and Europe that nearly two-thirds of jobs will be exposed to automation to some degree.

These numbers are scary and with the speed AI is evolving and becoming part of our daily lives you can see why it could potentially replace us. The impact is most likely to be a transitionary as new job opportunities arises. The evolving tech will put people to work in other capacities according to the Goldman Sachs report. While there are fears of AI eliminating jobs there is almost a flip side where we could see job creation. If it a net-postive for job creation time will tell.

Lets look at where AI is likely to disrupt,

There are a few white collar roles that are likely to be disturbed by AI. In law, Legal Research is time consuming and it requires lawyers to go through huge amount of case studies and statues. AI tools can now be used to perform those task quickly and identify the relevant information and summarise those findings, meaning less reliance on Junior lawyers.

Another White collar roles to be impacted by AI is Journalism. We have seen some outlets like Bloomberg using AI tools to summarise articles. AI tools are already being used to edit and grammar check articles and can polish the roughest draft pretty quickly. These type of tools mean less reliance on copy editors and make it hard to land entry role as a copy editor or writer.

The blue-collar roles will also be disrupted by AI. Uber are working on using delivery drones to speed up delivery times and have already started running trials in Dublin. Tesla are looking also looking into autonomous driving, both of these are example of AI replacing drivers.

Is This The End of The Creative Field?

The creative fields are already being impacted with AI. Netflix has already started using Generative AI in one of its TV Shows recently. The Eternaut, a Netflix production, uses Gen AI to generate some of its scenes in a move that Netflix bosses says will help speed up the process of making shows and movies faster. Expect others to follow, this could mean environment artist or production artists could be replaced by AI.

Amazon has been using Robots for over 10 years. The first robot was deployed in 2012 to help move inventory shelves across warehouse floors. Recently Amazon announce a new AI system, called DeepFleet, that is designed to make its robots smarter. These new smarter and more efficient robots will help deliver packages to customers more quickly and also lower the costs. With tech improvements like this could we really need warehouse workers in the future?

The future is not all doom and gloom, with the rise of AI and also robotics, there is hope. AI is inevitable but we will still play a role. There will be job loss but also job creation. The transition is most likely to be messy, as expected layoffs will happen, then some sort of Government laws or bills will need to be passed and then businesses adapting to using AI instead of workers which will then trigger a wave of new jobs. The need for people to work with AI, build AI and to manage AI systems will be needed.

Takeaway

AI cannot replace emphaty, creativity, leadership, ethics or cultural understanding that is what makes people connect with products, services and businesses. We will still play a part in the work force in the future, the roles might change but there will be jobs.