Will AI replace humans at work?

Introduction

There has been a very interesting debate on the table for some time. The debate is, will AI replace humans at work? And if this were to happen, would people be able to retrain and adapt to a new world of work?

Due to the emergence of robots, automation and the development of artificial intelligence (AI), the world of work has already begun to change sectors such as industry or the automotive industry. According to a PwC study, in Spain this change will not be significant until the 2030s, but once this change occurs it is said that 1 in 3 jobs will be done by a machine.

The OECD states in a 2017 report that 11.7 of jobs in Spain have a high probability of being automated over the coming decades.

Luddism

That society is afraid that there are machines that can take away their jobs is not something new. Already there at the beginning of the 19th century there was a movement known as "Luddism." This movement was promoted by English craftsmen who They saw how they could lose their jobs due to industrialization. Their response was to burn factories, workshops... Despite this, they were not able to stop an unstoppable movement like industrialization.

Opportunities and threats

It is clear that the automation of a large part of the working world would bring a very big change to our lives, but let's see what the opportunities are and what the threats are.

It is clear that there are certain profiles that will benefit more than others. In this case we see how jobs related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics are the ones that will have the greatest prominence. Although perhaps the greatest opportunity that this panorama offers us is that of eliminate low value added jobs. This is because AI will be able to perform these types of tasks and thus we can be more focused on more qualified tasks.

There are many questions about AI these days. What can be done with AI? o How can AI be applied ethically? The thing is much more complex, and here comes one of the threats. At the moment when decisions in the workplace begin to be based on criteria not controlled by a human, a series of adversities arise that must be included in any debate about “ethics” in the application and use of AI. In this article There is more information about ethics in the use of AI.

Will we adapt to this new panorama?

It is perhaps the central issue of this, because we take it for granted that this automation will happen, but what is going to happen to us? What profiles will be the most in demand? 

The ability to learn is going to be key in the coming years, constantly studying, informed of new trends... The professional of the future will be someone who is constantly adapting to the project in which they are developing their function. That is why the ability to learn is going to be what saves people from being excluded from the world of work. There are skills such as creativity and emotional intelligence that will allow human potential to be exploited and allow people to improve robots instead of being replaced by them.

Most in-demand profiles

And what will be the most in-demand profiles of the future and those who will have the most difficult time? It suggests that the most affected jobs will be those that require less training, as well as those related to sales, administration and office tasks... On the contrary, there will be an increase in the demand for professionals who are capable of leading projects, teams... As well as those who have great creativity and critical thinking, which after all are qualities in which humans will always be superior to machines (a priori). Furthermore, according to a study carried out by ManpowerGroup, 8,000 managers from 43 countries believe that in the short and medium term there will be an increase in jobs related to the information technology sector, as well as robotics and related experts.

Conclusion

Once we know that AI will sooner or later be incorporated into the world of work, it is necessary to ask ourselves, is AI really strictly necessary for the future of the world of work? Will it lead us to a much more fruitful scenario as proclaimed, or will it be a setback?

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Although today's machines have a very high processing and learning capacity, they lack historical background and context. At the end of the day, they work with the data that a human provides them, so they can make the same mistakes as us. That is why we must think, in what position of power should we place machines within the world of work? If something is clear, it is that Human intelligence must prevail, while the machine becomes a more than useful complement.

Machines can humanize our work even more, and why do we say this? because in the end the purpose of AI is to eliminate repetitive jobs with very low added value. It can be understood as an opportunity to increase the value of employees, to eliminate those ungrateful jobs and increase creativity, analysis, decision making... In short, giving meaning back to work, which in these times is essential for future generations.

WRITTEN BY

Alejandro Ferrer

Saturdays.AI

Saturdays.AI is an impact-focused organization on a mission to empower diverse individuals to learn Artificial Intelligence in a collaborative and project-based way, beyond the conventional path of traditional education