In many futuristic, sci-fi thrillers, there seems to be a common motif: don’t let artificial intelligence become sentient. Don’t let it gain too much influence in our daily lives. Don’t let it take over our jobs.
Imagine a world in which everything is run by technology. All customer service is done through chatbots that are available 24/7. A world where speeding tickets are given without any human contact; a world where people may not drive at all, instead riding in self-driving cars. A world in which life-changing medical diagnoses are delivered through a machine.
This all sounds very sci-fi-esque, but some of this is already happening, and every advancement in technology takes us one step closer to all this becoming a very real possibility.
Artificial intelligence, or AI, is already becoming widely integrated into many different workspaces and fields, altering or completely replacing human roles.
The McKinsey Global Institute predicts that by 2030, some 70% of companies will have adopted at least one type of AI technology into their operating systems.
A similar report by the investment bank Goldman Sachs says that artificial intelligence could replace the equivalent of 300 million full-time jobs within the near future.
Due to forecasts like these, it is becoming increasingly important to pursue a career in something that will be able to take AI integration in stride.
The fields that are generally considered safest from AI replacement include healthcare, education, law, creative roles such as artists and authors, social workers, leadership and management, consumer services, such as hairdressing and cosmetology, and skilled trades. Even in these jobs, however, AI will still have a substantial impact.
“It’s more about looking at how AI can help rather than hurt… like how you can use it to your advantage instead of it maybe displacing you,” school counselor Abbie Sivinski said.
Education itself is becoming increasingly important, as jobs that require lower education and consist of routine, repetitive tasks are often the first to be replaced with automation.
An example of this is customer service. Nexford University claims that this segment of business will likely be one of the first to go, because a majority of the time the questions and problems of customers are repetitive, so answering these queries do not “require high emotional or social intelligence”. Because of AI’s capacity and the nature of these customer relations, “AI can be used to provide automated responses to frequently asked questions”.
This higher education does not necessarily need to be collegiate as this also includes specialized training in trade school settings. AI programs, like AI certification courses, are a great resource as it is predicted that even jobs considered “safe” from AI replacement will soon be drastically transformed by AI.
The CBT Technology Institute specified that for most skilled trades artificial intelligence will mainly affect trade workers through transformation, not job placement. The Institution says, “AI is poised to revolutionize the skilled trade landscape, creating a dynamic partnership between humans and machines.”
This “dynamic partnership” seems to be the eventual goal for a multitude of jobs across many fields. It is unknown how or when this might happen, or how AI will advance. There is no infallible major, or a career path that is guaranteed to be safe from AI replacement.
“I don’t necessarily think there’s a whole lot [of majors that] people should avoid. [AI] will not necessarily displace a lot of things,” history teacher and Education Academy co-leader Simon Rohde said.
He instead recommends focusing on classes and majors that you enjoy, especially those that help you to develop uniquely human skills. Rather than avoiding a certain major, he believes that we should find ways to work alongside AI and develop skills that will assist us in that.
“If, say, you’re a college student preparing for life in an AI world, you need to ask yourself: Which classes will give me the skills that machines will not replicate, making me more distinctly human?” said David Brooks in New York Times article, “In the age of AI, major in being human”.
It is important to develop skills that AI can’t easily replicate, especially those such as empathy, communication, leadership, ethics, emotional intelligence, and creativity.
Additionally, acquiring AI-related skills and knowledge, such as programming and data analysis, is also becoming invaluable in this era of developing technology.
Understanding how to harness and work alongside technology and artificial intelligence will be greatly beneficial. Researching how AI may affect your specific field, or even minoring in AI or another technology-based field, could assist you greatly in the years to come.
“Universities are starting to add courses on programming and prompting for AI, because the thing is, it’s only as good as the information it takes in… and in the future, operating AI will probably be its own career path,” Rohde said.
With technology continuing to develop and advance, companies and individuals will likely have to find ways to cooperate with artificial intelligence, as its increasing presence will continue to shift and impact the role of humans.