Four years have passed since ChatGPT came out in November 2020 and we have witnessed significant changes in how we work. The adoption of generative AI has created a more productive work environment. However, it also spread the concern of losing jobs among workers.
The future of work
As we draw insights from the preferences and behaviors of our newest generation entering the workforce, we also need to look at how “work” itself is changing and evolving. The new realities produced by these forces of change present us with complex questions, including the ethics around human-machine collaboration, how to plan for year-long careers, and how we unleash organizations through a continuum of talent sources.
The future workforce will require a resurgence of the Renaissance man—someone with a wide range of skills, passions, and expertise. A combination of four essential work abilities will be needed:
- Digital tools and technology skills
- Comfort with analytics and data
- Business management skills
- Design and creative skills
Why AI won’t replace humans anytime soon
One simple reason why AI cannot replace human intelligence any time soon is because AI is math, while the human mind is far more than any algorithm. Experts say that they aren’t too worried about the rise of AI in the workplace. Nick Clegg, president of global affairs of Meta thinks that “in many ways, they’re quite stupid” when discussing AI models with the BBC.
Although AI is rising in many aspects of life, but experts believe that the growth speed of AI is far more overrated by social media. Below are reasons why AI cannot compare to the human mind:
- As human beings, we have the biggest advantage: creativity. While AI takes thousands often rain pictures to know that rain often comes with thunderstorms, the human mind can come up with outside of the box ideas and innovative solutions.
- Emotional Intelligence: Getting the work done does not just require analytical or engineering skills; it also relies on empathy, intuition, and leadership.
- Adaptability and Learning: Artificial intelligence is not as flexible as humans when it comes to learning from experience and adjusting to novel or unexpected circumstances, even though it can be programmed to carry out specific jobs. Because of their innate ability to learn, grow, and adapt continuously, humans can adjust to changing circumstances and flourish in dynamic work situations.
- Making Decisions: Artificial intelligence (AI) lacks human moral sense, ethical reasoning, and intuition, operating instead on preprogrammed algorithms and objectives. Humans can analyze complicated situations, think through moral ramifications, and base choices on long-term objectives, beliefs, and principles.
- AI may replace jobs, but not humans
- Rather than saying AI will take over humanity, let’s say it will remove jobs. But to be specific, how many jobs will AI replace in the future? And does it mean that humans will be dealing with job shortages?
- The World Economic Forum's "The Future of Jobs Report 2020" projects that by 2025, artificial intelligence would replace 85 million jobs globally. The research continues by stating that, despite the frightening tone, it will also result in the creation of 97 million additional employment during that time.
8 jobs that will more likely be replaced by AI soon
- Customer Service Representative: Chatbots and virtual assistants automate customer support roles, reducing human labor in grocery stores and reducing jobs in the customer service sector.
- Computer Programmer: AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini raise concerns about AI replacing writing-heavy jobs, as entry-level programming jobs may soon be automated due to their structured nature.
- Research Analyst: AI can partially perform research-centric positions like market and financial analysts, processing large data volumes, detecting patterns, and organizing findings into visuals, eliminating human intervention.
- Paralegal: AI can perform administrative tasks like writing legal reports, gathering facts, sorting documents, and conducting research, potentially making the paralegal role obsolete.
- Financial Trader: AI trading technologies can speed up market analysis and prediction, making financial trader roles potentially obsolete due to lower hiring costs.
- Travel Advisor: AI-powered travel platforms are revolutionizing travel experiences, enabling personalized recommendations and tips without the need for travel agents, and offering virtual tours and online informational videos.
- Graphic Designer: AI-generated art, accessible to the public through tools like Lensa and DALL-E, could reduce the need for graphic design services for professional visuals.
- Content Writer (in some cases): AI content generators can assist in brainstorming ideas, repetitive content creation, and even produce first drafts for longer-form content, taking over many duties for human content marketers.
9 jobs that will not be replaced by AI
- Teacher: AI enhances classroom interactions and socio-emotional skills, but lacks trust and intimacy that human teachers can build, requiring more complex social interactions and resolving arguments.
- Nurse: Artificial intelligence may replace simple healthcare tasks, but nurses and health workers may prefer face-to-face interactions, bedside care, and patient comfort over AI.
- Social workers: Social workers, often working with underserved or at-risk populations, require human touch, judgment, and understanding to navigate stress and navigate unique circumstances.
- Therapist: Therapists are crucial in emotional labor, guiding individuals through feelings and thoughts, a role AI cannot fully comprehend. With a rising mental health crisis, human-led therapy is essential.
- Handyperson: Trades professionals like plumbers and electricians require manual labor and human interaction skills, which AI may not excel in, such as eye-hand coordination and problem-solving abilities.
- Lawyer: AI's integration into the legal industry raises ethical concerns as it lacks the moral and ethical compass of human lawyers.
- HR Specialist: HR specialists manage recruiting, interviewing, and onboarding processes, requiring personalized human interactions. AI may not provide sensitivity for layoffs, benefits questions, or employee complaints.
- Writer: AI writing tools are popular but struggle to match human writers' quality and creativity, as they require critical thinking and mastery of writing and human language.
- Artist: AI art generators produce high-quality pieces, but human artists drive innovation and originality. AI impacts artists' livelihoods, but artistic originality remains with humans.
Human won’t be replaced by AI, but by those who use AI
Although AI can’t find a way to replace humans any time soon, people with AI will.
In today's era of digital transformation, organizations are racing to adopt cutting-edge technologies. In this competitive landscape, skilled individuals are in high demand. Employers prioritize productivity above all else, making proficiency in relevant skills a top priority for hiring decisions. One clear future to predict is that, if you don't use AI, you will struggle because most roles will require AI in some way or another.
Conclusion
Looking ahead to the AI integration period, it is evident that although AI has its advantages, it is unable to match the complex capacities of the human intellect. In the business, human qualities such as creativity, emotional intelligence, adaptability, and moral reasoning are still highly valued.
The multifaceted nature of human-machine collaboration is overlooked in projections of widespread human job displacement, even though AI may expedite activities and potentially replace some job responsibilities. The secret is to use AI's potential to enhance human capabilities and spur innovation, not to fear it.
In other words, rather than AI replacing people, the future belongs to humans who use AI to advance their own skills. AI proficiency and other pertinent abilities will be necessary to stay competitive and adaptable in a workforce that is always changing.
