It’s real. Artificial Intelligence is finally here. And everyone in the world of work seems worried. Loads of dooms-day commentaries daily bombard employees everywhere. All these fears are not without basis. However, it does seem inaccurate to say the future is all dark and gloomy, according to Gartner. The U.S. – based research firm predicts that AI will create more employment opportunities than it will eliminate. Which means this overly disruptive technology is a blessing in disguise.
More Jobs in the Future
A recent report predicts that AI will take away 1.8 million jobs by 2020 while creating 2.3 million jobs. The same report estimates that this transformative technology will generate two million net new jobs in the following five years to 2025. If this data is anything to go by, AI is not a reality we should fear as much as we probably do. We should, instead, embrace AI.
Some People are not as Optimistic, though
Some people including Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, do not express such seemingly unbridled optimism. Musk even believes that world war III looms as nations compete against each other to emerge as the world’s leader in all matters AI. Another tech titan who holds a different opinion is Kai-Fu-Lee, Sinovation Venture’s founder. Kai-Fu Lee asserts that AI will likely wipe out 50 percent of jobs worldwide. That’s their opinions. But opinions matter, and you’ve got to respect people’s views. Perhaps that explains the panic that has gripped most everyone who relies on a job for survival.
The Future Looks Bright…
But jobs are vanishing. Fast. At this rate, It looks like bots and robots will eventually replace everyone at work. For instance, banks, thanks to super-efficient bots, are processing loans in less than ten seconds. Jobs that required 200 people ten years ago to complete need less than ten pairs of hands to handle today. For the most part, AI finds application in roles that are repetitive. Through AI, companies are phenomenally reducing operational costs, and the bottom line is improving. Corporations are winning; they must love the technology.
Artifical Inteligence Cannot and Will Not Do Everything
Humans will likely continue taking care of roles that necessitate higher thinking and complex human interactions. For example, bots are unable to accommodate the needs of customers who need to negotiate a better interest rate. In such cases, the value of natural human intelligence becomes evident.
What Does all this Mean?
You need to get prepared for the future. And that future is here. Acquire new skills. You may not consider yourself tech-savvy, but you can always learn. The future is increasingly becoming tech-heavy, after all. Buy online courses on Udemy.com and other such places and make yourself smarter. Banish fear. Look that life-threatening uncertainty in the eye and assertively say “I will survive.”
AI is undoubtedly replacing human workers at an alarmingly rapid rate. Companies are getting leaner. They are leveraging AI to grow their businesses while cutting costs, especially wages and salaries. But AI cannot and will not completely make human workers irrelevant. The modern employee needs to prepare for a tech-heavy future that favors knowledge workers and replaces frozen-in-time workers. So, get ready. The future belongs to those who choose to evolve as fast as the world is.
