Will AI take my job?
Is AI taking over jobs? We do a deep dive into the impending age of AI and weigh up whether AI is really a risk to our jobs, or if the real issue is one of being left behind.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been making headlines for decades, often with polarising views on how it will affect jobs into the future. Buzz and speculation circle the topic.
While some are curious about how AI might be integrated, others are anxious about what it means for job security. Machines have ostensibly threatened jobs since the industrial revolution. And with ChatGPT driving a resurgence in concern, the question on many people’s lips is ‘Will AI take my job?’
What exactly is AI, anyway?
Before we dive into the potential impact of AI on jobs, let’s take a look at what exactly artificial intelligence is.
Artificial intelligence refers to technology that can carry out human tasks, typically those that require a level of human intelligence. Things like learning from experience, problem solving, pattern recognition, and natural language processing. AI can also simulate human discernment and use gained information to make real-time decisions, just as a human would.
While many jobs rely on or involve tasks that require these skills, experts say it may be too soon to become despondent—if at all.
Is AI creating or destroying jobs?
AI may be on the path to changing work as we know it, but not be in the way many people assume.While it's true that AI has the potential to automate certain tasks, it is expected to create more jobs than it displaces. The World Economic Forum predicts that by 2025 AI will have created 12 million more jobs than it will have eliminated.
Research also suggests AI is more likely to alter and improve jobs rather than replace them.
Thus, the idea of AI taking over jobs is a little more complex than the sum of jobs being eliminated verses those being created by AI.
On one side of the arena, AI is certainly creating jobs. Evidence of this can be seen in industries that need AI specialists to build, maintain and improve related technologies, and in new sectors such as AI ethics and data science. On the flip side industries considered to be in the AI firing line include finance, IT, and legal services, according to a recent report from Goldman Sachs.
How will AI affect the workforce in Australia?
AI is embedded in almost every industry to some extent, a game-changing technology that’s with us for the long haul. And Australia is no exception to the rocketing AI trajectory.
With the Australian government investing heavily in AI research and development, there will likely be a shift in the types of jobs available—with a greater emphasis on roles that require AI expertise.
At the World Economic Forum’s Growth Summit held earlier this year in Switzerland, economist Richard Baldwin inferred AI won’t take your job if you know how to use it.
A good example of this is in the medical field where AI can be used to improve patient care and the success of complex surgeries. Other ways AI is being used in the medical field include research, diagnostics, and guiding treatment options.
In a recent article from CSIRO, it’s clear AI is already being used in healthcare but the issue is there’s a shortfall in education around how to use it effectively.
Like healthcare, other industries echo Richard Baldwin’s prediction that AI won’t take your job but someone who knows how to use it just might.
Where to learn about AI
While AI may not be rushing to take your job, someone with the skills and knowledge of how to use it will likely become highly sought after and may be seen as a preferential candidate during the hiring process.
A solid understanding of AI along with in-depth knowledge of how to use it within your role can be an empowering step in overcoming concerns around how AI will affect employment in the future.
To stay relevant in the age of AI, education is essential. And an artificial intelligence course may be one of our most powerful tools we can secure in our career tool belts.
There are innumerable AI courses available, from short courses to in-depth degrees delivered by some of the world’s leading universities. They can help people gain a solid understanding of AI and how it can be integrated, no matter your current level of expertise.
For those interested in investigating everything AI, from robotics to natural language processing, a degree in software engineering like this one from Torrens University Australia could be the perfect start.
Maybe the tools and techniques of AI is more to your taste. Or perhaps you’re keen to push tech boundaries in search of game-changing advances?
No matter the path you choose, one thing’s for certain. When it comes to AI, knowledge is power (and the key to your employability).
