AI and unemployment

AI, or known as artificial intelligence, is up and coming. It is still in its baby steps. But as with all great inventions, people start to question, will AI take their jobs away one day?

Often AI has been linked with unemployment. Because AI is meant to have a brain of its own. It could automate all sorts of jobs. This meant that the need for human power would be greatly reduced. For those who are employed in jobs replaceable by AI, there is a genuine reason to be concerned.

But history says otherwise, I could file a very solid example to prove this.

Digging on a little history

Back when computers were invented, there was huge speculation on whether it would affect the jobs of many. Computers are meant to replace human tasks. So logically speaking, it would cause the decline of employment rates.

But here comes the phenomenon. While many jobs are being demolished, the amount of new jobs made available because of the invention of computers sky-rocketed. This includes many we are familiar with nowadays, such as technical support, software developer, computer engineers. The list goes on and on.

More examples

As for the jobs that are demolished. The thing is, it doesn’t kill off the job itself. It opens up for many more opportunities somewhere else. An example I’ve read about is how the ATM was thought to be the killer for Bank Tellers. But guess what? Not only does it make a teller’s job easier. Because of the automation, it allows for more banks to be opened, which means way more new job opportunities.

What I am trying to point out is that, if a job is killed off by new technology. Most of the time the job is already redundant and meant to be automated in the first place. Soon, those who lost their jobs will adapt themselves to their new roles, and most of them will find it better than their previous jobs. In the end, it is an upgrade in terms of the quality of living.

The same applies to AI. AI requires operators, engineers, cloud computing experts and much more. It creates more than it destroys. Not to mention that there is a current lack of talent in the cloud computing scene. The rise of AI would mean a ton of job opportunities in that field. Soon people will start flocking in to fill up the vacancies.

The other side of the debate

But taking the side of a different aspect, AI does negate the need for countless job positions. Debates are still going on whether the new jobs created are enough to replenish the old ones. And not to mention, some people would not have the opportunity to acquire the needed skills for a new job.

Taking on a whole new job requires education and training, it is a luxury that some people just could not afford. If AI were to automate everything, we must make sure that policies are being put in place to guarantee educational opportunities for everyone to adapt to their new jobs.

Also, something interesting I’ve came across is how AI affects jobs differently compared to previous revolutions. In the past, machinery revolution only aims to target a certain range of jobs. Meaning that while it affects this job, It won’t affect others.

AI, on a different hand, is universal. This means you can use it for anything you could think of, and the consequences can be pretty serious. It would cause mass unemployment on in a scale that has never been witnessed before.

Of course, the new jobs will come along. But there will be a transition period. It is a genuine concern that many would not survive this transition period. If AI were to be implemented to the mainstream workflow, the industry must make sure that those who have their jobs replaced will be able to smoothly transition into a new line of work.

Closing out

After all, it is a matter of execution. It remains to see whether the industry could successfully initiate AI implementation and at the same time assist the transition of jobs. There are so many factors that remain unknown. AI revolution is not like anything we have seen before, therefore it is quite hard to predict the outcome of it.

Before closing this out, I would like to state my final say on this. For me, it is all about a matter of balance. Implement AI slowly, so that it would give notice to those who might be forced to transit to a different job. Open up AI-related job positions and provide the training required for it. This revolution is about balancing the need for AI and the welfare of the employees who one day, will be replaced by automated intelligence.