Role of AI in the Job Market?

An article in inc (These Are the Jobs AI Will Replace) raised an interesting question in my mind. The jobs market is tough, the behaviours getting worse, and the worry amongst the workforce (both in and out of work is palpable).

AI and the job market

The challenge is clear to me. It is not whether AI will take jobs, only what jobs and how many. AI is not going to change the working landscape, it already has. We can debate whether it is hype or real tech making the change, but the change is real.

Technology hype curves are easily spotted in the media and in the claims of the various AI players. What is different this time is the rate at which the hype curve is playing out.

We would typically see a new wave of products come out to support a new technology. Early adopters take their time, discover the reality of the technology, adapt, and the main players merge and acquire resulting in a few key players emerging. But then the technology changes and the new cycle begins. But with AI, it hit the world out of nowhere like a baseball bat to the face. It was not a promising technology that might one day change the world (like VR and augmented reality), it literally hit overnight. One minute your job was as safe or uncertain as it ever was, all depending upon current economics, and the next minute there was a new technology threatening your very career. Mind blowing levels of change have already hit us. We are now in recovery mode. Not from AI, but from the rate of adoption.

Back to the main point, what is this likely to do to jobs (what is it already doing)? If you look at the nature of current AI (probably will have changed by the time I complete this article) it is relatively straight forward. Largely it will simply sit there in silence until given a task. It will not have much to do with defining the task given and it will produce the best output it can from its knowledge. It will have little to do with what happens to that output or how its ideas are executed.

Therefore, you can start to see what jobs might be at risk. If the description above is similar to your job, you have grounds for concern. If you get given tasks to do, where you have little input as to what that task is or why you are doing it, and you go ahead and do that task and produce some form of output (which you also have little to do with following its creation) then you can start to see the match.

People who write reports, produce outputs from data, create documents, plans, software development, repetitive operational tasks etc. These are all ripe for the picking.

The question is, how long will your employer take to adopt such an AI (agent) technology and how effective will it be? But let us be clear, that tech is here, now.

So, what can be done? There are numerous courses being rushed out to make the willing amongst us AI savvy. This is a good start. While roles will certainly be reduced, they will not be eradicated and those able to use the AI may be the ones to survive the change.

Take a look at where technology impacted in similar places in the past. Take passport control. Once upon a time, arriving at a UK airport, you would be greeted by a very long line of desks with an immigration officer at each desk checking each passport. Then along came e-gates and some intelligent face recognition software. Now, there are a lot fewer immigration officers at the border. But there is now 1 officer overseeing 10 gates (I am not sure of the exact ratio). This is the same for roles elsewhere. Do you want to be the officer who is no longer needed at the immigration desk or the guy that is sat overseeing the intelligent e-gates?

To survive the change, you need to be looking at how you become the task controller as the task 'doer' role is likely to go to AI. How do you do this? Start to look at what your role entails and see how you can start to adapt, take more interest in the bigger picture, and take on more responsibility for both what your tasks are and, perhaps more importantly, what happens to the output.

The benefits of AI taking over many roles is clear. Take support. I had an issue with my Meta Business suite. It was simply not publishing as it should be. I spent hours searching online for a solution, following Reddit posts and many other forums to no avail. I then asked chat GPT who concisely suggest 4 things, the 2nd of which worked and solved the issue. I was surprised and impressed at the same time.

Of course, for the company providing a support function, the AI is equally polite to all customers, listens well, is not tired from the stag night party the night before, has not just broken up with his girlfriend, was not rushed from being stuck in traffic, is not worried about its financial situation and so on. It may not be right all the time, but neither are humans, it may have bias (as do humans) and it may hallucinate at times (as do .., well, perhaps not so much). But the advantages are clear.

The voice recognition interfaces are lagging behind the AI's written abilities so expect to see AI on the desks of support people and contact centres first. Augmenting the human operators at first. Then as voice recognition improves, those roles will start to diminish.

As the job market starts to change, keeping up will be tricky. Learning to differentiate yourselves from the crowd will be vital and Candidates Matter can help you do just that. Take a look at our website and learn how you can stand out from the crowd.

The AI version

Just as a comparison, I asked ChatGPT to write me an article on the same subject. I crafted the question carefully to ensure it covered what I wanted and the output is below. It took me about 30 mins to write the above. It took me 30 seconds to write the chatGPT question and it produced the article below in about 20 seconds. It took a further minute to copy it across and make some minor formating changes and a few mins to proof read.

It it was not my own business, I would be expecting a P45 in the post any day soon.

The Types of Jobs Under Threat from AI: A Look at the Future of Work

As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly advances, the workforce is facing a major transformation. While the potential for AI to enhance productivity, creativity, and efficiency is immense, it also poses significant challenges to job security in certain sectors. In this article, we will explore which types of jobs are most likely to be affected by AI, provide a comparison between AI’s capabilities and a generic worker’s skill set, and illustrate how these shifts could play out over time. We will also touch upon the hype cycle surrounding AI and its emergence in the job market.

What AI Does vs What a Generic Worker Does

At its core, AI systems excel in tasks that require the processing of vast amounts of data, pattern recognition, automation of repetitive tasks, and decision-making based on predefined algorithms. These capabilities allow AI to perform specific jobs that involve large-scale data analysis, pattern matching, and rule-based decision making.

A generic worker, on the other hand, is typically a human who may not be able to process as much information as an AI system in a given time. However, humans are superior in areas such as complex problem-solving, emotional intelligence, creativity, and ethical decision-making. AI lacks the nuanced understanding and adaptability of a human worker and typically operates within the boundaries of its training data and algorithms.

For instance, if a task involves analyzing a large set of numbers to detect patterns or making recommendations based on historical data, AI is well-suited. However, if a task requires context-based judgment, emotional sensitivity, or understanding of complex social dynamics, a human worker’s judgment will still outperform AI.

Jobs Most Under Threat

1. Customer Support and Call Centers AI is particularly adept at replacing jobs in industries where repetitive tasks and customer queries can be automated. The customer support sector is already experiencing the emergence of AI-driven chatbots, virtual assistants, and voice recognition systems. These tools can handle standard inquiries, troubleshoot basic issues, and provide personalized responses based on historical data. Over time, AI’s ability to handle more complex customer interactions will only increase, potentially replacing a significant portion of call center workers.

   Example: Support Calls Currently, many companies are deploying AI chatbots on their websites or via phone systems to handle initial customer support inquiries. As AI evolves, it will increasingly take on more sophisticated customer service tasks, such as diagnosing technical issues or providing personalized product recommendations. Over the next 5 to 10 years, we may see a reduction in the number of customer support representatives as AI tools continue to advance, particularly in industries like telecommunications, banking, and e-commerce.

2. Data Entry and Administrative Support Jobs that involve repetitive data entry, scheduling, and simple administrative tasks are prime candidates for automation by AI. AI-powered software can input data, sort files, and even manage appointments with precision and speed. For example, automated systems can now scan invoices, extract key information, and process payments without human intervention. These types of administrative tasks are expected to be heavily impacted by AI within the next 5 years.

3. Manufacturing and Warehousing AI, combined with robotics, is already changing the landscape of manufacturing and logistics. In industries like automotive production, AI-powered robots can assemble cars or parts, inspect quality, and handle dangerous tasks. Similarly, AI-driven warehouses, such as those operated by Amazon, can track inventory, process orders, and even package goods. These technologies are making certain manual labor jobs obsolete and are expected to continue this trend in the coming decades.

4. Transportation and Delivery Autonomous vehicles, including self-driving cars, trucks, and drones, are on the verge of replacing jobs in transportation and delivery. While widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles may take longer, it’s clear that driving-related professions, including truck drivers and delivery personnel, are increasingly at risk.

The AI Hype Cycle

The emergence of AI is following a pattern similar to that of many new technologies, progressing through what’s known as the hype cycle. The hype cycle is a term coined by the research firm Gartner to describe the typical progression of emerging technologies from over-enthusiastic expectations to eventual maturity.

1. Innovation Trigger AI’s rise began with significant advancements in machine learning, neural networks, and data processing technologies. Early excitement focused on AI’s potential to revolutionize industries and improve efficiency. In the last decade, this led to investments and startups popping up around the world, all promoting the next big AI breakthrough.

2. Peak of Inflated Expectations During this phase, AI’s capabilities are often overstated. The media and tech companies fueled the hype, predicting that AI would quickly solve almost every problem across industries. There were many claims of AI being able to replace entire job categories in a short time. However, at this stage, the reality of the technology's limitations began to emerge. Many AI tools still struggled with tasks requiring human judgment, creativity, and complex reasoning.

3. Trough of Disillusionment As AI’s limitations became apparent, some investors and companies started to backtrack. The real challenges of implementing AI at scale, including the need for large datasets, significant computational resources, and concerns around data privacy, became clear. Many AI initiatives did not meet the overly ambitious expectations set earlier.

4. Slope of Enlightenment Currently, AI is transitioning into this phase, where businesses are starting to understand its true potential and limitations. AI is increasingly integrated into applications that serve specific purposes, such as improving customer service through chatbots or enhancing business analytics through data-driven insights. The hype is starting to stabilize, and businesses are figuring out how to deploy AI in ways that genuinely add value.

5. Plateau of Productivity In the coming decade, we can expect AI to mature into a more widely accepted and efficient tool across many industries. While some jobs will certainly be displaced, many new roles will emerge as companies adapt to the technology. AI will augment human workers, creating opportunities for more strategic, higher-level work, rather than fully replacing human employees.

Conclusion

As AI continues to evolve, it will undoubtedly impact many sectors, especially those where tasks are repetitive or data-driven. Jobs in customer support, administrative roles, and transportation are already under threat, and AI will continue to replace human workers in these areas over the next decade. However, the impact of AI on the job market is not all negative. AI will also create new roles and opportunities, especially for workers who can adapt to new technologies.

Much like previous technological advancements, the emergence of AI follows a predictable cycle of overhyped excitement, followed by a period of disillusionment, before it reaches a point where it is productively integrated into industries. As we enter the "Slope of Enlightenment," it will be essential for workers to upskill and adapt, finding ways to collaborate with AI, rather than fear it.