Will artificial intelligence take over our jobs?
Like all the techniques and skills that humans have adopted and employed throughout the entire history, artificial intelligence is a new form of technology that can be developed and used in a variety of different ways imaginable. Whether this technology is going to make a positive or negative impact on our society depends entirely on how the government, corporations, and communities can guide its development and growth, and how we can lay foundations in the society for facilitating the harmonious coexistence of the technology and humans.
When it comes to the potentials that AI possesses, the technology is likely to have an influence on highly experienced professionals as well as low skilled workers, and you must be already fully aware, I believe, that there are a number of attempts going on to apply AI in the business performances in a wide variety of business environments.
It is, of course, quite reasonable for ordinary people to assume that “AI will deprive us of our jobs” or “AI will replace the roles that have been played by humans.” According to some researchers and the statistics they quote, an average of 3 to 6 workers have been losing their jobs with an introduction of a single industrial robot from 1993 to 2007. In fact, lots of the discussions about the application of AI within businesses are focusing on “how to reduce the amount of labor force necessary for certain tasks.” (This is a global phenomenon, by and large.)
It should be pointed out, however, that an ‘occupation’ has never been ‘totally and completely substituted,’ but rather ‘changed’ with an introduction of emerging technologies. For instance, an ATM, which is so familiar to us that most people do not bother to think about it any longer, was first introduced in 1970, has become more popular and widespread throughout the 90s, and is still being actively used, but a profession of a teller has not vanished yet. Well, a younger generation must be feeling more comfortable with their mobile payment applications, I suppose. Anyway, the range and content of the occupation have been transformed from ‘dealing with basic financial transactions’ to ‘performing marketing/sales activities tailored for each individual client.’
In line with this perspective, it seems more important to understand that AI is not going to simply replace existing jobs, but rather augment the performances being carried out by certain employees by automating ‘particular tasks’ in the overall context of business practices, and, at the same time, to strive to find out appropriate directions for its application. By doing this, we all could be freed from sometimes tedious and lower-value activities, being allowed to focus more on the things that only humans are capable of doing. The size of a job market will also be expanded with its diversity ever being enhanced, creating more jobs.
It should be also noted that it will never be easy for us to see the future where AI and humans live side by side in a perfect harmony, without tremendous amount of efforts made. I am confident that there are at least three key factors that contribute to the opening of the age of AI that we have been dreaming of.
First, the focus of the discussion on ‘future of work’ should be shifted to ‘work of the future.’ As the social systems have changed over the years when we have come out of the industrial society and finally arrived at the digital society, AI imposes us with an assignment of determining what the system that will govern the society in the next generation should be like. Perspectives and ideas are required to understand how the concept of ‘jobs’ and, furthermore, the concept of ‘labor and production’ are going to be transformed in the future.
Second, both the central government and corporations should develop principles, environments, and strategies that will allow for the adoption of AI in a way that can protect and secure the ‘vocations’ of laborers and office workers. The question that must be asked in the process of adopting AI in businesses is not “how to reduce labor force” but rather “how to enable existing labor force to create new values and contribute to business performances through the adoption of new technologies within artificial intelligence.” In addition, it is highly significant to carefully listen to the voices of field workers and develop an AI system that can reflect their needs and requests.
Finally, educational and learning opportunities should be designed and provided to each and every generation of the society so that people can shift to adopt new technologies. The technologies within artificial intelligence are, in countless ways, totally different from the sets of technologies that we have become so accustomed to using and living with over the past few decades, and have potentials to transform the overall structure of the society and corporations in innovative ways for many years to come. Proper education for the new era with a long-term perspective is a prerequisite for an environment where every member of the society is able to adapt to the changes that AI will bring about, enjoying a brighter future and whatever it has to offer.
A bright future, if any, comes with a price tag. It is entirely up to the society, government, businesses, and individuals to decide how to make the best of artificial intelligence, which possesses great potentials for the future of the humankind, and how to enhance the technologies within AI for the development of us all.
