Why AI wont take your job just yet
Since the emergence of generative AI products like Chat GPT and GPT4 last year, there has been a silent, collective sense of dread amongst workers across most industries. At first, it was fun, we were asking Chat GPT numerous useless questions like how to rule the world and so forth, making funny tweets and memes about it and even using it to do our assignments and projects.
But after a while, it stopped being funny.
Numerous people came up with claims on twitter that AI would automate our jobs. I started seeing breathtaking products like Genius by Diagram which is an ai assistant for designers, GPT4 and more recently GPT4o which could do complex reasoning and text generation, Uizard which can generate interfaces from prompts, Devin an AI software engineer which has apparently already started taking jobs on Upwork😂.
And while it might be a bit reassuring that many of these products are still in their early stages and not yet fully launched, it raises important questions about the future. What will happen in the next 20 years as research and development progress? Will human labor and creativity remain relevant, or will we end up like the humans in WALL-E?
This uncertainty, combined with my curiosity about AI, made me start researching the fundamentals of this black box called artificial intelligence and the future of work that will accompany it.
I started auditing different courses online till I found a beginner level course by deep learning ai that really held my hand and took me through the fundamentals of generative AI, what it does, how it works and how it affects us and why it just might not take all our jobs?
So this piece is just a summary of what I’ve learnt so far, that explores Generative AI, applications of AI, the future of creativity and a plausible future with AI.
What’s this Generative AI in the first place? And who do they think they are?
Artificial intelligence is the development of computer systems that can perform tasks requiring human-like intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, and problem-solving.
Generative AI is branch of artificial intelligence focused on creating new data samples that resemble the original training data, often used in tasks such as image generation, text generation, and music composition.
Generative AI automates the previously human task of creating content by using a man-made intelligence, which is created using techniques like deep learning, machine learning , reinforcement learning etc.
Training this synthetic intelligence, is a lot like training a child, if you show a child thousands of pictures of cats and dogs , pretty soon they’d be able to recreate those pictures of cats and dogs, but only based off of the pictures you’ve shown them.
In the case of Large Language Models (LLM’s) like ChatGPT, they generate content through a technique called Supervised Learning, which is a prediction model that uses labelled trained data to predict and understand different types of prompts.
Thus large language models are, in essence, complex prediction models, which use labelled and unlabeled text data, to generate text by predicting each word after the other. This makes them well suited to perform many tasks like proof reading, writing, and holding conversations with people.
However, large language models (LLMs) also have several shortcomings because of their predictive power. They tend to hallucinate and produce content that is inaccurate and based on imaginary information. This may be because, as predictive models, they generate results they believe best answer your prompt, rather than what is actually real or factual. They also tend to struggle with calculations, because they predict what the result of a calculation should be instead of performing the actual computation.
Applications of Generative AI
There are two ways that we can apply Generative AI in our lives and businesses, Augmentation and Automation.
Augmentation uses AI to help with human tasks, making them easier, faster, or more efficient. AI pioneer Nils Nilsson called this Weak AI, meaning it helps people with tasks but doesn’t do the tasks on its own.
Augmentative AI improves human capabilities, labor productivity and frees up time for innovation and creativity.
On the other side of AI application is Automation, where AI is used to fully perform human tasks. A good example of AI automation is Elon Musk’s proposed self-driving cars, which completely automates the task of driving.
Automation is huge cost saver for entrepreneurs and businesses because hiring machines is much less expensive than paying salaries (healthcare, benefits etc.) and thus a more profitable alternative.
The big problem with automation however, is that it is a substitute for human labor and reduces workers’ bargaining power, which could result in lower wages and fewer jobs.
A/N — I’m already competing with thousands of designers for jobs, and now I have to compete with AI again? This is an unfair game :(
The good news however, is that Generative AI only automates tasks, not entire jobs. Jobs are comprised of multiple tasks, and while some tasks within our jobs may be easily automated with AI, there are also numerous tasks, especially those requiring experience and real-time response, that cannot be automated by AI.
Phew.
What Generative AI can do for us now is to automate simple and repetitive tasks, which frees up time for us to focus on more complex tasks and problems. This empowers us to be better, much more productive workers and creatives.
So no, we wont be replaced by AI anytime soon, you’ll be replaced with people who use AI to be more productive. According to Erik Brynjolfsson, an Economist, and Director of Stanford Digital Economy Lab,
Augmenting humans with technology opens an endless frontier of new abilities and opportunities. The set of tasks that humans and machines can do together is undoubtedly much larger than those humans can do alone.
You can see AI as a malevolent force trying to take your job, or you can see it as a tool created to serve your interests.
AI and Creativity
I think one of the biggest dilemmas concerning generative AI is about the future of creation, and of creativity. Generative AI has the capacity to create content(text, image, audio, video, code) at an alarming level of efficiency, even surpassing human work in terms of precision and speed, and it also has the potential to effectively generate original content too.
The reality of this has opened a new frontier of questions for people — about the future of human creativity and the nature of creativity itself. Can AI one day automate creativity? Will AI-generated content truly replace human content? If so, what is the future for human creativity? and will it still have value, or is it becoming something of the past?
I’m not an expert on either AI or creativity, but I will say a few things about this.
First and foremost, the art of creation is an intrinsically human attribute.
Since the dawn of time, people have created things, not because they wanted to, but because their personal experiences and situations demanded it. Whether it was the need to survive, earn a living, solve a problem, prove a point, express grief, satisfy curiosity, to find justice or simply inspire others, we became creative and innovative out of our unique life experience.
And the beautiful thing about that is that other humans can see and resonate the with the authenticity of peoples work, that’s why people cry at theatres or pay millions of dollars for paintings, because they can resonate with the pain, passion and experiences of the creator through their work.
Regardless of whether its a painting or a website or a piece of music, as far as you’re being authentic and honest, people can feel it and feel you in it, and that’s why they feel moved to pay you thousands of dollars for it.
Amen Amen
Even when it comes to solving problems, almost every great product or solution was designed from an empathetic point of view, and that’s why they work so well. Humans are able to feel empathy for the struggles and experiences of other people and utilize that empathy to create lasting solutions for people.
Our friend AI however, lacks empathy and a lot of these said human experiences that is needed to create noteworthy work and thus cannot create expressive and authentic pieces. So even when AI does learn how to do things just as good as us, it will never ever be able to replicate the humanity of our work and it will never be able to speak to people the way we do. It can only serve as an alternative to make people and businesses more efficient.
I don’t think whatever computer produce will be able to speak to us like we speak to each other — Toby Walsh
I also don't think we will ever lose our creative power as humans because of the introduction of generative AI. If anything, the introduction of generative AI will force us to adapt and explore more authentic and expressive forms of creativity.
Because if AI can already generate generic work, creatives will be pushed to challenge their artistic and expressive limits to compete.
A good example of this is portrait artists. Prior to the invention of cameras and photographs, people captured memories through portrait artists. When photography emerged, these artists transitioned to other forms of art like abstraction, cubism, futurism etc, and even utilized photography to make their work a lot faster and flexible than before.
Humans are designed to be flexible and adapt to any situation, if we could find ways to be creative during the world wars, then creatives and creators would definitely be fine in the AI revolution.
Tyler the creator also said something very very profound about AI and the music industry,
I’m always ahead of even myself so the AI will never catch up to me creatively, it will only have a reference point to what I’ve already did, not where I’m going because it’s not me.
As we grow as people and creatives, we will learn and change and our work will change with us, but AI cannot predict or anticipate the constantly changing nature of our creative output.
What AI can do for you is to follow you on your creative journey and replicate what you’ve done at certain points in your life but it cannot replicate what next you will do because it’s not you.
So, as long as we keep growing and being authentic, honest and expressive, AI will never be a threat to but a AI tool for us.
The Age of AI
Throughout human history, there have been numerous eras of pervasive technologies that have radically transformed our industries, societies, and way of life.
The steam engine brought about trains, cars, more accessible transportation, mass production of goods, and a migration from agrarian methods of production.
Electricity was adopted into multiple life-changing inventions, such as the lightbulb, enabling 24-hour work shifts; the telephone, bridging instant long-distance communication; and the radio, facilitating mass communication that informed and empowered the proletariat. These innovations sparked social revolutions against racism, capitalism, and gender inequality.
The Age of Computing brought processors which revolutionized work and made production more efficient than ever. The internet was created, connecting the whole world and giving people access to endless libraries of information from their cellphones. Social media took over our lives, the tech industry was created, skinny jeans became cool, and someone made Marvel movies.
It’s important to note that every age of new technologies slowly usurped the previous system. Industries declined and changed, masses of people lost their jobs, and many unfair changes were made. But amid these changes, we reached new heights of productivity, businesses thrived, and people were empowered to create more innovations that solved human problems and improved the quality of life for millions.
“We’ve added something to the tool chest. People are going to use that tool to do all sorts of incredible things, but people remain the architects of the future, not one AGI in the sky.” — Sam Altman
Multiple new jobs were also created through these technologies. Without the internet, jobs like UX design, social media management, content creation, data analytics, and digital marketing would never have existed but the rise of computing, the internet, and social media created new needs, and these jobs were created to fill them.
In the same way, the age of artificial intelligence will bring a new era of jobs and possibilities. Even though some industries will decline and some jobs might become redundant, there will be numerous opportunities created through AI.
The new age of artificial intelligence comes with generative AI systems, VR/AR/MR, robotics, smart homes, self-driving taxis, AI software engineers, and anything else we can imagine. Yes, it does have the capacity to produce technologies that threaten our jobs (including mine, lol), but it also opens a new realm of possibilities for us, as members of the human race.
Conclusion
I know I said that the purpose of this piece was simply to summarize what I’ve learnt so far, and it is, but I also wanted to reassure anyone like me, who often has lingering anxieties about losing their jobs or being rendered redundant in a few years by artificial intelligence.
If you are in that category of people, I have another message for you;
Dear Reader,
Hi, I hope you’ve eaten today. I have no idea what’s going on in your life and career right now, but I know thoughts of AI taking your job isn't helping. You’re at the turn of a new technological revolution and a new chapter of the world and I need you to understand that this new chapter is a chapter where you are needed.
I want you to understand that AI is tool made to empower you, not to disenfranchise you and if it does one day automate something you’ve worked so hard to build, that just means you need to build something better, that just means you need to to change with the world.
I also want you to let go of the old and open your mind to all the new possibilities that are unravelling in front of you. This black box called AI should be a black box that you should be consistently and insatiably concerned with. Learn it, adapt to it and utilize it as a tool to explore the heights, lengths and breaths of your ingenuity and creativity.
I hope this new understanding of AI, makes you feel a lot more hopeful about the future and it emboldens you to take charge of this new revolution, in your own way.
Much love,
Loba.
Further Reading
The Turing trap by Erik Brynjolfsson
Human-Level Artificial Intelligence? Be Serious! by Nils J. Nilsson
The AI revolution by Benard Marr
Faking It: Artificial Intelligence in a Human World by Toby Walsh
Benny the Blue Whale by Andy Stanton
Recommended Courses
Generative AI for Everyone by Deep Learning ai
Introduction to generative AI by Google Cloud
