Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace — What’s Next?
Machines have been taking over human jobs for centuries. Buttons replaced elevator operators, the Internet replaced travel agencies, etc. One study estimates about 400,000 jobs were taken over by machines in American factories from 1990 to 2007. This number is growing rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, where humans are being replaced for two reasons:
- Machines are even more technologically advanced than they were 13 years ago, making them a more viable option
- An effort to keep workplace infections low
Now, machines are able to replace jobs. But Artificial Intelligence (AI) is even more advanced and more capable of doing things the same way humans can, and it’s replacing jobs faster than ever.
Give me the details!!
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has advanced exponentially over the last 10 years, and it continues to do so right now as you’re reading this.
Everyone knows AI is going to make a huge impact on the world, regardless of who you are. It’s obvious. Now, the question is, what is AI going to change? What industries are being affected?
With the way Artificial Intelligence is growing, we can see it replacing humans at their jobs within the next decade. We’ve seen AI beating humans dating back to the 1980s, where computer algorithms were able to win against human chess players. The most famous AI vs. human chess game was played in 1997, where the Deep Blue program beat world chess champion, Garry Kasparov, in a game of chess.
Since then, AI has advanced to even greater heights. In 2015, DeepMind’s ‘AlphaGo’ played its first game of Go against reigning three-time European Champion, Fan Hui. AlphaGo won the game 5 - 0, shocking the world. Less than a year later, AlphaGo competed against the legendary Go player, Lee Sedol. Sedol has won 18 world titles, and he is considered the greatest player of the past decade. AlphaGo won 4 - 1, opening our eyes further to all the possibilities of Artificial Intelligence.
But… why is this important?
You might look at this and say, “well, okay. AI is beating humans at games, but that doesn’t really matter, right?” If you’re asking this, you’re half right. Playing games isn’t really a big, worldwide problem — but this is just the beginning. Go is an extremely complicated game, much more complicated than chess. There are 250¹⁵⁰ possible moves, and the fact that a ‘robot’ is capable of beating humans at the game is mindblowing. If Artificial Intelligence can master a made-for-man-game, and beat humans at it, does this mean AI can outdo us in other fields?
The answer is yes.
In this past decade, we’ve seen so much advancement in the field of AI. In 2018, an AI system was able to diagnose brain tumors 21% more accurately than a team of 15 doctors — and faster too. AI is better than us at games. AI is better than us at driving. Even reading and solving Rubix’s cubes — AI is better. This means, eventually, Artificial Intelligence will be replacing our jobs.
“Sooner or later, the U.S. will face mounting job losses due to advances in automation, artificial intelligence, and robotics”
- Oren Etzioni
Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
This is a good question to ask. As for the answer… honestly, we don’t really know. AI is clearly better in many, many fields of work and it’s STILL advancing, and in 10 years or so AI will be completing tasks with 100% accuracy. The thing is, people are worried about being unemployed, and being unable to make money. AI is set to replace almost everything — doctors, builders, retail workers, etc. With most of the world unemployed, what will happen? Again, nobody knows. We’ll have to wait and see.
Just to be clear, AI replacing jobs also has many benefits. Any high-risk jobs that are being replaced (e.g. electrical power-line installers and repairers) is a good thing. Humans are prone to error — your hand could jump while performing surgery, something could distract you, etc. AI isn’t subjected to these kinds of things.
The thing is, it’s possible AI won’t be able to fully replace jobs. It’s difficult for Artificial Intelligence to replicate human emotion, so jobs in the fields of counseling and therapy would most likely stay with humans. There is the question of whether or not AI would become sentient, but that’s an argument for another time.
In the end, it really depends on your own opinion on this. Some people view it as unethical; others view it as the next step forward for humanity. In my opinion, this is a huge step forward. Taking risks is the key to huge breakthroughs. It may seem scary at the time, but can bring major benefits in the future. What did the world think when the Wright brothers built a functioning airplane? Were people apprehensive? Were they nervous? Of course, but today the airplane has become essential to travel. What if AI in workplaces could have been the next big thing, but our fear held us back?
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