Humanity is seeing a technological boom in recent times. We went from making VR headsets more affordable and life-like to AI becoming more reliable and capable.
However, we may have stumbled on a technological precipice that would strip us of our ability to earn a living based on the talents and abilities we have. In our excitement to see what AI could do for us, we didn't stop to think if we would upset the delicate balance between technology and human input.
Similarly, this technological turmoil could provide people creative enough the opportunity they need to fill in the new demand of the times, but what would those jobs look like?
Should AI be considered a job killer or a job creator?
AI As a Job Killer
AI may not be taking over the world in the way modern pop culture thinks it would, like in the "Terminator" and "I, Robot" movies, but it is already taking over people's jobs. You may recall that Challenger, Gray, and Christmas found that 3,900 people from the tech sector lost their jobs due to advancements in AI from all the layoffs that occurred in May alone.
People in the tech sector aren't the only ones affected by advancements in AI. Teachers, customer service representatives, accountants, creative artists, and even us in the media industry could also feel the effects AI has on our jobs. Chinese students have been using ChatGPT to help them with homework and learn English faster, while many companies switched to OpenAI's popular and cheaper generative AI tool to create writeups for items being sold online, leaving copywriters they had to pay before to fend for themselves.
Should governments worldwide not create regulations or guidelines for the use of AI, there will come a time when most of humanity will be out of a job because they didn't specialize in their respective field.
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According to Sensorium, jobs that require creativity, empathy, and complex political and strategic roles would be hardly replaced by AI, or at all for that matter. These jobs include CEOs, PR managers, lawyers, and event planners.
While countries and regions worldwide are already creating regulations for AI, such as the EU's AI Act, there hasn't been any country reported to be creating a law regulating how involved AI can be in jobs, lessening the number of people AI could theoretically replace.
AI As A Job Creator
As the saying goes, "one door closes, another opens." As AI takes over some jobs, people must be creative in living with AI rather than going against its takeover.
People replaced by AI could re-toll their talents and expertise and do something connected to what they previously did for a job. For instance, writers that lost their jobs could remain as fack checkers, PR managers, and editors; AI has no emotional intelligence, and only these professionals can deal with and gauge what people and their potential audience need to hear.
From that same node of thought, people can specialize and choose jobs that AI can't replace - as long as a job requires emotional intelligence, they can find a living in an AI-excited world.
Last but not least, people can study and find jobs that support AI rather than advance it further, keeping AI tools running smoothly for people using it and nothing more.
Conclusion
Left without regulation, AI can take over and even kill jobs, but it also could create jobs (or re-tool them, at least), allowing a new breed of working-class person to rise to the challenge brought on by the advancements in AI.
Regardless, regulation is key, as not everyone can adapt to these rapidly changing times.
Related Article: Here Are 5 Jobs at Risk of Being Replaced by AI
