Guest Post: Artificial Intelligence Is Being Treated As A Scapegoat For Job Replacement
The popularity of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has created some debate regarding global job replacement.
However, AI has the capability to transform the way we work rather than replacing jobs. Instead of looking at AI as our competitor, AI should be looked at as a tool which can eliminate repetition and give purpose and meaning to our work.
1. Giving Meaning To Our Work
Some jobs require a lot of repetition, AI can help to eliminate that repetition so people can focus on other work which requires complex and creative solutions.
This is similar to the agricultural revolution where hunter-gatherer societies transformed into farming societies.
Due to the invention of farming, people had more time to pursue other creative tasks such as art and philosophy.
2. Augmenting Work
Certain jobs require human interaction such as a cafeteria or a therapist because an AI is incapable of feeling emotion, it is highly unlikely AI will replace jobs that heavily rely on human interaction.
Instead however, these industries can use AI to augment and transform the way that they are performed.
For example, for a therapist, an AI could offer various solutions on how the patient can get better and the therapist could use those solutions to guide the patient.
3. New Opportunities
As AI advances and becomes more sophisticated, it will bring more opportunities for new jobs.
The creation and continued maintenance of AI will require people that are knowledgeable in coding, data science and algorithms.
These professions are integral since we are slowly moving into the age of AI – and these professions will be in high demand since AI can be implemented for various industries.
4. Complex Decisions and Law
Human input will still be required in certain areas due to certain laws and moral dilemmas. The solution created by the AI will be the most efficient, but is it the most moral choice?
For example, a car is about to crash, which should the AI prioritise: the passenger or the pedestrian?
Policy makers should have a critical role to make sure these systems are created and used accordingly.
5. Personalised Training and Education
AI can also be used to monitor people’s skill in a particular area by analysing their learning patterns. After the AI figures out the person’s skill, it can adapt to create custom made exercises and personalised learning paths for that person.
These AI systems can help workers and students by giving tailor made feedback, identify potential knowledge gaps, and recommend other courses/materials.
Moreover, with the use of Natural Language Processing. AI can help teachers by making the AI answer any student question and it will have a myriad of insightful responses. So it can be used as a teacher’s assistant which engages in conversations 24/7.
6. Art and AI
Artists will still be needed for various reasons.
One reason is that their art is used to train AI models which they can use to make money by creating art specifically for that particular AI model. AI however cannot replace artists due to lack of creativity, since AI art is bounded by the art which it is trained on.
The AI art is convenient to some people because it is created faster but while the speed is fast, is it quality? Some AI models are good at creating art but they still struggle with certain human features such as eyes.
Furthermore, AI can be censored to not create certain types of art with could contain controversial political messaging – however an artist has the liberty to truly express any view or opinion they may have.
We are not about to be replaced
Contrary to popular belief, AI will not “replace us”.
Instead it will help us, by transforming the way we work by helping us with repetitive tasks, creating new job opportunities, and guiding us by providing relevant information on various tasks.
Dawson Camilleri is a technology consultant and has a masters degree in Artificial intelligence from the University of Malta.
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