Humans vs AI: Our career competition against automation

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Iconic robots in the cinematic industryー think Wall-E, Baymax from Big Hero 6, and R2D2 from Star Warsー have indisputably taken over our hearts. But what is one thing these friendly robots have in common? The artificial general intelligence that lets them do all these wonderful things we love them for. In real life, this technological innovation is actually slowly taking over our jobs. Just as cashiers are being replaced by self-service machines, other human positions are threatened by conventional robotic workers. Some consider this phenomenon to be useful for a wide range of disciplines, regardless of the expertise level required to fulfill a task. Is our fight for professions against AI winnable? What will happen to our jobs?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is defined as “the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems”. 

How does AI affect job opportunities? Parallel to Wall-E’s role as a waste collector, many machines will substitute humans’ positions in diverse fields. A study done at Oxford University found that “45% of all current jobs will disappear in the next 10 years with some of them being completely automated or at least upgraded to a point where a fraction of the workforce is needed”. As automation (technology applications where human input is minimized) skyrockets in the industry, the machines’ precision, efficiency, and speed that trespasses or out-performs human capacities have become corporations’ first choice. 

Which jobs will decay because of AI?

Corporations are massively substituting human employees for mechanical workers. But specifically, which jobs are at a higher risk to be completely replaced? According to Springboard, AI has a “higher speed of execution, and a higher operational ability and accuracy, while also highly significant in tedious and monotonous jobs compared to humans”. Because of this performance accuracy, some jobs that are expected to disappear are:

• Drivers
• Farmers
• Construction Workers
• Travel Agents
• Stock Traders
• Telemarketers
• Accountants and tax preparers
• Cashiers
• Most waiters and bartenders
• Factory workers

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Due to the job opportunity uncertainty that’s expected as AI technology advances, many question what human-oriented professions will survive the technology apocalypse. First, we must consider what skills robots lack. It’s rather obvious that feelings aren’t yet, nor expected, to be mastered by inhuman beings. With that being said, “The jobs that the robots will leave for humans are those that require thoughts and knowledge”; specifically, the knowledge required to create artificial technologies and understand emotions. Specialties like engineering, mechanics and computer science will still be run by humans. Besides those, other jobs that cannot be replaced by AI are:

• Writing
• Human Resources 
• Customer relationship management 
• Strategic, Critical Thinking
• Creativity-oriented jobs 
• Psychiatry, psychology
• Teaching
• Surgeons 

“We must remember that our human knack for compassion and empathy is going to be a valuable asset in the future workforce, and that jobs hinged on care, creativity and education will remain vital to our society.” 

It might seem overwhelming at once, but humanity won’t succumb to robotic workers entirely. In fact, Oxford University’s study has also stated that AI will create 97 million new job opportunities, which enhances the cooperation of said technologies with humans. Examples of these future jobs, as mentioned by CNBC, range from software engineers and data scientists to business development professionals. Not every human job will be lost, right? 

“[…] robots and AI are unable to replicate certain human traits, and they lack the ability to have the shared human empathy that we all inherently possess.” 

The future labor world forecasts an era of multiple upgrades; optimizing the performance of general AI on common human careers that we have today by introducing robotic workers. This new ideal may present an uncertain future for those unrelated to technology and  whose expertise field will be superseded by  AI employees. But that’s all in the future, right? Or maybe it’s not the time to sit and relax, seeing as our career competition against automation has already begun. 

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