CHENNAI: When computers were introduced in banks in the late 1980s, they were met with resistance from labour unions over fear of job losses. Concerns against technological advancements could be seen among textile workers in Georgian England in the 18th century to the present-day Hollywood writers’ strike.
The fear that automation and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) systems may cause large-scale disruption in the labour market and replace workers seems more pressing now than ever. But the history of the first industrial revolution in the late 17th century to the advent of all-pervasive smartphones tells us that the disruption brought by technological advancement may make some jobs obsolete and create new ones. As of now, the narrowly focused AI system is helping humans do their jobs better. The digital transformation has resulted in increased jobs as seen in the platform gigs but resulted in a wage decline.
Disruption of labour market
It is estimated that 75-375 million people (3-14%) in the global workforce will need to switch occupational categories by 2030 or become unemployed, according to the World Economic Forum. However the growth and decline of occupation differ across sectors and countries. Demographics, too, plays an important role. For example, the demand for predictable physical work and office assistants is estimated to rise 21% and 15%, respectively, while it is in decline in other major economies such as the US, Germany, Japan and China, according to McKinsey Global Institute analysis.
Predicting the evolution of the workforce in the AI era seems like blind persons figuring out what an elephant is, with each person describing it differently based on limited experience. It is believed that high-skilled workers and jobs that require creativity such as software developers, musicians and artists are assumed safer than factory floor workers and ‘routine’ jobs. However, with the introduction of co-pilot and generative art, the future of writers and creative workers remains unsure.
Carl Benedikt Frey, associate professor of AI at Oxford, and Michael Osborne, professor at Oxford, recently argued that average-quality AI systems benefit low-skilled workers in software development, writing and general customer service, among other areas.
How can workers adopt?
While there is a lot of uncertainty over the evolution of work, disruption by industrial automation and AI systems is imminent.
There is always sufficient time before an innovative technology makes inroads to the market and this gives some breathing space. Continuous learning and upskilling, reskilling are necessary. Up until now, the AI systems don’t have capabilities to mimic empathy, workers should cultivate and improve their emotional intelligence to have an edge over machines.
Higher cognitive skills like complex information processing and critical thinking are also important.
Companies and employees should have an open mindset to approach the transition. Amid the anxiety over the skills of the future, a recent study states that the value of a skill is relative and it depends on the number of skills and type of skills it is combined with. History has shown that technological advancement, though disruptive in the Short term, could be beneficial to humankind, as witnessed by the instant digital payment system within three decades of opposing computers in India. Above all, the ability to adapt to changes is crucial to navigate tough and uncertain times.