RE: "Automation, AI, and the Future of Jobs"

HackerNoon Reporter: Please state the link of the article you are reviewing:

https://hackernoon.com/automation-ai-and-the-future-of-jobs

What is your opinion regarding this piece?

I think it’s certainly true that innovation in artificial intelligence influences the labour market.

AI can not only perform basic human tasks but also surpass people in terms of accuracy and efficiency. However, as it stands, robots can’t fully replace humans in decision-making because ML models still need fine-tuning.

In my opinion, areas such as manufacturing, radiology, transportation, healthcare, and cybersecurity will experience the biggest changes because of AI.

A report from the World Economic Forum mentions that machines or robots with AI will have replaced 85 million jobs by 2025; at the same time, 97 million new jobs will be created because of the evolving technologies and AI.

So if while replacing certain jobs, AI is simultaneously creating new job opportunities, I suppose that concerns over jobs recession are needless. Upskilling and reskilling will help workers retain and secure employment or find new jobs.

The statistics referred to in the article support that assumption, but whether all companies will be able to provide employees with retraining is still unclear.

Furthermore, Algorithms grow the extent of robotic capabilities. Implementation of a robot tax may slow down the process of automation but probably won’t have a dramatic impact on robotic companies.

The rise of robots replacing human workers to perform routine manual work is inevitable – industrial robots are being introduced much faster than medical or logistics robots.

What are some of the varying perspectives on this subject that you’re aware of? [Example: if some people are pro, why are they pro? If some people are against, why are they against?]

Opinions on Automation, AI, and the future of jobs differ – a clear majority favours the careful deployment of innovations.

Automation anxiety derives from the fact that robots will perform tasks instead of humans, and it may lead to unemployment since workers in low-development regions won’t be able to retrain and gain new skills.

According to McKinsey, more than 100 million workers in eight developed countries (UK, China, United States, Spain, Germany, India, France, Japan), or 1 in 16, will need to find a different occupation by 2030, so workers are supposed to switch occupations in advance. The reasons include both COVID-19 and automation.

In addition to unemployment, Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking have warned people of AI singularity.

The technological singularity means that the AI revolution will become uncontrollable and unpredictable – robots will overcome humans in terms of intelligence. Self-improvement may lead to the possible emergence of super-intelligence with unknown limits.

This should be taken into account while working on AI models, robots, and automation. However, it’s too early to worry about such a sophisticated level of development.

Let’s consider a mundane example.

A couple of days ago I was posting on Facebook about a job opportunity at MobiDev. My post mentioned Santa Barbara, meaning a popular American TV Series from between 1984–1993.

I am physically located in Kharkiv, Ukraine, and the job offer was valid for my city. However, the Facebook AI algorithm decided that it knew better what I needed than myself, and turned my regular post into a job listing without my permission, and, more hilariously, put the job location as Santa Barbara, CA, USA.

“The robot” was proud of the job it did, prompting me “Hey, human! Look how good I am at understanding you.” However, I had to tell him “No, thanks'' and cancel the change.

What are some of the nuances people frequently miss when discussing this subject matter?

Robotic automation is a rapidly evolving area, so various technologies and processes becoming obsolete in the blink of an eye.

Employees do not always resist AI introduction and automation for fear of losing their jobs. According to Forbes, employees want some tasks to be automated by companies.

For instance, data entry or navigating legacy systems. If employers take this into account, they will foster employee loyalty and reach other goals through digital transformation.

What is your favourite quote or paragraph from this article? [Or anywhere else.] Why?

I liked a quote from the book written by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, in which he highlighted the importance of critical thinking and the people’s responsibility for computer-generated solutions. Here it is worthwhile to mention risks related to automation and AI.

The main risk is biased AI.

Biased algorithms that take into account gender and race discrimination are certainly a risk factor-- from Amazon’s AI recruiting tool to Facebook’s ad delivery -- which may prevent companies from investing in AI.

As usual, bias in AI derives from biased data that is being fed into a model. Being aware of this risk, companies that apply AI algorithms should be attentive while choosing the appropriate datasets for the training and avoid societal bias.

Let’s get back to the Fourth Industrial Revolution mentioned in the article and find out what it holds besides risks.

AI adoption and automation present a new frontier, which holds numerous benefits: reduced operating costs, improvement of accuracy in diagnosing diseases, the possibility to improve education and predict natural disasters, prevent violation through assault rifle detection and facial recognition.

Google is already investing in the AI tool that diagnoses and predicts lung cancer and other diseases. So, the conclusion is that the right AI development opens new opportunities for different spheres.

Is there anything else about this you’d like us to know? [Trends, future, concerns, hopes… etc.]

It is expected that AI won’t fully automate education in the foreseeable future, but the educational software and hardware market is growing.

I do agree that AI succumbs to a human teacher in terms of communication and can't be an equally valuable source of inspiration. At the same time, the Chinese place hopes in AI teachers.

AI-powered education in China already uses algorithms that curate lessons and surveillance systems. Educational AI models training is thus intensified because of the collected data, which does not have the same privacy standards as in other countries.

In other parts of the world AI learning tools also help teachers and students in automating admin tasks, introducing personalization, and simplifying the creation of smart content. The global implementation of virtual lecturers and fully automated education, as was mentioned in the article, are still far away.