For a long time AI was only something that you saw in the movies. It was a computer that took over a spaceship or a computer network that created Terminators to wipe out people. Now AI is real and everywhere. We use it everyday whether we know it or not. It is improving quickly too. The current version of ChatGPT is much more powerful than the version we were first introduced to just about a year ago. With this rapid increase in power, many people have become concerned about the economic fallout from AI and if it may cause them to lose their jobs.

AI: Job Killer?

One of the many issues people are concerned about with AI is the potential loss of jobs for humans. Soon, and in some cases already, AI will be able to write code better than people, write books, movies and TV shows faster and cheaper than people and do administrative tasks more efficiently than people. This is going to put companies in the position of having to choose between a person or AI to do a job and in many cases, because it is cheaper, faster or more efficient the companies will choose AI.

AI: Job Creator?

While the potential for changes that AI brings can be scary, it is not the first time this has happened. Many people had similar concerns during the industrial revolution, that technology would put people out of work. In some cases, it did but over time the technology actually helped to create more jobs. We should look at AI this way too. It might cause a lot of change in the short term, including people losing their jobs, but in the long term AI will bring new jobs and opportunities for people.

What do you think?

There is no doubt that there are many potential issues with AI including credibility, bias and the potential for negative impacts on jobs. This is why many leaders in AI have asked governments to slow the progress. The history of new technologies has shown that it is very difficult to control how quickly a technology impacts people and it is unlikely that governments will be able to slow down AI. The best we can do is try to understand how AI is impacting us and be ready for changes which might include new jobs and new opportunities. What do you think? Should we be scared or excited about how AI will impact our jobs when we graduate high school or college in a few years?