Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT are rapidly gaining traction, allowing the technology to be used throughout the enterprise to automate a variety of manual tasks performed by workers today, leading to what’s expected to be a major shift in the global job market.
In the US and Europe, as many as 300 million jobs could be threatened by some form of AI, according to a March research note by investment bank Goldman Sachs. Fully two-thirds of US jobs could be partially automated through AI, and up to one in four current work tasks could be completely automated by AI in the US and Europe, according to Goldman Sachs.
In particular, roles that require repetitive data entry, legal administration, careers that involve mathematical skills – even healthcare jobs – will all be impacted by AI’s adoption.
As much as 29% of computer-related job tasks could be automated by AI, as well as 28% of work by healthcare practitioners and technical tasks in that field, Goldman Sachs projected.
Career fields with the highest exposure to AI automation are administrative positions (46%) and tasks in legal (44%) professions. Not surprisingly, jobs less likely to be affected tend to be in physically intensive areas such as construction (6%) and maintenance (4%).
While automation through AI is expected to disrupt an array of career fields, including IT, not all jobs in those areas will be affected equally. For example, in the legal sector, paralegal jobs are likely endangered than attorneys — that’s one reason the legal sector’s score is so high, according to Goldman Sachs.
Officials at ManpowerGroup are seeing many of the same trends. “A majority of what we’re seeing now are [effects on] jobs that are more information based,” said Rebecca Croucher, head of North America marketing at the global staffing firm. “So, math, law, doctors — more of a day-to-day diagnosis [of patients].”
Data processing tasks such as data entry are also “going away,” especially in banking, according to Croucher.
“No longer does someone have to sit there and enter invoices or accounts receivables. Any data coming in like that is now being automated,” she said.
With AI taking on so many tasks in so many fields, organizations will be pressed to upskill or reskill their existing workforce. In fact, half of IT employers are upskilling workers to address staffing challenges, according to a June 8 report from ManpowerGroup. The report claims that emerging technologies such as AI and virtual reality could even help hire and train new employees.
Croucher said the need to retrain employees as AI takes on tasks will hit companies “hard and fast.” “I think there is the cirriculum available, but I don’t think the rubber has hit the road yet. In the US, you’re starting to hear more about apprenticeship programs in areas like cybersecurity,” Croucher said. “The need will happen….
2023-06-28 18:30:03
Article from www.computerworld.com rnrn