Over the past few decades, a common concern has erupted: the robots are going to steal our jobs! With exponential advances in technology over the past few years, this fear has only grown in traction. And it makes sense. According to the World Economic Forum as many as 85 million jobs may become obsolete by 2025, as artificially intelligent computers replace the need for workers. While this statistic sounds dystopian, here’s why you can relax – why artificial intelligence won’t steal your jobs.
Since the dawn of human history, the purpose of technology has been to make life more manageable and entertaining. Tasks that used to be arduous became easy with technological development. We let tools and machines do the boring and hard stuff, so we can concentrate human efforts in more rewarding and productive ways. In recent years, the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning has allowed us to make quantum leaps in technological progress, allowing us to perceive future realities that would have seemed utterly impossible a mere decade ago.
Yes, it is true that AI has the potential to perform tasks that have traditionally been performed by humans. Fields such as human resources, customer support, retail services and more are predicted to be heavily disrupted by the integration of machine learning technology. “This is not helping me relax!” I hear you say, “the robots are taking over!”
Not exactly.
Whilst robots may well take many jobs from humans in the near future, the amount of jobs that AI will add to the workforce will far outweigh the amount we may lose. In fact, the World Economic Forum predicts that by 2025, 97 million new jobs will be opened in the fields of AI and machine learning. Again, we can see that machines will take the repetitive, gruelling jobs, and open up more opportunities for humans to do what humans do best – create and innovate.
Currently, the world-wide market value of AI is over $136 billion, and some projections indicate that this value might grow by 13x in the next eight years. Here in Israel, there are a number of industry-leading companies that are heavily influencing the entire world of AI. These companies include Navina, Resonai, Ask-AI, Velotix, and Tensorleap.
The most common positions in the world of AI include:
- Data Scientist jobs, who are people with expertise in the world of Data. They are able to collect, analyse, and integrate large amounts of data for a variety of purposes.
- Software and Machine Learning Engineer jobs who write code to create models and software that are able to process high amounts of data in real-time
- Research Scientists jobs, who are constantly in search of creative applications of AI technology
It is also noteworthy to add that tech companies are also in constant search for people to be involved in other ways. Sales, marketing, copywriting, and business development are all essential for any tech company, and there is plenty of recruitment of these skills, too.
“In the last four years alone, tech recruitment has jumped nearly 75%,” says Expoint CEO, Alon Aldi. “This trend only looks like it is growing. The amount of tech jobs in the world of AI is staggering. At Expoint, our mission is to streamline the recruitment process. Using our own algorithms, we help match recruiters with job searchers who have the right qualities and characteristics to be a reliable asset. Our CV building platform is already state of the art, providing candidates with an unparalleled user experience. We make sure to accentuate the most prominent skills needed in tech jobs, so that prospects can make sure they are drawing attention to the skills they have that are most sought after in the world of tech.”
“But we are far from satisfied,” Alon added, “our team is always looking to improve our platform to make sure that candidates and recruiters are being linked in the most effective and mutually beneficial ways possible.”
AI recruitment has a high demand for individuals with experience in coding and computing. This demand has created a chain reaction, in which people with expertise have started teaching on the side, resulting in the creation of hundreds of online courses in which people can learn to code from scratch, without university education. Many such courses can be found on platforms such as Udemy and Coursera. Whilst they may lack the academic rigour of university degrees or other standards of higher education, these courses provide individuals with valuable skills and experience, which can prove invaluable for employment opportunities.
We humans are known for our adaptability. We aren’t simply products of our environment – we shape and mould that environment in ways that benefit us. Artificial intelligence is just another step on the cosmic journey of human innovation. Although concerns about an unpredictable workforce in the future are understandable, it is important to remember that change brings opportunity. It is not too late to jump on the bandwagon and acquire the necessary skills to succeed in the world of artificial intelligence and machine learning.
This article was written in cooperaion with Expoint