The thought of artificial intelligence (AI) might conjure up images of robotic machines taking over our workplaces, but what does it really mean for our jobs?
Machines have been working for humans for thousands of years – from the pulley systems of ancient Egypt through to the computers of today – and their abilities have continued to be the subject of much discussion. In the seventeenth century, philosopher Rene Descartes surmised that machines couldn’t respond appropriately to everything, but by the 1950’s computer scientists such as Alan Turing were suggesting that machines could exhibit intelligent behaviour.
We now know that machines can adapt their responses over time when presented with new data and situations, and this is often referred to as artificial intelligence or machine learning. As Francois Chollet, AI researcher at Google, says: “Intelligence is the efficiency with which you acquire new skills at tasks you didn’t previously prepare for” suggesting that although machines can be set to perform specific tasks, it is their ability to adapt over time that makes them intelligent – it was previously thought that machines might only as intelligent as the person who programmed them.
This of course applies to humans too. Intelligence isn’t a specific skill, rather an ability to learn new things and efficiently manage these changes. Indeed, when Charles Darwin wrote about the “survival of the fittest”, he was referring to the survival of those who were most adaptable to changes in their environment, rather than those that were fit per se.
We now know that machines are not only more developed, but able to learn new behaviours. This may seem disconcerting and leave us wondering what will ultimately happen to our jobs. But are we all really destined for the scrap heap?
A 2013 study, The Future of Employment, looked at how susceptible jobs are to computerisation. Its findings showed that while there have been developments with sophisticated algorithms and big data, jobs that involve complex perception, manipulation, persuasion, care, emotional and negotiation tasks are unlikely to be replaced by computers over the next twenty years.
The report explained that as technology developed it would be low skilled workers that would be most affected and who would find themselves moving to roles that are less susceptible to computerisation. The writers concluded that “For workers to win the race [against technology], they will have to acquire creative and social skills.”
So with the drive towards AI, you might be wondering whether your job is at risk. This handy website attempts to answer the all important question – will robots take my job? – providing a percentage score of how likely it is that your job will become automated.
In the mean time though, it’s time to get creative and sociable – though perhaps not with a robot!