In part 1 of How Artificial Intelligence will Change the Job Market,, we saw how technology has evolved and grown to the point where it is pervasive. In part 2, we consider whether artificial intelligence is the next major transformative technology or if, like some before it, it will be a fad that dwindles to obscurity.
I remember when I first encountered an artificial intelligence. It was with a tuition client, who decided that it could help him write his programs. I wasn’t that impressed, to be honest. I could find things faster on StackOverflow that provided better and more relevant information.
In those early days, which were not that many months ago, I came across a programming assistance tool that combined a code completer, possibly a formatter and linter, with a readily accessible reference tool. It was cool, sort of, but it didn’t seem to be worth the effort when I already had tools that did those things well.
But over time, the sophistication increased. More became possible. If I don’t know what some code did, I could ask the artificial intelligence program, and it would tell me. Saved me preparation time for the lessons I was teaching. I discovered that it could write partially or fully complete pieces of programs, not just in one language, but in many. This drastically reduced my preparation and programming time, allowing me to complete more work more quickly. Which means happier clients who become productive more quickly. I was also able to extend my reach to deal with technologies with which I was unfamiliar, allowing me to study them, and I learned more.
Then there is application development. In the work I do, developing Python applications for my clients, I find that I can complete tasks in a matter of hours that used to take weeks.
You will see articles in the press and on blogs where claims are made that code written using artificial intelligence is of poor quality, unsustainable, or has defects and security issues. Despite a lack of complex data on this point, the same can be said of human developers as well. We mustn’t overlook the fact that technologists only start to earn value when the code they write is in the hands of their customers. Artificial intelligence tools enable this to happen much more quickly.
The speed at which the sophistication of tools is increasing means that some jobs are already being eliminated. Bots that provide customer service are now everywhere, making it harder to tell when you are not talking to a human. Robots are being used in warehouses, with predictions that this will be the dominant trend within five years. In healthcare, there is a growing emphasis on practical research and the prototyping of nursing care using robots. Administrative jobs are being reduced as artificial intelligence tools can handle transcription, translation, and even basic editing quite effectively.
This is a trend that can only continue. But what are the social implications? What will happen to jobs?
New skills are needed. Or rather, there is now a greater emphasis on skills that have been around for a long time, but which are very likely to be in greater demand. You can read about these in ProGressions.
Everyone needs to prepare for a new world where artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly dominant. Do you think you are ready?