Jobs to disappear, jobs that are safe when AI takes over
In a previous article for ASI, it was reported that workers need not fear for their jobs as AI will probably not replace humans in the workplace, at least not yet. In November 2020 the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) published a study about the emerging trend.
The study published by the MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future entitled “Artificial Intelligence And The Future of Work,” looked closely at developments in AI and their relation to the world of work. The study predicts that AI will continue to drive massive innovation leading to creation of more jobs.
However, a recent article from Daily Mail Australia reported that retail workers and people employed in the food services industry will be replaced by AI as the technology ramps up its takeover of the workforce, an expert has revealed.
The technology is already being used widely across the world in various industries and is designed to replace workers employed to do mundane and repetitive jobs, such as administration work and banking services.
In Australia, generative AI could be rolled out across the country by the end of this year, leaving thousands of workers displaced. Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence technology that is trained to do tasks, that a human can such as speak and write in a certain language.
Niusha Shafiabady, an associate professor at the Faculty of Science and Technology at Charles Darwin University who is an expert in machine learning, said these jobs would be the first to go. “Jobs that rely on humans following pre-existing instructions and don’t need many or any analytical thinking skills will be impacted relatively quickly,” Professor Shafiabady told news.com.
These are the top three jobs that are likely to be replaced by AI: Office Support; Customer Service and Sales; and Food services. Admin jobs will be replaced very easily by AI with workers such as secretaries and those who perform clerical duties, to be affected by the technology.
The retail and sales sector will also be heavily impacted by AI. Service Now and workforce technology expert Pearson, found that nearly a quarter of retail jobs in Australia will be scrapped due to the technology by 2027.
Restaurants and fast food chains already use AI technology to take orders from customers and recommend menu items. Figures by McKinsey found 13% of workers employed in the food services industry in 2022, were forced to find a new job because of automation.
Meanwhile, jobs that involve manual labour such as mining are more likely to fend off the threat of AI. Bricklayers, painters, and supervisors employed primarily in the construction sector to conduct labour intensive work, are unlikely to be replaced by the machine learning technologies.
Professor Shafiabady said designing and then integrating AI technologies, to replace workers employed in these industries will be difficult. “The fact is the cost of hiring for a position such as a construction labourer globally, versus manufacturing and maintaining a robot to do the same thing, means this type of role is unlikely to be displaced soon,” she said.
