There’s no question AI is upsetting the job market. But we must remember: upheaval does not only have negative effects. Just as some job functions may come to feel outmoded following the AI boom—primarily, menial and repetitive labor that relies on pattern recognition—the efficiency of others will be amplified.
To understand how AI will impact each industry or role, we must first understand AI’s strong suits as well as its challenges.
Where does AI excel?
AI is a boon to companies and organizations when it comes to parsing large datasets that would take a human employee significantly more time to look through. Not only can it get through massive amounts of data swiftly, but it does so while identifying patterns and making calculations that would take a human much more time to do. And because it is not a human, it does not get tired out by this—meaning the quality of its output will not degrade the more information it handles in a given period.
So, what jobs use these skills? Roles heavily based on data entry are likely to feel an impact from AI, as well as those that revolve around repetitive administrative work: scheduling meetings and calls, sorting files, answering emails.
However, there are many jobs out there where these more repetitive, administrative tasks are only one aspect of the role. For example, consider the writer and designer behind a newsletter or blog like the one you’re reading now. Simple, routine tasks go into this: from parsing recent news stories to catching grammar mistakes. But it also presents many opportunities for higher-level creative thinking: identifying issues our clients and readers care about, for one. Implementing AI into a process like this one can help facilitate the workflow and free up more time to address the more central questions that drive the project.
On the other hand, there are some arenas where human employees have not yet met their match. Far from it.
Where is AI challenged?
It sounds obvious, but AI does not have a physical presence in a workplace. Therefore, it cannot replace roles where this is crucial—ranging from skilled trade workers like plumbers to heart surgeons.
But beyond this, AI does not have empathy. It cannot authentically feel for and relate to another human being. No matter how technologically advanced our world becomes, we remain people, and we crave the presence of others in our lives, especially as we are young and developing socially and emotionally. This means roles like educators, social workers, counselors, and managers of all kinds are likely to see little genuine threat from this technology. But it also gives us a guidepost as to what skills will become even more sought-after in the job market.
No matter what you do at work, your humanness can make you an asset to your employer. Empathy, team-building, problem-solving, and creativity are crucial to most efforts, and they are qualities that technology has not—and perhaps could never—master. You may see less jobs related to the nuts and bolts of data, but as the job market adjusts alongside these rapidly shifting technologies, perhaps we will see even more opportunities to exhibit the skills that make us unique—the skills that make us human.