The job market has undergone significant changes in recent years, with large organizations having fewer employees and job security no longer guaranteed. Startups and smaller companies have become more prevalent, leading to a more fragmented career landscape where individuals take on multiple occupations. Innovative technology has played a significant role in this shift, making it challenging to predict the trajectory of a person’s working life.
Traditional professions like law and accounting are riskier due to concerns about automation, but the number of enrollments in law schools continues to grow. Despite machines excelling at performing tasks, it is incorrect to say that they are “taking people’s jobs,” as jobs are inherently human activities.
Contemporary Workplace
The contemporary workplace is more likely to involve a portfolio of different occupations, requiring individuals to adapt to this new reality. While the AI revolution brings enormous benefits, it also carries potential downsides, such as the risk of losing control over intelligent systems. Keeping these machines tethered to human values is crucial to avoid severe consequences.
Throughout history, worries about automation displacing human workers have been present. The Industrial Revolution disrupted various forms of labor and resulted in significant lifestyle changes. Despite the initial challenges faced by those who had to transition to new modes of subsistence, the overall outcome was an increase in the number of jobs. Factories introduced machines to perform tasks more efficiently, creating new jobs previously not required.
While new technology often displaces familiar forms of work, it eventually leads to entirely new ways to earn a living. However, this only sometimes guarantees the finding of new tasks for the previous generation of workers. For instance, in the 19th century, industrial production heavily relied on the labor of horses in the United States. Despite the growth of horse-powered enterprises, new tasks were not found for the workhorses themselves.
Employment Surge
The horse-powered economy nearly disappeared 50 years after its prominence in urban areas. Although it continued in rural areas, it eventually vanished across the country. However, the introduction of the automobile created many new jobs to cater to the demands of this new era. By 1950, the auto industry had generated over 7 million new jobs, accounting for 11% of the American workforce.
Unfortunately, this surge in employment did not extend to horses—their skills in pulling and carrying suits better for the changing times. As a result, very few jobs are left for them outside the leisure industry. When the first Model-T Ford (22 horsepower) was produced in 1908, there were around 25 million horses in the United States alongside 90 million people. However, by the time the first Ford Falcon (260 horsepower) debuted in 1960, only three million horses remained despite the population increasing to nearly 180 million. The horse as a worker had become obsolete.
Despite their lack of adaptability compared to horses, cars became the foundation of an entire economy and were integrated into our daily lives. Could humans eventually suffer a similar fate? Our skill set may prove inadequate once machines can outperform us in most areas and at much greater speeds. Deep learning technology, like AlphaZero’s ability to acquire 3,000 years of chess knowledge in less than 24 hours, demonstrates a level of “human power” far exceeding our capabilities.
Many researchers say that AI systems aren’t yet at the point of consciousness, but that the pace of AI evolution has got them pondering: how would we know if they were? https://t.co/XZXvBrw3Zv
— nature (@Nature) August 30, 2023
Lack of Machines Adaptability
While machines also lack adaptability, especially when switching between different tasks, cars also lack specific adaptability compared to horses. Cars can’t step over obstacles, move sideways, or swim through streams. Nevertheless, we still constructed an entire economy around them. We built road networks tailored to their limitations, even though this tragically led to countless road accidents and loss of life over the years.
The key distinction between humans and horses lies in our capacity to voice grievances. We possess agency, which we express through our ability to communicate and make choices. When they phased out horses, they had no say in the matter. However, we have the power to influence the organizations that might consider replacing us. We must exercise this power and make our voices heard.
The modern job market has undergone significant changes in the 21st century. Unlike in the past, large organizations now have fewer employees, and job security is not guaranteed due to the rise of smaller and shorter-lived companies. Even highly paid jobs do not provide stability in this age of startups. This fact results in more fragmented careers, with individuals taking on multiple occupations simultaneously.
The increase in innovative technology has played a significant role in this shift. The rapid pace of change makes it challenging to predict the trajectory of a person’s working life. While traditional professions like law and accounting are perceived as riskier due to concerns about automation, the number of enrollments in law schools continues to grow. A legal education will provide valuable training for various human-oriented tasks in a portfolio career, even with the presence of machines.
Technology and Machines
However, technology has also transformed the relationship between careers, jobs, and tasks in the short term. Machines excel at performing tasks, and work becomes more task-oriented as they improve. Jobs are inherently human activities. Machines are definitely not taking people’s jobs.
Overall, these changes in the job market necessitate a shift in how we think about careers. Rather than traditional career paths, the contemporary workplace is more likely to involve a portfolio of different occupations. It is essential for individuals entering the workforce in this century to adapt to this new reality.
The AI revolution promises enormous benefits to human beings, such as liberating us from drudgery, protecting us from diseases, and providing endless stimulation. However, potential downsides accompany AI’s rise, such as the risk of losing control over the intelligent systems we have created. It is crucial to remember that these machines lack a conscience, a heart, and a soul, and keeping them tethered to human values is essential to avoid severe consequences.
Written by Janet Grace Ortigas
Sources:
The Guardian: The end of work: Which jobs will survive the AI revolution? by David Runciman
World Economic Forum: AI: 3 ways artificial intelligence is changing the future of work; by Mark Rayner
Forbes: Artificial Intelligence And The End Of Work; Rob Toews
SBS News: The AI revolution is upon us. These are the jobs at risk and in demand; By Isabelle Lane
Featured and Top Image by Mike MacKenzie Courtesy of Flickr – Creative Commons License
First Inset Image by ZHENYU LUO Courtesy of Unsplash
Second Inset Image by Alex Knight Courtesy of Unsplash
