Will the development of AI eliminate laptop-class jobs and gradually replace many authors, human resources professionals, lawyers, writers, artists, and even programmers? Yes, it is only a matter of time before students are the only ones carrying laptops around because AI and his brothers, as I like to call them, are here for the long haul and make no mistake about it, they will revolutionize the world. This is because the future has become so unpredictable with AI and all the variables that it solves or is intended to solve.
A major shock to the globe will be the impending economic change fueled by artificial intelligence. It seems likely that the next ten years will witness a series of social and economic changes on par with the Industrial Revolution and the development of internet connectivity. AI will gradually replace many authors, human resource officers, attorneys, writers, artists, and even coders as the laptop class of workers is decimated. The fact that technology cannot replace the services of blue-collar workers who utilize their hands also ensures their job security. Regrettably, the media’s advice to “learn to code” may have been equated to buying typewriters for many young people.
The development of artificial intelligence is accelerating dramatically. Recent reports of software that can mimic human speech, author academic papers, compose research papers, and produce beautiful images are only a small portion of the AI revolution that is yet to come. Future changes in daily life will be able to be seen as a result of the attraction of AI-generated video games, music, art, and even film. A computer click and a summary can result in a new John Steinbeck book or a Thomas Sowell economic dissertation.
Hundreds of jobs that currently require a college degree will quickly change. The very people who prospered during COVID will be completely destroyed by the rapid advances in this new technology, especially those who work in the information sector and can frequently do their duties from home on their computers. Artificial intelligence developments will eventually outperform most of what a person can type on a keyboard during the next one to five years. The majority of content on the web will be written by chatbots. Leaders in AI will exist. The time it now takes to develop a piece of code will be drastically reduced. Image generators will cost graphic designers most of their business. Even accountants and financial specialists may not be able to compete with computers. ChatGPT already helps programmers with the basic code that frequently must be improved. Much of the skills needed to build a website can be replaced with the chat service. It has already passed the law and MBA exams.
Some white-collar jobs will fare better than others with the development of AI. Individuals that break new ground or are masters of their fields will be able to support themselves. But, those whose jobs rely on personality and face-to-face encounters are more likely to weather the storm. Which would you prefer—a human or a machine—to advise you on financial, legal, and medical matters? Nonetheless, the transition to a creative environment that is essentially free of work may lead to a general decline in white-collar employment.
A retrograde Industrial Revolution will mimic the upcoming economic cataclysm. Practical professions based on expertise will offer significantly greater stability than “knowledge economy jobs” that can be automated. Drywall can only be changed by performing. AI is unable to build a house, fix a plumbing issue, give you a haircut, or install streetlights. With new tools and techniques, AI may make blue-collar workers’ jobs easier, but the principles of construction, utility work, and intricate machining will not change.
Soon, broad information will be known by computers, while practical knowledge will still be applied by human hands. The loss of millions of currently well-paying jobs will have a significant social impact. Many people who have devoted their entire lives to one profession will go through a group identification crisis. The speed at which society is changing and how quickly technology is developing might cause dramatic alterations from year to year.
Unfortunately, major advances in STEM may also spell its demise. For all time, there will be a great demand for engineers and academics. Yet, AI may have a significant negative impact on many professional choices related to degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math. However, that would be damning with little praise. Majors would have been more beneficial than social science degrees.
The economic and educational error of the previous century may have been the affluent sneering at a hard day’s work. Sadly, white-collar values were valued more highly than blue-collar experience during the preceding educational era. It may not have been a clever idea to convince aspiring electricians to concentrate on arithmetic or even English.
The speed with which artificial intelligence will change Americans’ daily lives will astonish many. And there will be even bigger changes when the “new normal” takes hold. The demand for someone who can fix heaters will always exist, even if online writers are fired.
