Artificial intelligence is entering the job market. Are our positions at risk?

In the future, smart technological solutions will create new professions. Artificial intelligence will increase labor efficiency, much like how machines and computers have done’

Today, artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere. Technologies used in our daily life, finance, health, automotive, IT, industry and manufacturing, agriculture, marketing and sales – these are just some of the areas in which smart solutions are applied. Chats already generate content on any subject, programs independently create graphics and films, and apps recognize images. Modern technologies are increasingly replacing human beings in data analysis and content creation. So, will the development of artificial intelligence deprive us of work?

Niels Bohr, the Nobel prize winner in physics, is said to have stated that making predictions is difficult, especially when it comes to the future. On the other hard, there’s the saying that history tends to repeat itself. However, nobody really knows how upcoming events will unfold. This is why we base our future projections on past data, which confirms that technological advancement has never lead to unemployment.

For years, any interventions in the labor market, including technological progress, have triggered anxiety and fear for the future. This happens because the labor market is a unique one. The transactions carried out are based on individual’s work, and a person’s professional activity determines their income and subsistence. Therefore, the perspective of technological changes in the labor market often raises fears of unemployment and loss of livelihood. These fears have sometimes led to violent events. During the industrial revolution in the early 19th century in England, luddism was born, a radical social movement of craftsmen and weavers who opposed the use of machines and weaving devices, viewing them as a threat to their jobs. As a result, English workers attacked factories and destroyed looms.

However, as history has shown, technological development did not lead to mass unemployment. It did save us a lot of effort though, and made us more productive. Still, predictions of significantly reducing working hours have not come true. In 1930, John Maynard Keynes, one of the most eminent economists, predicted that in 100 years due to machines and technology, we would be working only 15 hours a week. Almost a century later in 2023, the average Pole worked over 1800 hours, which gives over 34 hours a week once you factor in holidays and vacation – according to OECD data.

Without a doubt, artificial intelligence will change the nature of work, but it will not take it away from us. It may, however, lead to the extinction of certain professions. Professions related to routine data analysis and content creation are especially at risk. The reduction of certain professions as a result of innovation is nothing new though. Technical progress has always led to transformations in the labor market, and some professions have become obsolete. The invention of sails eliminated the need for galley slaves, electricity eradicated the job of street lanterns, and computer printing wiped out typesetters.

The development of artificial intelligence will eliminate certain professions, but it will give birth to new ones. Machine learning engineers, artificial intelligence researchers, natural language processing engineers, intelligent solution architects, AI system implementers and consultants, as well as ethics and cybersecurity specialists in intelligent applications – these are just a few future professions that require unique knowledge in the areas of programming, mathematics, statistics, as well as machine learning, data processing, and algorithms. Computerization removed typists, telephone operators, typesetters, and accountants from the job market, but new professions emerged: programmers, IT system administrators, IT security specialists, database administrators, computer game creators, etc. Today, we cannot imagine a world without computers. Undoubtedly, in the future it will be just as hard for us to function without the support of artificial intelligence.

Thanks to innovations, we become more efficient, which translates into an increase in the production of economic goods and a higher standard of living. The productivity growth in agriculture induced by technological progress not only saved humanity from Malthusian visions of famine but also allowed for increased employment in industry. Automation and robotization of industry contributed to increased employment in services. The evolution of artificial intelligence will give rise to new fields, solutions, and needs that are unimaginable today.

The current enthusiasm for artificial intelligence is reminiscent of the gold rush. Much like in the 19th century when news of the discovery of gold deposits caused a great stir, attracting crowds of fortune-seekers, AI triggers enormous interest today.

Its initial development was accompanied by almost euphoria. However, this enthusiasm started giving way to a more realistic outlook. It turned out that many problems that seemed easy to solve with the help of AI actually required a much more complex approach. After all, smart solutions are still not fully capable of driving autonomous cars or providing services to customers facing unique issues.

Nevertheless, the potential of artificial intelligence remains massive. In the future, smart technological solutions will certainly transform the labor market and create new professions. AI will enhance labor productivity, in the same way as machines and computers have done. Already, smart technologies are becoming a routine tool that assists our daily activities. However, we shouldn’t expect them to replace human labor and creativity.

Author: Paweł Janukowicz holds a doctorate in social sciences in the field of economics and finance and is also a member of the Polish Economists Association.