Study: AI threatens 40 jobs, can’t be applied everywhere
AI could replace 40 types of jobs, but it could be applied to very few of the same number of jobs, according to a new analysis by Microsoft. The study found that the chatbot Co-pilot could do at least 90 percent of the work done by historians, as well as 80 percent of the work done by salespeople and journalists, while this percentage is 75 percent for data scientists and DJs.
Among the 40 jobs most at risk from the use of AI are customer service assistants, financial advisors and product promoters, Sky News reports. Writer Joe Turner is among those who lost 70 percent of his clients in two years due to AI and the introduction of chatbots.
“You feel betrayed when you’ve worked so hard and you’ve been replaced by a machine,” says Turner, who is one of 40 jobs that could be largely replaced by AI.
Microsoft researcher Kieran Tomlinson insists that the company’s study also explores which categories of jobs could benefit from AI chatbots, but Turner is skeptical. Many AI consultants agree, with one suggesting that chatbots could completely replace a number of jobs in three to five years.
“That’s just not the case for jobs that rely on human interaction or personal judgment,” the consultants say. Microsoft itself has announced it is laying off 15,000 employees and investing £69 billion in data centers that train AI models, as well as using AI to save $500 million in call centers.
For example, Klarna has cut its accounting staff by 40 percent and frozen hiring while it invests in artificial intelligence, boasting that chatbots are doing the work of 700 employees.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has said he expects the overall workforce to shrink as AI becomes more widely used. However, AI consultants say AI cannot replace humans quickly and immediately.
Microsoft researcher Kieran Tomlinson points out that AI supports many work tasks, especially those involving research, writing and communication, but it is not capable of fully performing any action. In fact, the study shows that there are 40 occupations where AI can perform only 10 percent of the tasks. This category includes craftsmen, decorators and painters, cleaners and the like.
Additionally, AI can only perform three percent of the job tasks performed by surgical assistants, five percent for marine engineers, and seven percent for hospital assistants.