Recent analysis shows that artificial intelligence will dramatically change the nature of work, but will not replace most workers.
Researchers at Boston Consulting Group estimate that 50% to 55% of U.S. jobs will be “reshaped” by AI over the next three years.
“Even if the jobs still exist, what people do in these jobs is going to be different,” BCG managing director and senior partner Matthew Kropp told CBS News.
At the same time, many jobs will be lost. BCG predicts that 10-15% of U.S. jobs could be replaced by AI over the next five years.
“There’s almost a natural reaction: we’re going to cut jobs.” and then there are layoffs. “This is harmful to society because it’s indiscriminate and you need people to do the work, but it’s also harmful to the companies themselves. Yes, some jobs will go away, but a lot of the jobs will be reskilling and getting people to work in a different way, so you have to put in the effort to do that,” he said.
better for society and business
As a result, Klopp is urging business leaders to focus on how AI can enhance, rather than replace, the capabilities of employees.
Klopp added: “We should focus on reskilling and making sure the people who do that move on to other areas where the job is OK.”
Boston Consulting Group leveraged government labor data to examine the tasks associated with 1,500 jobs to assess which jobs are best suited to be augmented or replaced by AI.
“In some cases, the result will be that the demand for jobs increases as the cost of jobs decreases,” Klopp said. “Software engineering is a poster child. There’s a huge backlog of software engineering tasks that companies have. There’s a lot of software that won’t get built because it’s too expensive.”
In contrast, many call center employee jobs are expected to become obsolete as AI can perform tasks without increasing demand for services.
“Even as AI reduces the cost of processing routine inquiries, the number of interactions does not increase proportionately. In this situation, the productivity gains are likely to reduce the number of agents needed,” BCG said in its analysis.
A work that can withstand AI?
In other cases, employment will remain largely unchanged. For example, Kropp said occupations that require physical presence and interpersonal skills, such as plumbers and therapists, are less likely to feel the impact of AI.
As with previous cycles of technological innovation, economists expect AI to create new kinds of jobs, but Klopp said it remains unclear what that will bring.
“When social media came out, did anyone predict that being a social media influencer would be a job?” he said.
