“AI will not replace you, but someone using AI will replace you.”
Like the warning signs on dangerous goods, the above sentence has been around for quite some time. Seen by everyone from economists to tech leaders as a potential cause of a massive apocalypse in the labor market, AI has been sounding alarm bells for some time now. With predictive statistics circulating about how jobs will be replaced within the “xyz” period, some may want a reality check. how much happened? Has AI, or someone who knows how to use AI, take your place?
Executive reemployment and career consulting firm Challenger Gray & Christmas blamed artificial intelligence for the loss of 4,000 jobs in May, marking the first time the company has cited AI as a cause of job losses.
Even big tech companies like Microsoft, Meta and other IT companies have been hit hard over the past six months by massive job cuts due to the recession, but none of them blamed AI. But when you look at trends in how those same companies are incorporating generative AI into their workflows, connecting the dots isn’t all that hard. But that being said, job market trends reflect a different picture.
Generative AI fuels the job market
Fear and enthusiasm have led to the massive adoption of generative AI within the enterprise, and AI is actually starting to drive the evolution of jobs in the marketplace.
Street AIM research, the generative AI job market experienced steady growth from January to June this year. The number of generative AI jobs in the US is said to have increased by 20% in May. Job openings increased from 3,000 in April to 4,500 in June. IT departments have the highest number of job postings for generative AI roles.
The numbers may indicate that jobs may not be declining, but job roles are changing in line with the current wave. For example, the role of “generative AI engineer”, which did not exist before, requires the skills of engineers in various fields. The role of generative AI engineer thus encapsulates the role of deep learning engineer, ML, NL and even software engineer.
New roles that probably didn’t exist before are also actively emerging. As a result of the chatbot revolution, there is a demand for the role of agile engineers, and an increasing number of companies are seeking such roles. The job market looks bright as this role offers a higher salary than his Python developer. The massive changes brought about by AI have also sparked debate about how entire generations study for jobs that don’t exist. It may be safe to say that certain jobs may become obsolete, largely because the nature of jobs is changing.
grow together
Companies are tackling the wrath of generative AI as a coalition of sorts, through the onboarding and training of employees to control systems rather than recruiting talent. TCS initially partnered with Google Cloud for its generative AI service, but recently with Microsoft Azure, where he has trained 25,000 engineers on Azure OpenAI.
In addition to adoption and training, companies are also building ways to help other companies grow on the rise of generative AI. Tech Mahindra partnered with Microsoft to bring generative AI to enterprise search, then announced the Generative AI studio to help other companies start their generative AI efforts. Other IT companies have followed suit.
AI over humans?
Most companies have found ways to avoid the topic of work around generative AI, but some have openly embraced AI over talent. Dukaan, a platform for merchants to launch e-commerce businesses, recently laid off his 90% of his support staff due to a new AI chatbot. The company claims to have saved costs and shortened customer resolution times since the move. Telecommunications firm British Telecommunications said more than 55,000 jobs will be cut by the end of 2010, a fifth of them in customer service jobs where AI will replace staff.
Some industries are forced to adopt generative AI. The travel industry is one of them. The industries that faced the biggest impact of the pandemic are now slowly coming back to life, with AI being the savior as every industry integrates his AI chatbots, ChatGPT plugins and other features.
While some businesses and industries rely on AI, Zerodha is doing everything in its power to protect its employees from all forms of AI hijacking. The company has made it clear that it will only introduce AI when it deems it necessary, and that it will not sacrifice anyone’s work. With a handful of companies allowing AI to replace jobs and many others embracing AI to create new jobs and enable employees to effectively use AI without threatening their jobs, it’s no exaggeration to say that AI is becoming integral to every job. But whether it will be the deciding factor in defending one’s job is inconclusive.
