What do recent, hyper-realistic pictures of famous faces in uncharacteristic situations – from curious outfits to ‘being arrested’ – have to do with the future of jobs?
It all involves an AI image generator.
The online tool works by generating images based on your text prompts –
no matter how mind-boggling they may be – using the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).
At quick glance, the results can be scarily accurate, with viewers often unable to tell what is actually real, and what has been generated by an AI.
There are certain tell-tale signs to look out for though: AI image generators tend to have issues rendering hands and teeth, and will often insert far more of each, in an uncanny valley-type result.
Images generated by new AI tools are just one part of the picture.
The surging success of artificial intelligence bots that can write computer code as easily as it can generate a funny poem or a short story, has seen enormous growth that has so far outstripped some of the biggest social media platforms combined.
Jobs at risk
The result is that workers now fear that their jobs will be taken by robots. While automation in many industries, such as car manufacturing, isn’t new, research from Oxford Economics, released in 2019, suggested that machines are expected to take over about 20 million manufacturing jobs globally over the next decade.
In the UK, PwC suggested that by the mid-2030s, up to 30% of jobs could be automatable. It also estimated that more men will be affected than women, because many jobs that can be automated are manual ones, where more men tend to be employed.
And low-income earners look set to be the most affected and are 280% more likely to be replaced by AI than those who possess a qualification or have had access to higher education.
Other job sectors at risk include finance, because AI algorithms can lead to faster and more efficient analysis and assessments in areas like trading and investment banking. Experts also point to jobs in customer service as at risk as chatbots take up the slack.
Transport is another area that robots have the potential to seriously disrupt with the advent of self-driving vehicles.
But it isn’t all bad news.
While the World Economic Forum predicts that 85 million jobs will be displaced by automation and technology by 2025, it says the robot revolution will create 97million new roles too.
These could include jobs in areas such as machine learning, data sourcing, and AI engineering.
And new research from Pearson has found that despite automation and generative AI’s potential to upend the job market, it is our softer skills that will be valuable in the future.
Human skills matter
Professionals say human and interpersonal skills will be the most valuable to help workers get new jobs or to advance their current role in the future. In the UK, the Pearson report says that employees are actively prioritising problem solving and teamwork.
While an AI might be great at generating computer code, it can’t help a struggling employee who needs empathetic leadership, or negotiate with a prospective client who needs careful handling.
And other valuable soft skills include complex problem-solving, critical thinking and analysis, plus creativity, originality and initiative.
These skills are evergreen, even in the face of the robots. Developing and nurturing them now is the key to a successful career in the face of increasing automation, so if you’re in the market for a new role where you can develop into the future, then Metro Jobs is a great place to start your search.
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