(NewsNation) — The U.S. is leading the world in artificial intelligence innovation and that could have serious implications for American workers.
Cognitive tasks once limited to humans — reading, writing, synthesizing information — can now be done more efficiently with generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini; companies have taken notice.
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Microsoft dubbed 2024 “the year AI at work gets real” and said the tech is already being “woven into the workplace at an unexpected scale.”
Over the past year, nearly 60% of companies have implemented software, equipment, or technology to automate tasks previously completed by employees, according to a survey conducted by Duke University and the Federal Reserve Banks of Atlanta and Richmond.
Goldman Sachs estimates that “roughly two-thirds of current jobs are exposed to some degree of AI automation.” The technological changes have been so swift that now some wonder if “learn to code” is bad advice.
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AI optimists argue it will make workers more productive and allow them to spend extra time on meaningful tasks. Others warn AI could cause some jobs to disappear completely. The truth may be somewhere in between.
“You may not be replaced by AI but you could be replaced by somebody who knows how to use AI,” said Allison Shrivastava, an associate economist with the Indeed Hiring Lab.
Here’s what to know about the future of AI and which skills to prioritize going forward.
Which jobs are ‘at risk’ to AI automation and why?
For decades automation was mainly a blue-collar concern but generative AI is expected to have a greater impact on white-collar jobs, particularly administrative roles.
That’s because AI can process large amounts of data accurately and efficiently. It’s a shift that’s likely to change jobs centered around data entry and email sorting.
“Most of the industries that face the greatest exposure to generative AI today are those that just a few years ago were ranked at the bottom of automation risk,” the Brookings Institution noted in a recent report.
Brookings said more than 30% of all workers could see at least 50% of their occupation’s tasks disrupted by generative AI. Tasks in office and administrative support roles — bookkeepers, customer service representatives, office clerks — are especially likely to be automated.
Other professions like insurance underwriters, tax preparers and legal secretaries also face high automation risk, according to the report.
Keep in mind: jobs that are “at risk” for automation aren’t necessarily going to disappear completely. In many cases, disruption doesn’t mean destruction — roles will still exist except certain tasks will be done by AI.
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With that said, several jobs are projected to decline over the next decade. Typists, data entry keyers and telemarketers are among the fastest-shrinking occupations, according to the latest Labor Department estimates.
Cashiers are also expected to be much less common by 2033, with employment projected to drop by 353,000 — the biggest total decline across all job categories, according to the Labor Department. Employment of customer service representatives and office clerks is forecasted to drop by 150,000 jobs each over the next decade.
Meanwhile, jobs that require a significant social or emotional component are less likely to be replaced by AI. The healthcare and social assistance sector is set to boom, with nurse practitioners and physician assistants expected to be two of the fastest-growing jobs through 2033.
Other hands-on roles like barbers, firefighters and child care workers also have low AI exposure, a Pew Research report found.
Will AI replace jobs or make them better?
It’s too early to know the full extent of AI’s impact on jobs but many workers — and experts — are hopeful.
The optimistic view is that AI will automate the tasks nobody wants to do, freeing up employees to do work they enjoy.
Teachers could spend less time writing lesson plans and more time working with students. Nurses may be able to get through paperwork faster and provide more care to patients.
As Ryan Rolanski, the CEO of LinkedIn, wrote in Wired earlier this year: “(AI) doesn’t replace people, it allows them to do their job more effectively, leaving them time to focus on the more valuable — and more human — parts of their jobs.”
The AI revolution will also create entirely new jobs. There will be AI trainers who help develop the tools, along with AI prompt gurus who specialize in producing new types of content.
Others, like Michael Strain at the American Enterprise Institute, point out that AI will help many workers become more productive, making them more valuable to businesses. In turn, wages could rise.
There’s also a potential labor shortage to consider. The American workforce is getting older and fewer people are having children.
Adults ages 65 and older are projected to be 8.6% of the labor force in 2032, up from 5.2% in 2013, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. AI could help fill the productivity gap as more workers age out of the labor force.
A recent global survey from Google and Ipsos found that most people (68%) who have used an AI application in the past year are excited about the possibilities. Of those, 63% of workers believed that in 25 years AI will have a positive impact on work-life balance.
How can workers prepare for AI at work?
Experts suggest workers should start learning how to use generative AI tools, many of which are free. Workers who can take advantage of AI at their jobs now will have a leg up in the future.
Shrivastava recommends practicing writing ChatGPT prompts and understanding how the chatbot interprets those prompts.
“It’s more difficult than you would initially think and that’s definitely a huge skill to practice,” she said.
For many employers, the AI future is already here. The share of job postings mentioning GenAI or related terms has skyrocketed over the past year, up 3.5 times in the U.S., according to research from the Indeed Hiring Lab.
A recent Google Workspace study of “young leaders,” ages 22 to 39, found 82% are already leveraging AI tools in their work. The report was based on a survey of over 1,000 U.S.-based knowledge workers who aspire to hold a leadership position.
At the same time, it’s also worth improving the so-called soft skills that generative AI can’t replace. Interpersonal skills like emotional intelligence, teamwork and leadership are likely to become more important, not less.
“Those are really invaluable, and they’re not going to be replaced anytime soon,” Shrivastava said.
