How AI Could Affect the Future Job Market
Introduction
In the movie Back to the Future Part II (1989), you see Marty McFly and Doc in the year 2015 on the highway filled with flying cars. Today, we can say that it was not an accurate prediction of what the year 2015 looked like. However, in other instances, such as in the movie Interstellar (2014), automated farming machines may be closer than ever to becoming a real everyday thing for farmers. As time progresses, the dystopian Sci-Fi scenarios depicted in cinema are becoming more realistic.
In recent years, the use of artificial intelligence has skyrocketed. Jobs traditionally held by humans, such as cashiers in fast food restaurants, are already being replaced by robots. The ability to order food without human interaction is becoming common practice in places such as Wendy’s and McDonald’s. As AI continues to advance, significant changes to the job market are inevitable.
The Big Question: Which Other Jobs are at Risk?
As technology continues to advance, the future job market becomes more unpredictable. Think about the small repetitive tasks you do daily. Ask yourself, could it be done by a trained AI model? There are many instances of jobs and tasks that AI will take over when we get to that point in time.
One industry that will likely undergo dramatic changes is healthcare. As AI evolves, diagnoses, treatments, and even prescriptions may become automated. AI models equipped with vast medical knowledge could potentially diagnose and prescribe treatments with greater speed and accuracy than humans.
Similarly, assembly line jobs are poised for automation. This trend is evident in industries like car manufacturing, where robots now handle a substantial portion of the production process that was once manual.
AI will even disrupt the legal field. AI-powered tools can perform legal research tasks faster and more comprehensively than humans by analyzing vast amounts of legal data and identifying relevant case law, statutes, and precedents. Additionally, AI can generate standard contracts and legal documents based on templates and predefined rules, saving time for lawyers who would otherwise have to draft these documents manually.
These are just a few examples of how artificial intelligence will change the job market. There are very few jobs where artificial intelligence will not affect the accuracy and productivity compared to a human.
Ethical Concerns
However, amidst these advancements, ethical considerations loom large. As of now, Canada’s unemployment rate stands at 6.4%. The increasing adoption of AI has contributed marginally to this figure and is expected to further impact human job opportunities.
The pivotal question arises: at what point does the widespread use of AI become unethical? As we navigate these advancements, balancing technological progress with social responsibility becomes crucial.
In healthcare, AI promises to revolutionize diagnostics and treatment planning, potentially leading to faster and more accurate patient care. However, the ethical implications are profound. Trusting AI with medical decisions raises questions about accountability, patient consent, and the need for human oversight. How do we safeguard against errors or biases in AI algorithms? What role should healthcare professionals play in interpreting AI-generated recommendations? Addressing these ethical dilemmas is crucial to ensuring patient safety and maintaining trust in medical AI applications.
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence has the potential to revolutionize industries and boost productivity. However, it raises concerns such as what the future job market will look like and ethical considerations. The deployment of AI demands careful consideration of issues such as accountability, transparency, and fairness to ensure that technological progress aligns with societal values and safeguards against biases and errors. Balance is key, learning skills that a robot cannot do is essential for ensuring yourself a secure future.
About The Author
Sam Ponting is a Dalhousie Commerce (C/O 2025) student. Within his time at Dalhousie, Sam has completed three co-ops, Accounting at TVDSB, Project Coordination at Digital Nova Scotia, and most recently Communications Coordination at CEED. After graduation, Sam hopes to open his own business in the sports and athletics industry.