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Artificial Intelligence

While no one knows what artificial intelligence’s effect on work will be, we can all agree on one thing: it’s disruptive. 

So far, many have cast that disruption in a negative light and projected a future in which robots take jobs from human workers.That’s one way to look at it.

 Another is that automation may create more jobs than it displaces. By offering new tools for entrepreneurs, it may also create new lines of business that we can’t imagine now. These technologies have brought numerous benefits such as:

Higher productivity.

Better GDP growth.

Improved performance.

But they have also changed the way we view human workers now.

1. What is AI?

Artificial intelligence or AI simulates human intellect to machines. AI-enabled machines are capable of performing specific tasks better than humans and mimic human actions.

2. What is a robot?

A robot is a machine that is capable of carrying out specific tasks automatically. It can replicate human efforts and provide better outcomes.

3. Will robots take our jobs?

It is probably not an easy answer to provide.   Man of the tasks that used to be performed by manual labour in factories have already been replaced by machines, which are more precise and quicker than humans.  Industry experts such as Fortune have stated that “robots will replace 40% of jobs in the next 15 years”. AI and advanced technology expect that processes will become smarter, and machines will be more human in the long run. However, the problem is that it may also make a few jobs redundant. When technology and computers were introduced, they showed improvements in productivity, global reach, and faster communication across the world. Computers have reduced or eliminated paperwork to a great extent, for one. IT and software have enhanced our problem-solving, reasoning, knowledge, learning. Let’s look at some of the professions that may be deemed redundant in the future and why.

Jobs that robots might replace in the future

Based on the nature and type of these jobs, here is a rundown of the jobs that AI machines are most likely to perform in the future

Customer service workers.  Many companies now rely on AI to answer FAQs and customer support questions. Chatbots are not only becoming a significant part of customer interaction. They also support a lot of internal queries, among others.

Receptionists. Nowadays, even in fast food joints, people can place orders through communication screens or tabs. With AI’s introduction, there is a good chance that robots can handle ordering and other related functions.

Proofreading. While editing is a more complex job in terms of tonality, comprehension, and others, proofreading is much simpler. Detecting grammatical mistakes, sentence construction, and other errors can easily be automated through different apps. For example, Grammarly is one of the most famous apps that professionals use for this purpose.

Taxi and bus drivers. There is a 98% chance that this sector will be completely automated. Self-driving cars are already here, and it won’t be long before fully autonomous vehicles take over us. As per the Los Angeles Times, self-driving trucks could replace 1.7 million American truckers in the next ten years.

Jobs that AI can’t replace

Human creativity knows no limits. Strategic thinking, thought leadership, conflict resolution and negotiation, emotional intelligence, and empathy are qualities in jobs that AI cannot replace at any point in time.

Psychologists and Psychiatrists Even the best scientists and doctors in the world do not understand completely how a human brain is wired. To connect to every individual, it takes extreme empathy and compassion. Robots can never understand the human mind. Robots cannot express feelings or have compassion for others.

So it is quite impossible to have a robot psychiatrist in the foreseeable future.

What types of jobs do you think robots couldn’t do? 

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Offshore Manufacturing

Offshoring can be defined as relocation of business processes (including production/manufacturing) to a lower cost location, usually overseas. Australia used to have many factories that would make consumer goods. Factories that made clothes, shoes, cars, electronics and many other products were in Australia. These businesses hired people in Australia to make their products. However, in the 80′s and 90′s many businesses moved their factories offshore, to countries like China, India, Taiwan.  This has occurred all over the globe. For example, shoe brands like Nike, Puma and Adidas used to be made in European countries like Germany. Now they are mostly made in South East Asia and sent back to Europe and other countries for distribution and selling. Examples of production offshoring included manufacture of electronic components in Taiwan and production of apparels, toys, consumer goods in China.  1. Economic Benefits

With significant reductions in labour costs, making products is a lot cheaper in offshore countries. This means increased profit for business owners.  The main reason for these savings is the availability of cheaper labour—manufacturing labour costs in China average $5.5 (USD) per hour against the Australian average of $15 (USD) per hour.  Chinese companies also buy the materials needed in bulk, as they make products for so many countries and people around the globe. Because they buy so much in bulk, they receive significant discounts from suppliers.  Even when other costs such as coordination, transport, and logistics are taken into account, it still makes sense for many companies to outsource to China as onshore overall production costs would be much higher, a study of Australian manufacturing firms concludes. This cheap labor allows products to be sold at a cheaper price. It costs $23 to make a a pair of women’s long pyjamas in Australia using Australian cotton and Australian wages. That’s cost price, before any mark up for profit. 

By contrast, a pair of women’s long pyjamas can be ordered online from Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba for just $3.99 (USD). The question is, will consumers be ready to pay higher prices for quality, made-in-Australia goods, or will they start ordering much cheaper offshore products online? 2. Environmental/Regulatory Issues Some companies have moved their manufacturing facilities to China because regulatory, environmental, and social restrictions are not as rigorously applied in that country as they are in Australia.