Artificial intelligence (AI) experts and industry leaders have warned that automation, and reliance on programs like OpenAI’s ChatGPT could have a drastic impact on millions of jobs, particularly in industries that can be easily automated.
ChatGPT itself, a software which has sparked debate in recent months, said it could “potentially replace jobs that involve written communication,” such as translation services and social media managers.
When asked what jobs could be replaced by AI broadly, ChatGPT said financial analysts and customer service representatives, among others, could potentially be replaced by AI in the future.
Goldman Sachs warned in a report Sunday that around the world, as many as 300 million jobs could be impacted by artificial intelligence automation, CNBC reported.
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Specifically, tasks that involve repetitive or manual labor might eventually become automated with the help of language models like ChatGPT, which the program itself could lead “to a decrease in the number of jobs available in those fields.”
AI will be able to automate the process of data analysis, which could reduce the need for manual entry and processing, optimize shipping and delivery routes, automate manufacturing and assembly lines, computerize many human accounting tasks and assist with legal research and analysis.
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Some examples specifically given by ChatGPT include transportation, manufacturing and financial services. Other industries that could be at risk include healthcare in which “AI can assist with diagnosing and treating patients, reducing the need for some healthcare workers” and journalism where “AI can generate news articles and summaries, potentially impacting jobs.”
Former Google consultant and Datagrade founder and CEO, Joe Toscano, previously told Fox News Digital that companies and industries that replace writing jobs could make written material like essays, articles and online text susceptible to incorrect information, which could be overlooked or accepted as truth by many consumers.
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“If we don’t have humans in the loop to ensure truth and integrity in the information, then we’re going to, I think, head towards a dystopian world where we don’t know true from false, and we just blindly trust things. I’m not excited about that,” he said. “I’m concerned quite a bit.”
ChatGPT explained that while it might impact certain jobs, AI technology will also create new job opportunities in fields like data science, machine learning and natural language processing.
Rayid Ghani, a professor of AI and an expert in ethics, fairness, equity, and AI regulation at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College, warned that the negative impact on the job market will still be significant.
“It does make processes more efficient, which means people are going to lose jobs and yes, it will create new jobs, but those jobs are not at the same scale as the jobs lost,” he said.
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When asked what jobs it would replace, ChatGPT said many jobs that “require a human touch or critical thinking skills” can’t be replaced by AI.
“Additionally, the development and maintenance of AI systems require human expertise and oversight, meaning that AI will not completely replace the need for human workers in these fields,” the bot wrote.
AI expert Kai Fu Lee warned that 40 percent of the world’s jobs could be completed by machines in the next 15 years. Even jobs that might seem more nuances like a chef or waiter will become automated, he warned.
“AI will increasingly replace repetitive jobs, not just for blue-collar work, but a lot of white-collar work,” Lee, who has worked for Apple and Google said. “Chauffeurs, truck drivers, anyone who does driving for a living — their jobs will be disrupted more in the 15 to 25-year time frame.”