We are often told that AI (Artificial Intelligence) will soon be replacing all jobs. This dire warning is frequently preceded by a display of rather impressive items created by AI, such as music, images/art, or poems. But are these dire warnings warranted about AI’s impact on jobs?
As I said in my previous writing, today’s AI is not ready to replace all jobs soon. In fact, it is not unusual for these dire warnings to be given by individuals without a technical background. They may have seen impressive items created by AI. They may have heard that AI will replace all jobs. But they may not always fully understand AI’s limitations.
A recent Wall Street Journal article confirms my viewpoint about AI’s inability to replace all jobs anytime soon. The article, which ran on May 13, 2024, is titled “Will AI Be a Job Killer? Call Us Skeptical” and its authors, Peter Cappelli and Valery Yakubovich. are affiliated with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The article says, “But, we’ve been studying the world of work for decades, and we believe that there are plenty of reasons to doubt this job upheaval will actually happen—no matter how much the technology improves.” The article goes on to explain, “Modern work is complex and most jobs involve much more than the kind of things AI is good at.” The article reports that AI is good at summarizing and at searching through huge volumes of literature, but human input is stull needed.
As I see it, some of what AI can produce is very impressive. On the other hand, AI can hallucinate and get things wrong. Furthermore, AI cannot connect the dots and think. Thus, there are limits to what AI is capable of. That’s what I’ve been saying in my previous writings. And, that’s why AI us not likely to replace all human workers soon. This recent Wall Street Journal article, authored by experts from a prestigious source, is one more signal that AI won’t be replacing all human workers anytime soon.
